You pay your money and you take your chances.
In the case of the 2007 law that nearly doubled some fishing license fees in return for a review of state fisheries operations by a task force of citizens, it wasn't exactly an instance of us having any say over the opening of our wallets.
One could argue that over the years, the General Assembly neglected its responsibility for all Department of Natural Resources operations and then papered over its willful disregard with another helping of anglers' money. (It's so insulting when state leaders puff up their chests and say natural resources, like fish and critters, belong to all Marylanders but then stick anglers and hunters with the bill to take care of them.)
But that's water over the dam. Next year's another session.
Closing the book on the Task Force on Fisheries Management last week leaves one question: What did we get for our money?
Not unexpectedly, we got two years of talk. But talk, while not cheap ($1.37 million in license increases), turned out to be a good thing. Let us count the ways:
1) After a rocky start, members of the task force dropped a lot of the uncivil behavior and posturing that marked decades of sparring and began offering solutions. Several new voices were heard. Deadlines were set and met. Task force chairman Tom Lewis proved an able ringmaster.
"We raised the level of decorum," said Scott McGuire, a recreational angler and one of the new Turks at the table. "We may not have advanced the ball as far as I would have liked, but we made a lot of headway."
2) The revenue raised from more expensive licenses allowed the Fisheries Service to hire more biologists. As a result, the agency moved swiftly to set new bass tournament guidelines after a massive fish kill on the Potomac River. A new mortality study has been launched. Species that are supposed to be protected are getting the attention they deserve. The task force has recommended that Fisheries be given the authority to study more than just the 24 species spelled out in state law.
3) For once, law-abiding folks had a platform to make it clear that poaching is no longer a wink-wink, nudge-nudge activity. As waterman Bob Evans said: "The 5 percent of pirates on the bay make the other 95 percent of us look bad. ... It's a very serious problem that needs to be addressed. ... You don't have to steal to make a living."
4) New penalties for violating the law are working their way through the system. A work group will have a second meeting Oct. 8 to iron out language that will be presented to state lawmakers in January for approval.
5) District Court Chief Judge Ben Clyburn, a fisherman himself, met with Assistant Attorney General Joe Gill and the top brass from Natural Resources Police last month to discuss a plan to set aside a day each month to hear cases involving violations of natural resources laws. Clyburn endorsed the proposal and opened the door for a pilot project in Anne Arundel County in January that will assign a prosecutor versed in DNR laws to handle cases. DNR expects the pilot will deal with 18 to 20 cases in each monthly session.
"Once all of this has been accomplished, I think we should give the pilot project at least a year so we can work out any kinks before the process is implemented in other jurisdictions," Clyburn wrote in a letter to Lewis.
6) DNR Secretary John Griffin is going to write a letter to all dealers, processors and seafood restaurant owners asking them not to buy illegally caught striped bass and to call Natural Resources Police if someone tries to sell them. Seems the state law that once held restaurants culpable was amended to relieve them of that responsibility (See: Assembly, General).
A love note from Griffin might not seem like much, but as waterman J.R. Gross said, "When you send a letter, it scares them a little bit." I can't think of a better use for a 44-cent stamp.
7) A Conservation Law Enforcement Summit will be held Dec. 5 in Annapolis to bring together officers, lawmakers, and recreational and commercial groups to look for ways to beef up NRP.
8) The task force leaves behind a set of goals for the agency that, with the proper funding, will help ensure healthy freshwater, tidal and saltwater fisheries.
"We did change the culture, but we definitely strayed from some of the tough topics, like allocation," McGuire said. "I think that the report we left behind is a really good report that provides a lot of the keys to what needs to be done in the future. I hope it won't be put on a shelf, never to be viewed again."
