Mandatory Fishing License Display to Snag Lost Millions

One of the easiest items the state Fish and Game Commission will find on its monthly agenda at Long Beach Thursday and Friday is the Department of Fish and Game’s proposal to have everyone wear their fishing licenses.

They won’t vote on it until next month in Sacramento, but the only problem the commission has with it is that it doesn’t go far enough.

“I think hunting should go to the same thing,” said longtime commissioner Al Taucher of Long Beach.

Taucher recalled providing pin-on license holders when he ran a sporting goods store in Belmont Shore in the early ‘50s, but somewhere the practice stopped. Now, the DFG thinks it’s losing from $4 million to $14 million in revenue yearly because 13% to 47% of the state’s anglers aren’t buying licenses.

DFG Director Boyd Gibbons is quoted, “Law-abiding anglers who fish and buy licenses will want to see everybody do the same. . . .”

Translation: Peer pressure. It also would make enforcement easier. A warden could sit on the beach and survey a lake full of anglers with binoculars.

But if revenue is the primary thrust, Taucher said, the department should also consider selling ads in its fishing and hunting regulation booklets, as other states do.

Maybe they could use some of that new cash to give their underpaid and overworked employees pay raises. The Arizona Game and Fish Commission, noting that its department workers earn an average salary of $24,400 and are 20% to 30% behind the private sector, recently proposed an across-the-board increase of 10%.

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Tackle store operators who sell fishing licenses for the DFG may have other views. Gary Gunsolley, owner of Brock’s Sporting Goods in Bishop, said he would rather have a compromise between the current $8.40 one-day license and the $23.90 annual license. Gunsolley sees a lot of anglers who fish only one or two weeks each year, on their vacations.

“That’s what my customers want,” Gunsolley said. “People walk out of the store because the one-day is too expensive and they don’t need the annual.”

Also, store owners don’t make much of a profit selling fishing licenses. Only recently their commission was raised from a flat 50 cents to 5%, and anyone buying a license will have that much less money to spend on tackle.

So when it gets busy, Gunsolley asked, “Who am I gonna spend my time with?”

But Gunsolley also said that at $23.90 it’s still a bargain.

“For 24 bucks you can have a lot of fun for a whole year. It costs you more than that to go to one ballgame in L.A.”

Briefly

LICENSES--The 1994 basic California resident license is now available and will cost $23.25 at DFG offices, $24.40 at tackle stores (5% markup for sellers’ profit). For Christmas, the DFG will throw in a decorative envelope for gift licenses. A buyer doesn’t need to know the recipient’s birth date or other vital statistics to buy one for somebody else. Licenses also may be bought on credit cards by phoning (916) 227-2246 in Sacramento. That’s a toll call from most of the state.

You can renew a driver’s license or a magazine subscription by mail, but not a fishing license. The DFG says it still lacks the proper data base for fishermen, but you may buy a fishing license by mail by sending a check to License and Revenue Branch, California Department of Fish and Game, 3211 S St., Sacramento, CA 95816: $23.25 for freshwaterfishing, $13.75 for ocean fishing and $27.75 to do both.

NOTEWORTHY--976 TUNA is sponsoring a food and toy drive for Los Angeles-area families, in cooperation with the House of Yahweh in Lawndale. Canned goods and toys may be left at any Turner’s Outdoorsman store through Dec. 20.

SALTWATER FISHING--Virg’s Landing at Morro Bay took only five of the albacore found earlier by two commercial fishing boats 45-60 miles offshore last week, losing six after hookups, and was unable to send a second boat the next day because of bad weather. They’ll try again tonight, Tom Dietrick said, with an albacore special leaving at 11 p.m. Also, a boat from nearby Paradise Sportfishing took one 52-pound albacore Tuesday, lost two others and will send a boat out Friday at 11 p.m. at a “discount exploratory trip special” of $70, spokeswoman Virginia Nelson said.

HUNTING--The second part of Southern California’s waterfowl season opens Saturday with counts below last December, according to the DFG. Numbers are building daily, however, and there has been a recent surge in snow geese at the Imperial Wildlife Area near Niland. . . . Island Adventures is offering weekend rifle and archery trophy ram hunts on Santa Cruz Island from December through May. Details: (805) 646-2513.

MEXICAN FISHING--Cabo San Lucas: Dorado still strong, running 20-25 pounds with some to 50. Most blue marlin 175-275 pounds, with 35 of 43 released. Seven black marlin and 10 stripers also hooked. San Jose del Cabo: Dorado 15-35 pounds, yellowfin tuna 12-25. Wahoo tougher but available. Stephen Panford, Buena Park, took a 320-pound blue marlin. Rudy Pi, Granada Hills, caught a 105-pound sailfish from a panga.

RUNNING--The Lake Isabella Chamber of Commerce will conduct the Dam Tough Run 50K and 4x12K Relay Saturday, starting at 7 a.m. Details: (209) 683-7426.

CONSERVATION--The Pacific Fishery Management Council reports that the adult coho salmon population may be one of the smallest ever recorded. It is attributed to residual El Nino conditions.