On the surface the Governor’s veto of the saltwater fishing license bill sounds good. Who wants to pay the state more taxes and yes it is a birth right to fish. However, it does not make sense for fishermen to pay a $25 federal fee compared to the proposed $7 state fee. And does an individual’s right to fish supersede the common good? Do individuals have the right to over fish certain species to the point of extinction? I think not. I believe the Governor’s veto was the wrong move for fishermen and the wrong move for Rhode Island.

Either I missed something or Governor Carcieri missed something.

The Governor vetoed the saltwater license bill after his staff and RI fishermen worked months to prepare a good law. The Governor left his Department of Environmental Management (DEM) executive director hanging, Michael Sullivan was left to try to make lemonade out of lemons after he and senior staff worked with one of the most significant cooperative partnerships between fishermen and DEM to develop the bill.

The law would have saved Rhode Islander’s money and would guarantee that funds raised through fees would go back into protecting our recreational fishery. The recreational fishery in Rhode Island has an annual economic impact of over $160,000,000. The saltwater license bill the Governor vetoed would have saved taxpayers money because anglers with a RI license would have license reciprocity from CT, NY and other states. They would not have to pay “out of state” license fees in these states nor would they have to pay for a federal registry/license that will be mandated if we do not have a system in place by the end of this year. The federal registry or license is expected to cost about $25 versus the $7 fee proposed in the Rhode Island legislation. By the way, freshwater fishermen in Rhode Island have had to register for years.

The freshwater license is $18.

Most Rhode Islanders do not know why a law has to be passed. This is what the Governor should have explained to Rhode Islanders. We have to register because it is a mandate from the federal government. They survey fishermen to identify how many fish are being taken to guide them as they manage various species of fish (like striped bass) so they do not disappear. You cannot conduct surveys if you do not know who is fishing. How would you know who to send the survey to?

So now Rhode Island fishermen will have to register with the federal government in 2010 and be charged a fee three times as much as the proposed Rhode Island fee in 2011 just so they can be identified and surveyed. Maybe the Governor objected to the fact that funds raised by a fishing registry or license in Rhode Island would not go into the general treasury, but rather would be put in the hands of DEM and fishermen to help direct their use to preserve and stimulate recreational saltwater fishing in Rhode Island.

So now with the Governor’s veto anyone fishing in RI will have to register with the federal government in 2010. In 2011, we will have to register and start paying the fee ($25). We will not have reciprocity with neighboring states like Connecticut and New York so we will have to pay their “out of state” fees too (a total of $100 annually for these two states). And most importantly, we will not be able to build a resource to preserve our fishery in Rhode Island for the future.

Rhode Islanders and fishermen have not come out on top on this one. So I say the veto on the fishing license bill in Rhode Island was a bad decision.

Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association’s monthly seminar will be held on Monday, November 30, 7:00 p.m. at the West Valley Inn, West Warwick. The seminar will be given by Michael Tougias, the author of “The Finest Hours”, a true story behind one of the U.S. Coast Guard’s most daring sea rescues. In 1952 during a terrible storm with 60 foot seas two oil tanker of the cost of Massachusetts (just twenty miles apart), split in half. The cost guard rescued 70 people, 14 people perished.

Where’s the bite

Striped bass fishing on Block Island is still good with reports of school bass being taken in the Providence and Seekonk Rivers.

Tautog fishing picked up steam this week. Patti Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle in Warwick said customers reported a strong bite at Conimicut Light, Jamestown and off Point Judith. Dave

Henault of Ocean sate Tackle (Bristol/Coventry/Providence) said the tautog bite this week is the best he and his customers have experienced in years. Eight, nine and ten pound fish are being taken off Newport, Rhode Island southern beaches and fishing is even good in the Bay.

Fresh water fishing has been good this week too. Craig Castro of Erickson’s Bait & Tackle said customers have been hitting trout real good. One customer caught twenty trout on the Wood River using night crawlers. Reports from other customers catching trout on lakes, rivers and ponds was good as well.

Captain Dave Monti has been fishing and shell fishing on Narragansett Bay for over 40 years. He holds a captain’s master license and a charter fishing license. Your fishing stories, comments and questions are welcome… there’s more than one way to catch a fish so e-mail Captain Dave at ¬¬¬dmontifish@verizon.net .