TOPIC:

Leaked from MI DNR


From: Claramunt, Randall (DNR) <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Sat, Dec 14, 2024 at 8:43 AM
Subject: Update on the license package
To: Claramunt, Randall (DNR) <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>Fisheries Division Staff and Partners,It is with great disappointment that I share the news that the hunting and fishing license fee bill did not make it out of the House yesterday and therefore will not be passed into law during lame duck.As we had to wait until lame duck to introduce the license package, it resulted in an intense couple of months of trying to find a pathway for the bill with little movement in the House for weeks, opposing ideas in the Senate, and opposition from the minority even in the face of extremely strong stakeholder and partner support. Please know that we pushed every angle we could, contacted our supporters throughout the process to leverage support, and made our case as strong as possible. I conclude that we did everything we could.Even though we did not end up with the outcome that we wanted, I believe that the process that we went through with HB-6229 galvanized our effort and will set the stage for strong discussions beginning in earnest in 2025 about our need for a more sustainable funding solution to protect our fishing heritage in Michigan.  Of course, it is still very disappointing and frustrating, and we know that the new session will bring a different set of challenges. But know this as well, people care about our fisheries, and this is not an indication that our fisheries are not valued or worth pursuing sustainable funding for its protection and management. But we will have to fight harder.I want to thank all of the staff, partners, supporters, advisory committees, and fishing groups across the state, etc., as you stepped up in a big way so that for the first time in a decade we had movement on a more sustainable funding model and a bill introduced.  I look forward to working with you in pursuit of this common goal in 2025 and feel confident that together we can get it over the finish line.  Have a safe holiday season.Randy

Michigan’s current fee structure has remained unchanged since 2014 while inflation has increased the cost of state fish and game management. The price of fish feed at state hatcheries is up more than 80% since 2018, Ridderbusch said.

Sadly, it's the same in Indiana or worse. The latest license increases in Indiana didn't include increase for salmon/trout stamp so that's impacting our hatcheries, as well and since the DNR doesn't have the chutzpah to advance license fees until they are broke, the hatcheries will be dead-broke before the next opportunity arrives. I don't like paying higher prices for anything, but I do understand the need. 

It sure would be nice to be able to raise prices when costs of operation go up. Like any business would. Unfortunately it's a bad cycle of "well you just raised prices, you don't need to again" and then once they REALLY need to be raised, everybody is mad at the large increase. 

Just as a point of order, there's no specific line item for hatcheries that gets funded by trout and salmon stamps. It all goes in the fisheries pool. And hatcheries get a disproportionate share of that money. The trout and salmon stamp money is almost a rounding error in the fisheries budget, and operating hatcheries is expensive. 

Indiana sells between 350,000 and 400,000 fishing licenses annually. At 23 bucks a pop that's about 8.5 million dollars.

Trout and salmon stamps, about 30,000 sold annually. At $11 per, that comes about 330,000 dollars, or about 3.5% of fishing license sales dollars. Probably covers the annual power bill at Mixsawbah and Bodine combined. And. I think I mentioned this in another thread, but the economic analysis run before changing prices indicated that increasing the trout and salmon stamp price would lead to less total revenue, as the hit from fewer people buying the stamp would be worse than the increase in total revenue by raising the price. Which is why it was left unchanged.


Really, and this is the case almost everywhere, whether it be DNR hatcheries, state parks, national parks, and any infrastructure...revenue is essentially covering operating costs, not capital improvements. We need massive infrastructure projects all over the place, on every level. National Parks has an estimated 23 BILLION in deferred maintenance costs. Indiana DNR's hatcheries are old and in need of major refresh. Mixsawbah and Bodine are the two newest hatcheries in Indiana and they are over 40 years old. In an ideal world you'd probably need well over 100 million to modernize Indiana's hatcheries and/or build a couple new ones.

If the pricing survey asked "would you be willing to pay more for a fishing a license or stamp" the answer without context would be "no". Any question coming from a State agency in particular would get the same response. If fishing license fees went up $1, a significant portion of the 375,000 wouldn't even remember that is was $23 last year and now $24.  The rest are not going to sell their boats or fishing gear over a minimal increase. There is absolutely nothing that makes financial sense about fishing and fisherman get that so the idea that we are all going to say "That's it, $24 for a fishing license? I guess I just won't do something I really enjoy any more". As we are standing in line at Bass Pro shop with an handful of lures that cost $10 each and we likely already have half of them in our tackle boxes.....

$23 x 375,000 = $8,625,000
$24 x 375,000 = $9,000,000
$11 x 30,000 = $330,000
$12 x 30,000 = $360,000

Additional $405K by increasing each $1. Does it pay for everything the DNR for all the fisheries? No, but its better than $0.  If the DNR marketed this correctly on how the money was going to benefit the fisherman, it seems unlikely that fisherman would be putting all their fishing gear out at the next garage sale.
 

Spot on Stroke of Luck!! Bump the 1 day licenses majority of charter clients probably buy 2 or 3$ and the kitty grows a little more. Doubt folks spending 400$ to 700$ for days fishing would balk at 1 day license close to what their coffee cost that day. Maybe get the Fishery/hatchery folks a bump in pay or benefits or marginally better equipment? Waiting for a windfall doesn't make sense.

At one time there was an "inquiry" or perhaps a suggestion that the hunt/fish license fees be adjusted annually, the amount tied to some government figure like "cost of living,"  "Inflation index," or something like that. I'm sure there are reasons to not do this, mostly because it would just make too much sense. I remember back in the 70s when lifetime licenses were first offered. Few people bought them. Why? They cost 20X the price of an annual. As I recall, an annual fish back then was six or seven bucks - so a life license cost $120 or $140.  However, when the price of an annual was scheduled to jump to $12 or so, thousands of people opted for the lifetime licenses. The DNR just needs to get some marketing people. There are dozens of ploys that would boost sales and incomes. Multiple year licenses, partial year licenses, auto-renewal, 365 day licenses instead of all expire on March 31, lifetime licenses for newborns, husband and wife licenses, weekend only licenses - these are all marketing ploys used in other states. One of the biggest problems is how hard it is to actually purchase a license. I tried to buy a fishing license online a couple years ago as a "new customer."  It took more than 20 screens and filling in dozens of blanks with useless info (eye color, for instance) and it was over 10 minutes into the process. I can buy a car on line in less time. I timed it. It took 11 seconds to purchase a spool of monofilament on Amazon. We need a DOGE for Indiana! 

Incremental fee increases should be expected and would be tolerated. What people don't like are the 50% increases. 
I was one of the smart ones that bought the comprehensive lifetime hunting and fishing license when they were issued. Buying a Michigan license is painful every year.