SC License needed

South Carolina bill would cost anglers

By Sarita Chourey| Morris News Service

COLUMBIA --- Virtually everyone who fishes in saltwater in South Carolina will be required to purchase a license under a change that S.C. Department of Natural Resources officials hope to see next legislative session.

That means anglers from shore or from the pier, who currently don't need a license, will be regulated in the same way as those who fish from a boat, if the General Assembly approves suggested legislation.

"I think most people will recognize if you're taking resources out, you need to invest in them," said Robert Boyles, deputy director of the department's Marine Resources Division.
"I hope people recognize that everybody has to pay their share and pull their weight."

He said discussions of changing the law to include all recreational saltwater fishermen, regardless of where they cast their lines, began more than two years ago.
The state sells about 115,000 licenses annually to boat fishermen. Anyone fishing from shore, the bank or a pier isn't required to purchase a license, which range from $5 to $35, depending on the person's residency and the length of the license.

The proposed bill, if passed, would force those who currently go license-free to purchase a license and register with the state. Some anglers would still be exempt, such as those younger than 16 and anyone using a a drop net or chicken neck on a string to take crabs.
For Josh Utsey, captain of the Lowcountry Guide Service, the change would be welcome.

"I think anybody that fishes, period, should have to pay a license fee," he said. "And I think the cost should be higher than it is now."
Boyles stressed that the suggested change was not an effort to collect more money, but instead a effort to avoid overlapping state and federal licensing procedures.

The change is intended to spare South Carolinians from registering with the National Saltwater Angler Registry, which will go into effect in January. Boyles said the proposed state bill would also allow South Carolina to keep its licensing revenues instead of letting the federal government collect the fees. It would also result in better collection of data about what is being caught in South Carolina waters, he said.

How much additional revenue it would create is hard to estimate.
"There may be 10,000 (potential licensees) there may be 100,000," said Boyles. "We just don't know how many people are presently not licensed because they only fish from the bank."
It's unclear whether tourism advocates will oppose the bill, as some fear.

Marion Edmonds, spokesman for the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, said officials had not begun reviewing upcoming legislation, so it was premature to comment on the fishing licensing effort.