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Posted - 01/19/2011 : 18:04:23
Pennsylvanians Now Exempt
from National Saltwater Angler Registry
Harrisburg, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) has entered into an agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) exempting Pennsylvania anglers from the National Saltwater Angler Registry. Until this exemption was in place, Pennsylvania anglers who targeted or caught shad, striped bass and river herring from the Delaware River below Trenton Falls or in the Delaware Estuary were required to register with NOAA, unless they met one of a number of other exemption criteria outlined at the registry website at www.countmyfish.noaa.gov.
Effective Jan. 1, 2011, Pennsylvania anglers would have also been assessed a $15 federal registration fee. As a result of the PFBC pursuing the agreement on behalf of the Commonwealth, Pennsylvania anglers will avoid both the registration requirement and the $15 fee.
The exemption will remain in effect while the PFBC works to establish its own free registration system for applicable anglers. In the future, the PFBC intends to give anglers the option to either register at no cost with the PFBC or to register via the federal system.
PFBC Executive Director John Arway thanked NOAA for the opportunity to exempt Pennsylvania anglers and noted, “We are happy to save Pennsylvanians the registration fee and relieve them from the need to register while we develop our own system to meet federal reporting requirements. We remain committed to working with NOAA to provide angler data that will help federal policy-makers manage the long-term sustainability of our ocean and coastal fisheries, including those species that spend parts of their lives in Pennsylvania waters.”
Mr. Arway will talk more about this and other issues of interest to saltwater and freshwater anglers at 2 p.m. on Feb. 18 at the Greater Philadelphia Outdoor Sportshow in Oaks, Pa. Attendees are encouraged to bring questions, comments, and their own fishing stories to this special session. More information about the show may be found at http://sportshows.com/philly.
The mission of the Fish and Boat Commission is to protect, conserve, and enhance the Commonwealth’s aquatic resources and provide fishing and boating opportunities. For more information about fishing and boating in Pennsylvania, please visit our website at www.fishandboat.com.
Contact: Eric Levis
717.705.7806 or elevis@state.pa.us
PA Fish and Boat Commission
1601 Elmerton Avenue | Harrisburg, PA 17110
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