Discussion Topic: Should Shore-Based Saltwater Fishing Be Free?
This old debate has new legs in Florida, as anglers are split over a rule requiring them to buy a...
This old debate has new legs in Florida, as anglers are split over a rule requiring them to buy a $9 license to fish the salt from shore. Here’s the latest, from The New York Times:
_[Florida Angler] Eddy Corea . . . considers [fishing from shore] a human right, free and natural, like breathing.
_
_”It should be in the Constitution,” he said. . . . And no, Mr. Corea does not plan to pay. . . .
__Not that money is the point. The commission estimates that the new licenses will bring Florida $900,000 in fees the first year, as well as $860,000 in matching money from Washington. . . ._
_But officials speak mainly of principle. . . .
_
“I grew up in Florida in an era when there was no such thing as a fishing license and everyone thought the ocean was inexhaustible,” [said Henry Cabbage, a spokesman for the state fish and wildlife agency]. “Well, the ocean is exhaustible, and even though they’re fishing from shore, they are taking from the resource. It’s just a matter of what’s right; they should have to put something back.”
Check out the full article and tell us what you think.