蘑菇视频

Jan 19, 2018 By Ben Moyer for The 4 min read

Peak fishing time is a long way off, but fisheries issues never go away. Anglers with questions, comments or complaints about fishing or fisheries management can present their concerns directly to Fish and Boat Commission leaders at a public forum on fishing in Pennsylvania at the 33rd annual Allegheny Outdoor, Sport and Travel Show at the Monroeville Convention Center. The forum will be held at Stage 2 in the main exhibit building from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Feb. 17.

Fish and Boat Commission executive director John Arway and several commission bureau directors will make presentations about commission programs and ongoing challenges facing the agency. Arway and his staff will then respond to questions and comments from the audience. Fish and Boat will hold several more forums at outdoor shows across the state, but this is the only opportunity for anglers in Southwestern Pennsylvania to meet and talk in this capacity with high-level commission staff.

鈥淲e decided to try holding these forums at major outdoor shows since our sportsmen and women come out then to see the new products and gear,鈥� executive director Arway said. 鈥淭his concept will help us to learn about their expectations for the public services we provide. So, we view the forum as a teaching and learning session where hopefully the Fish and Boat Commission and the people who attend will both benefit from the interaction.鈥�

Angler questions generally relate to some aspect of the Fish and Boat Commission蘑菇视频 trout stocking program. The size and number of trout stocked, or the timing and location of stockings are frequent themes of interest. Fishermen are encouraged to air those concerns at the forum.

Certain to be addressed is the agency蘑菇视频 alarming fiscal status and its need for new funding to continue operations at current levels. The Fish and Boat Commission receives no general tax appropriations and funds itself primarily through the sale of fishing licenses and boating registrations.

Fishing license fees are set by the State Legislature, which has not granted Fish and Boat a license fee increase since 2005.

Fish and Boat has already reduced its staffing level from 432 employees to 370, and 10 field districts around the state currently stand without an assigned waterways conservation officer. Twenty-three more officers are eligible to retire, and the commission has no funding to replace them.

Without a license fee hike soon, or the authority to set its own fees, which was proposed in legislation that passed the Senate by an overwhelming 47-2 vote last year, only to be largely ignored by the House of Representatives, Fish and Boat will need to make cuts to programs and services most valued by anglers.

Arway hopes for new funding but said his agency is now crafting plans to continue operating if no fee increase is approved. Three different budget scenarios would slash $2 million, $3 million or $4 million from annual expenses. All those responses would result in closing some trout hatcheries and a significant drop in the number of trout stocked for Pennsylvania fishermen.

The $4 million budget cut would also severely hinder the Cooperative Nursery Unit which provides trout fingerlings to sportsmen蘑菇视频 clubs, who raise the fish in their own club facilities for stocking in waters open to public fishing.

鈥淭hese are cuts we must make if we are to remain responsible stewards of our Commonwealth蘑菇视频 aquatic resources and the funding provided by anglers and boaters 鈥� our customers,鈥� Arway said. 鈥淲ith a fee increase, we will continue producing and stocking fish at the rate that anglers, local communities and businesses have come to expect as part of Pennsylvania蘑菇视频 $1.2 billion fishing-related economy.鈥�

Despite its financial woes, the Fish and Boat Commission has still managed to offer innovative opportunities for anglers and creatively approach resource stewardship.

The agency has expanded its popular Keystone Select Trout program, through which trophy-size trout are stocked in selected streams, and continued the Unassessed Waters Initiative. That effort enlists the cooperation of university faculty and students around the state to survey streams for the presence of wild trout populations, which qualifies those waters for heightened vigilance from the state Dept. of Environmental Protection.

鈥淎ny insights gained from anglers at the public forum in Monroeville will be used to inform a new agency strategic plan which will conserve the aquatic resources of the Commonwealth and meet the expectations of Pennsylvania anglers and boaters,鈥� Arway said.

For detailed information on Allegheny Outdoor, Sport and Travel Show exhibitors, attractions, seminar schedules, parking and ticket prices, go to www.sportandtravel.com.