I see the end of the boat license in the very near future. As a couple people mentioned, it is nice that you can take whoever you want out and not worry about their having to get a license. We have become spoiled here in MD with that system. There are not many other places that offer that sort of license. Most places charters are exempt from individual licenses. For example, somebody told me that they needed a separate license to fish on a charter in Alaska.

I am honestly surprised that we don't already have a license for the Atlantic. I am honestly all for it. It would create revenue that DNR needs very badly. Don't sit back and ***** about faulty science when the few scientists that we do have working on the problem at a state level are taking furlough days. The sad reality is that we are getting what we pay for. Collecting good data is time consuming and expensive. The budget for DNR wasn't huge in the good times, and it is in pretty bad shape now.

My proposal:
A saltwater license that covers all of MD, not separate for Bay and coastal.
Eliminate the boat license.
Have reasonably priced 3 and 7 day non-resident options available.
Go to an annual license that is good for 12 months from the day you purchase it. Florida does this and it does encourage me to buy a 12 month license when I do get one.
Have a separate, higher priced crab license for non-residents.
If the money can be funneled to programs for a specific fishery, sell "stamps" for them. For example, a rock stamp (or maybe just a trophy rock stamp) to raise funds to help with the management of that fishery. Florida does this with snook and it seems to work out OK.

This would bring MD more in line with other places I fish.

I will climb down now before I hurt myself
Hans

Well, I tried to register today but in typical government fashion I couldn't. It seems the registration form does not accept phone numbers but when you attempt to submit the form it kicks it back saying you need a phone number. Now what happens if an Amishman tries to register and can't because they don't use phones? He cannot be held liable for our governments' mess-up. I get so angry at this stuff, thats why I got into politics. Whomever thought this form up should be terminated from office. Bob
PS- Since this form does not function properly, I'll just print everything it says and carry it with me. If I get stopped I will defy the NRP to cite me!

Hippie:

Worked fine for me--be sure that you didnt use any punctuation in the phone number

Additional NOAA Registry link
 

I registered and it took less than a minute. I also wrote NOAA about MD Boat License and the new registry. Here is their response and a link to a 3 minute video on why...



Good afternoon Tom,
Thank you for the note. The quick answer to your question is no. Your registration only covers you as an individual. Unlike the Maryland boat license, the National Saltwater Angler Registry is tied specifically to you. Everyone fishing for stripers with you aboard your boat (with a few exceptions) would need to register with NOAA individually.

The reason for having each person register is so we may build up a database of anglers. We'll use this database of anglers to conduct telephone surveys about the number of fishing trips anglers have taken recently. When this trip information is combined with catch data collected from anglers at boat ramps, marinas and other fishing locations, we can get a pretty accurate picture about the total number of fish caught each year and the relative health of fish populations. We put together a 3 minute video on our website that further explains how your data is used to protect the future of fishing. You may want to check it out here: https://www.countmyfish.noaa.gov/mri...ing_catch.html.

If there's anything else I can do to help, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Regards,
Forbes

Forbes Darby
NOAA Fisheries
Tel: 301-713-9501

Morsax, I got the thing to work. I'm calmed down now, Thank you, Bob

If you don't register what are the penalties?