Committee hears proposal to increase hunting, fishing fees

A bill introduced by Rep. Jeffrey Welborn, R-Dillon, would raise prices for fishing and hunting licenses in Montana.

Under House Bill 140,  Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks would cover a budget shortfall expected to reach $5.7 million by 2017. The agency cannot run at a deficit and would have to cut current funding levels in the absence of new revenues.

The bill would create a new base hunting license, $10 for residents and $15 for nonresidents, and bump annual resident fishing licenses from $18 to $21. It would also remove a number of discounts currently in place for different user groups and increase a number of nonresident special licenses.

Testimony before the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee was generally favorable on Jan. 27.

“If House Bill 140 does not pass … existing fish and wildlife management programs and services as we know them will have to be cut,” Welborn said at the hearing. “My belief is it would put the legislation in closer contact with the department and make sure their spending authority … is more to our liking and on a more accountable basis.”

FWP director Jeff Hagener warned the committee that failure to pass the bill could lead to widespread cuts to popular wildlife programs, including restoration, hatcheries, enforcement and upkeep to facilities such as fishing access sites.

In response to a question from Rep. Tom Jacobson, D-Great Falls, Hagener said the agency could see a drop in federal grant money if it is unable to provide matching funds. FWP gets roughly 56 percent of its total budget from license sales.

Representatives from statewide sportsman’s and environmental groups, including the Fishing Outfitters Association of Montana, Montana Trout Unlimited and the Montana Audubon Society, expressed support for the bill.

“It’s not about Fish, Wildlife and Parks — they simply manage wildlife for us,” said Bob Gilbert, the executive director of Walleyes Unlimited of Montana. “It’s about the people in the state of Montana who are outdoorsmen.”

Mark Aagenes, conservation director of Montana Trout Unlimited, noted  that the costs of fishing in Montana are significantly lower than other Western states, such as Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Colorado and Washington.

“No one really wants to admit this, but the fact is we’re an incredibly cheap date,” he said. “When you compare it to the other Western states, we’re cheaper than just about everybody else.”

Aagenes called Montana’s hunting and fishing resources a “golden goose,” saying they generate an estimated $900 million in statewide expenditures each year.

Less than a third of the speakers at the Jan. 27 hearing opposed the bill.

Warren Illi, of Kalispell, endorsed the bill’s intent while objecting to fee increases that would be imposed on groups such as senior citizens who currently enjoy discounts.

“There are a lot of folks in Montana living near the poverty line, and they can’t afford those types of fee increases,” he said.

Rep. Jean Price, D-Great Falls, the committee’s vice chairwoman, was among the majority of the committee members who offered comments supportive of the bill. She asked Hagener what would happen if the bill didn’t pass.

Hagener said in addition to broad program cuts, he expected FWP would no longer be able to support all 10 hatcheries it currently operates. Popular programs that received earmarked funding also could be affected, including the block management hunter access program and acquisition of land and fishing access sites.