Fishing license net expanding

  • Tommy Braswell
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  • Posted: Saturday, May 16, 2009 12:01 a.m.
    UPDATED: Thursday, March 22, 2012 8:12 p.m.
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Fishermen at Brittlebank Park in Charleston cast into the Ashley River on Friday as the sun goes down. South Carolina is changing its saltwater fishing regulations in July, requiring more categories of anglers to purchase licenses.
Melissa Haneline /The Post and CourierFishermen at Brittlebank Park in Charleston cast into the Ashley River on Friday as the sun goes down. South Carolina is changing its saltwater fishing regulations in July, requiring more categories of anglers to purchase licenses.

If you fish from the beach, a riverbank or your own dock, you will need a saltwater fishing license.

Get caught fishing without a license after July 1 and you could snag a ticket of up to $465.

That news was met with surprise Friday by a couple of anglers casting their lines from The Battery. Both said they had not heard of the new law that soon will go into effect.

Thomas Robinson of Charleston, a casual fisherman who goes out only a couple of times a month, said he probably would quit fishing rather than pay for a license.

"Why do they want to do that? They're taking all the pleasure out of it," Robinson said. "It's just a luxury to catch a fish. I can see a license if you're going out in a boat. You're going to catch fish then. But I don't see any sense in it. I spent $6 on shrimp and I haven't caught anything."

Anquan Kinloch, fishing on South Battery and accompanied by his two young sons, Kareem and Kahleel, was curious about the reasoning behind the requirement but said it has no effect on him since he already is a license holder.

"I don't go downtown that much, but I try to go fishing at least twice a week," Kinloch said. He said he usually catches whiting, croaker and spots from his Battery fishing spot.

The recently enacted legislation that becomes effective in July will require the purchase of a recreational saltwater fishing license for anglers 16 and older participating in most fishing-related activities in South Carolina. There is no change in the fees, with annual state saltwater fishing licenses costing $10 for residents and $35 for non-residents. Fines for fishing without a license range from $105 to $465.

Anyone who fishes from shore, which includes the beach, a bank, private dock or free public pier, will be required to purchase a saltwater license. Recreational crabbing and shrimping will also require a license under certain conditions. Licenses already are required to harvest oysters or clams and for fishing for finfish from a private boat or transporting catch in a private boat.

The exceptions to the saltwater fishing license requirement include:

--Fishing off a licensed commercial public fishing pier.

--Fishing off a licensed for-hire vessel (charter).

--Fishing, crabbing, shrimping with three or fewer drop nets.

--Crabbing with three or fewer fold-up traps.

--Crabbing with three or fewer hand lines with a single bait and no hooks (chicken necking).

--Taking shrimp over bait (still required to have a shrimp- baiting license).

The changes were enacted as a pre-emptive measure at a planned federally mandated saltwater fishing registry that would have imposed an additional fee on anglers. The registry, which is expected to go into effect Jan. 1, 2010, is designed to gather information for management of saltwater resources. By making the changes, South Carolina can enter into a memorandum of understanding with the federal government and avoid an additional fee.

Robert Boyles, deputy director of Marine Resources for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, said fishing groups have supported the legislative change.

"We're very much interested in making better management decisions and keeping a good handle on catch and effort," Boyles said recently. "We think the primary way is having a database of people that use the fishery."

Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina was heavily involved in crafting the legislation.

Many of the challenges in managing saltwater fisheries are related to a lack of information, said Mike Able, owner of Haddrell's Point Tackle in Mount Pleasant and chairman of Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina's Government Relations committee.

"If you don't have a good grasp on how many fish recreational anglers are removing from the water, you have no foundation on which to base management plans for those species of fish," Able said. "This effort is of critical importance to us because the data developed by it will be used to manage anglers for the foreseeable future. Without good data, we may find ourselves being managed out of some of the fisheries we have fought so hard to conserve."

The change also kept the revenue from the saltwater license in state to address state issues and better manage our fisheries, said Scott Whitaker, executive director of Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina.

"We've needed better recreational data for years," Whitaker said, "and the state should be commended for taking the proper steps to ensure the continued good health of our marine resources."

Reach Tommy Braswell at braswell@postandcourier.com or 843-937-5591.