With the approval of an Assembly bill penned by North Coast representative Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa), anglers in Humboldt County and the rest of California will be able to fish for a full 365 days after acquiring their fishing licenses.
Signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday afternoon, AB 817 authorizes the director of the California Fish and Wildlife to transition the current calendar-based fishing license to one that is valid for 365 years from the date of purchase. Under the newly signed bill, the CDFW is also authorized to allow anglers the option to display a sport fishing license electronically or on their mobile device, allowing them to keep the document close by at times.
“Tourism is one of the largest parts of the North Coast’s economy, and anglers come from all over to enjoy fishing in our ocean and many lakes, rivers and streams,” said Wood in a prepared statement, “and it’s only common sense to move past the calendar-based license to a model that is used for so many things in your everyday life.”
The current calendar-year-based fishing license is valid from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31 regardless of the date of purchase. Many Californians who fish for sport are often not willing to pay full price later in the year for a license that is valid for only a small part of the year.
Currently, 14 states have 365-day licenses. Neighboring states like Arizona and Nevada issue this mode of fishing license. Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia have rolled out the year-round licenses as well.
The press release from Wood’s office points to the economic benefit of the 365-day model, making the argument that license revenue in states with 365-day licenses is higher than revenue in states offering yearly licenses.
The governor’s signature comes as fishing license sales have declined 55% since 1980 despite a 60% population growth since. Wood’s office states California has the lowest fishing participation rate per capita in the country despite the wide array of fishing options available throughout the state.
Aaron Ostrom is the owner of local outdoor recreation company Pacific Outfitters, which offers fishing licenses to locals. He believes the new model will be a boon and better value for anglers.
“I think it incentivizes people to go fishing,” he said. “(Yearly license sales) taper off as we get closer to the end of the year because who wants to pay for one month or two months. The 365-day license makes a lot more sense at the same price.”
Mario Cortez can be reached at 707-441-0526.
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