Fishing Tournaments Under Fire
Minnesota's DNR will begin imposing the highest fees in the nation on fishing tournament organizers. They'll range from $120 to $1,000 depending on the number of participants and whether fish are taken offsite to be weighed. The permits had been free.
DNR officials say they merely want to recover the cost of issuing event permits, which cost $108,000 annually. But the move upsets competitive anglers, some of whom see the fees as an assault on their pastime and worry the fees will be the final straw for small tournaments struggling to stay afloat.
It's a debate in Wisconsin, too. Officials there are refining a proposed tournament fee schedule amid concerns it was excessive. The next plan will split regulatory costs between competitive anglers and contest organizers.
Beneath the fee fight is a deeper dispute over water use. The spread of tournaments has raised questions about the sport's possible strain on fisheries; organizers say they follow catch-and-release practices and that tournaments don't increase fish mortality. There's also tension over lake access and waterway traffic because the events can draw dozens of boats. The Minnesota DNR issues roughly 600 tournament permits per year. The agency requires permits when there are 30 or more entrants for open-water contests and above 150 when iced over.
July 25, 2007 6:51 AM | Category: Water Sports