Jul 15, 2022 3 min read

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The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is proposing to increase the cost of fishing licenses for the first time in 17 years.

If approved, the new cost of a resident annual fishing license would rise from $21 to $23.50, nonresident from $51 to $55. The cost of a trout stamp would rise from $8 to $10.50. And the cost of a senior resident lifetime license would rise from $50 to $75, which is the biggest hike proposed.

The commission, which hopes to approve the increases for the start of the 2023 season, estimates the fee hikes would raise an additional $2.65 million annually for the agency.

“These modest fee adjustments would ensure that important infrastructure, services, and programs for anglers and boaters can continue and improve into the future while keeping prices reasonable,” said Richard Kauffman, president of the Fish and Boat Commission’s board of commissioners.

“While the price of a fishing license has remained the same for the past 17 years, operational expenses have continued to go up and it is time to bring our fees in line with our business needs.”

The Fish and Boat Commission has only increased fishing license fees twice in the past 26 years – in 1996 and in 2005.

The proposed $23.50 cost of the resident annual fishing license, which must be held by every angler age 16 and older, is only $7.25 more than anglers paid back in 1996.

The board would have to vote to grant preliminary approval to the measure, allow time for public comment, then meet again at a later date to take a final vote.

The Fish and Boat Commission will hold a public hearing on the matter Monday at 6 p.m. at the PFBC headquarters in Harrisburg. This hearing can be viewed remotely by joining the webinar from your internet browser using this link: https://bit.ly/July25-PublicHearing.

If the increases are approved, the agency then would have to present the package to state House and Senate Game and Fisheries Committees for their review.

Unlike the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Fish and Boat Commission was given the authority by the state Legislature in 2020 to increase its own fees. The Game Commission’s fees are still set by the Legislature.

Last year was the first year the Fish and Boat Commission could have raised its own fees. But agency Executive Director Tim Schaeffer said commission staff didn’t recommend a hike then because so many new anglers bought licenses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We saw a dramatic increase in revenue due to an increase in participation during the pandemic,” he said.

The Fish and Boat Commission sells a variety of fishing licenses ranging from the resident and nonresident annual permits to short-term tourist licenses.

The agency also offers multi-year licenses good for three years or five years, plus the senior lifetime licenses, which can be bought by anglers age 65 and older.

In 2019, the agency sold 759,098 annual licenses and 17,989 multi-year licenses.

In 2020, when the pandemic was in full swing, the agency sold 911,575 annual licenses and 22,684 multi-year licenses.

Last year, the combined number dropped to 841,435 annual licenses and 24,538 multi-year licenses.