06-15-2009, 09:09 AM
Anglers angered over proposed licenses
Posted on 06/14/2009
NORWALK
By CHASE WRIGHT
Hour Staff Writer
Rick Mola was in the middle of issuing yet another fishing license for a local saltwater angler when he got an urgent letter from the state Department of Environmental Protection telling him to stop.
Mola, owner of Fisherman's World -- a bait-and-tackle shop off Liberty Square -- said he issued a total of 132 marine licenses before Gov. M. Jodi Rell ordered the process halted Friday afternoon.
"We have every reason to believe that this Bill will be signed into law by the governor" and the process will go into full effect at that time, the notice read.
A new bill, which lawmakers passed June 2, would make it mandatory for Connecticut anglers to purchase a $10 saltwater fishing license. Non-residents would pay $15 for the license.
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, more than a dozen fishing enthusiasts packed the pier at Calf Pasture Beach to cast off lines into Long Island Sound.
A Norwalk resident for three years, Jon (last name not given) carried a 10-foot pole and a tackle box full of tools as he left the pier Sunday. He said he had heard from a friend that the bill had been repealed and was relieved because the proposed fee "would be just another burden on Connecticut fishermen."
Coastal access is limited as it is and anglers are already faced with hefty fees for non-resident parking, travel, bait and equipment, he said.
"Now they want me to buy a saltwater license too -- it's a bit much," he said.
Other anglers fishing off Norwalk docks said they wouldn't pay for a license even if Rell's approval made it mandatory.
"It's become a $200 expense to go fishing for the day," said Fred Allock.
The Danbury resident explained his grievances over high fishing fees and all the stringent requirements as he baited a 50-cent sand worm to his hook.
"Bait alone is expensive. I pay $6 a dozen for these sand worms," said Allock.
A long-time angler, Jon Sundstrum, said that over the years, his favorite pastime has faced new costs and requirements, which have changed it for the worse.
He blamed the commercial ships that sweep the sea of fish, and the stringent recreational fishing rules for pulling him out of Connecticut's waters.
"I came to Connecticut in 1970. Back then, this place would have been filled with flounder," said Sundstrum, of the pier off Calf Pasture.
He said the issue isn't the cost of the saltwater license. "You could charge $50 for a license and people would pay it, but only if there were fish to catch."
Sundstrum has since moved to Virginia and was only at Calf Pasture Sunday to help teach his four-year-old grandson Ian how to reel in a big one.
But there were no bites.
"I told him -- we're not catching anything here," said Sundstrum, as he watched his son-in-law sling a line through the air. "He'll have to come to Virginia to catch his first fish."
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Posted on 06/14/2009
NORWALK
By CHASE WRIGHT
Hour Staff Writer
Rick Mola was in the middle of issuing yet another fishing license for a local saltwater angler when he got an urgent letter from the state Department of Environmental Protection telling him to stop.
Mola, owner of Fisherman's World -- a bait-and-tackle shop off Liberty Square -- said he issued a total of 132 marine licenses before Gov. M. Jodi Rell ordered the process halted Friday afternoon.
"We have every reason to believe that this Bill will be signed into law by the governor" and the process will go into full effect at that time, the notice read.
A new bill, which lawmakers passed June 2, would make it mandatory for Connecticut anglers to purchase a $10 saltwater fishing license. Non-residents would pay $15 for the license.
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, more than a dozen fishing enthusiasts packed the pier at Calf Pasture Beach to cast off lines into Long Island Sound.
A Norwalk resident for three years, Jon (last name not given) carried a 10-foot pole and a tackle box full of tools as he left the pier Sunday. He said he had heard from a friend that the bill had been repealed and was relieved because the proposed fee "would be just another burden on Connecticut fishermen."
Coastal access is limited as it is and anglers are already faced with hefty fees for non-resident parking, travel, bait and equipment, he said.
"Now they want me to buy a saltwater license too -- it's a bit much," he said.
Other anglers fishing off Norwalk docks said they wouldn't pay for a license even if Rell's approval made it mandatory.
"It's become a $200 expense to go fishing for the day," said Fred Allock.
The Danbury resident explained his grievances over high fishing fees and all the stringent requirements as he baited a 50-cent sand worm to his hook.
"Bait alone is expensive. I pay $6 a dozen for these sand worms," said Allock.
A long-time angler, Jon Sundstrum, said that over the years, his favorite pastime has faced new costs and requirements, which have changed it for the worse.
He blamed the commercial ships that sweep the sea of fish, and the stringent recreational fishing rules for pulling him out of Connecticut's waters.
"I came to Connecticut in 1970. Back then, this place would have been filled with flounder," said Sundstrum, of the pier off Calf Pasture.
He said the issue isn't the cost of the saltwater license. "You could charge $50 for a license and people would pay it, but only if there were fish to catch."
Sundstrum has since moved to Virginia and was only at Calf Pasture Sunday to help teach his four-year-old grandson Ian how to reel in a big one.
But there were no bites.
"I told him -- we're not catching anything here," said Sundstrum, as he watched his son-in-law sling a line through the air. "He'll have to come to Virginia to catch his first fish."
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