Article published Jul 7, 2004 Star News, Wilmington N.C.
House approves Senate fishing bill

RALEIGH - In a close vote, the state House tentatively approved a bill that would require a license to fish in North Carolina's coastal waters. Final passage may come next week.
The House voted 54-50 Friday morning to accept a Senate proposal that in 2006 would begin requiring recreational saltwater anglers to have licenses.
"I would call that a squeaker," said Rep. Danny McComas, R-New Hanover, after the vote.
In provisions that only recently appeared in the bill, the proposal would also end the free taking of oysters, clams and scallops and create a new shell fishing license.
If adopted, a volunteer board of trustees would allocate money from licenses to projects that improve fish habitats and increase recreational access to beaches and waterways.
The bill has broad support from recreational fishing groups. Major lobbying was headed by the members of the state chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association, an anglers' organization that has pressed for recreation licenses in several Southeastern states. Commercial fishing interests have historically opposed license bills, but Jerry Schill, president of the N.C. Fisheries Association, said the current proposal was the best yet.
But in Wilmington, not every angler agreed.
"It's going to kinda take the fun out of it," said Steve Cavanaugh, a real estate appraiser who fishes regularly in the open ocean. "Getting a license is going to be just one more thing you're going to have to do in order to take your son fishing on a Sunday afternoon."
Friday's vote came after more than an hour of debate in which proponents said the Senate version wasn't perfect but should be adopted, and opponents argued that it would end years of free access to the state's coastal fishing grounds.
The House vote was precedent-setting in that it was the first time the House and Senate agreed on a saltwater fishing license bill. The House has passed several versions over the last six years, only to see them die in the Senate.
A final vote on the bill, House Bill 831, is expected Monday night.
In addition to Rep. McComas, other Wilmington-area lawmakers who voted in favor were Rep. Carolyn Justice, R-Pender; and Rep. Bonner Stiller, R-Brunswick.
Voting no were Rep. Thomas Wright, D-New Hanover; and Rep. Edd Nye, D-Bladen.
Rep. Dewey Hill, D-Columbus; and Rep. Stephen LaRoque, R-Lenoir, were absent.
Rep. Wright rose twice to speak against the bill. He argued that it did nothing to address commercial over fishing and that it hurt those who eat what they catch.
"We're going to require a license of somebody who lives in our coastal area and goes down to the water every day to catch a few fish to feed his family?" he said. "That is not right."
The proposal would give free licenses to people with incomes below the federal poverty level, but Rep. Wright said that provision just means "to get one of those, somebody has to go to the government and prove that they're poor."
Others argued that the plan hadn't been fully debated in the House and that questions remained about its impact on the coastal economy.
Rep. Pryor Gibson, D-Montgomery, said the House should accept the Senate's version because a delay to amend or negotiate was tantamount to killing the bill.
"I am 100 percent sure that if we don't concur, we won't see this bill again this session," said Rep. Gibson, who is a primary sponsor of the proposal along with Rep. McComas. "Over seven years we've had 70 different combinations of rules, exemptions and fees. If we don't pass this one, we start again from scratch."
Rep. McComas said that with an effective date nearly 18 months in the future, there would be time in the next General Assembly session to rewrite and amend a saltwater fishing license law.
The House passed its bill last year. On Wednesday, the Senate passed its much-changed version of the bill by a 42-1 vote. It was the first time the Senate, whose leaders have long opposed a saltwater fishing license, has approved such a bill.
Since the Senate changes were so significant, House rules require two votes on different days to accept it. Once accepted, however, the bill would go to the governor for his signature.
If the current proposal were adopted, licenses would cost $15 a year or $1 for a 7-day permit. No person could buy more than one seven-day license a year. Licenses would be required for all modes of angling, including fishing from bridges, public piers, private docks and from charter boats. Children age 18 and younger wouldn't need licenses.
Many opponents said they supported the idea of a license for saltwater fishing but didn't think licenses should be required of people who fished on their own property or at places not far from their homes.
Others said they feared game regulators would harass anglers.
"Barney Fife would love this bill," said Rep. Cary Allred, R-Alamance. "I can just see him: 'I got you, I got you.'»"
The issue is management of natural resources, said Rep. Joe Hackney, D-Orange.
"Are we going to argue about $15 while every other state has addressed this issue?" he said. "The larger issue here is whether there will be any fish for folks to catch."
Mark Schreiner: (919) 835-1434
mark.schreiner@starnewsonline.com