Features and Sports

 Section C: Thursday, Oct. 4, 2007 Telegraph Times Monitor.


New fees for hunting,


 As of Oct. 1, a new fee
 schedule is in effect for all
 recreational licenses issued by
 the Florida Fish and Wildlife
 Conservation Commission.
 During its 2007 session, the
 Florida Legislature passed a
 bill to increase the fees for all
 recreational saltwater and
 freshwater fishing and hunting
 licenses. Hunting license fees
 were last increased in 1979
 and fishing license fees in
 1989.
 Bob Wattendorf, who heads
 up marketing in the FWC's
 Division of Freshwater
 Fisheries Management, said,
 "When fees for fishing licenses
 were last increased, in 1989,
 gasoline cost 89 cents a gallon.
 But even with the new fee
 increases, the cost of hunting
 and fishing in Florida falls,
 below the median costs for the
 other 49 states. Also the
 percentage of increase is well
 below the rise in the cost of
 living seen since 1989."
 All the fees from these
 licenses go back into
 conserving fish and wildlife
 resources and benefit anglers
 and hunters.
 The increased revenue,
 expected to total $10 million
 annually within four years,
 will not create new programs,
 but will offset a predicted
 $12.5-million deficit by 2010,
 said Sandra Wilson, director of
 finance and budget at FWC. In
 addition to issuing the licenses,
 FWC is charged with directly
 conserving fish and wildlife
 resources, and it creates and
 enforces rules and regulations
 regarding hunting and fishing
 in the state as well as
 promoting boating safety and
 access.
 Florida remains the number-
 one fishing destination in the
 United States, according to the
 U.S. Fish and Wildlife
 Service's 2006 national
 survey. In addition, Florida
 ranks number-one in the nation
 for its $11 billion generated
 annually through hunting,
 fishing and wildlife-viewing
 activities throughout the state.
 FWC presented its findings
 to the Legislature earlier this
 year. The projected deficit
 would leave revenue streams
 for marine fisheries, freshwater
 fisheries and hunting in
 jeopardy. In addition,
 programs already in place,
 such as those for panthers,
 manatees and other imperiled
 species, would need funding to
 keep pace with increased costs.
 FWC hired Southwick
-:Associates, a private firm
specializing in fish-and-
wildlife economics, to
-" determine the impact from an
: increase in fees.
 "The optimal price for each
 sport fishing and hunting
 license issued was
 scientifically determined,"
 Wattendorf said.
 "Consideration for the increase
 included the effect on angling
 and hunting participation,
 customer satisfaction, tourism
 :.and public support for
 conservation."
 However, the new fees were
 kept to the minimum necessary
 *. to offset the projected deficit,
 rather than at a level that
 would maximize revenue.
 Compared to the price of
 .movies, golf, bowling and
 other forms of recreation,.
 fishing and hunting fees
 remain very affordable,
 especially when viewed as an


 Not all
 muzzleloaders
 are legal
 The Florida Fish and
 Wildlife Conservation
 Commission wants to make it
 clear to all muzzleloader
 hunters that not all
 muzzleloaders are created
 equal. Some of the new models
 do not meet the legal definition
 of guns authorized for use
 during muzzleloading gun
 season.
 The two issues which seem
 to be generating the most
 questions are whether
 muzzleloaders with an
 electronic ignition are legal and
 whether the use of nitro-
 cellulose powder is legal.
 Neither is legal for use in
 Florida during muzzleloading
 gun season.


unlimited, year-round
privilege, Wattendorf said.
 FWC also carefully
considered the impact on
federal aid for sport fishing


and wildlife restoration, which
comes to Florida based on the
certified, number of hunting
and fishing license holders and
size of the state. Further


fishing licenses in effect


research consisted of
consulting focus groups and
surveying individual hunters
and fishermen across Florida.
With all of these findings


before them, legislators 'voted
to increase the fees, beginning
Oct. 1. A$ a result, programs in
danger of losing funding, such
as freshwater, hatcheries, law


enforcement patrols and
saltwater fisheries stock
assessments, will be able to
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