Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fisheries Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
HB443 would create an offshore fishing endorsement to fund Georgia-specific surveys, sponsor says
Summary
Representative Petrie told the Rules committee HB443 would add an offshore/reef migratory endorsement to the saltwater fishing license, charging $10 for residents and $20 for nonresidents to support Georgia research on offshore fisheries.
ATLANTA — Representative Petrie presented House Bill 443 to the Senate Rules committee March 25, proposing a new endorsement on Georgia saltwater fishing licenses to fund state-specific offshore fisheries surveys.
Petrie said the bill would add an offshore or reef migratory fishing endorsement to the saltwater license and charge $10 for residents and $20 for nonresidents. He said the fee money would be used to “raise revenues to do our own surveys,” because federal data used for management covers the Atlantic Coast broadly and lacks statistical rigor focused on the Georgia coast.
Nut graf: The sponsor framed HB443 as a way for Georgia to fund localized fisheries data collection so the state can better understand its offshore stocks and consider state-level management, drawing a comparison to Gulf states that conduct their own surveys.
Committee reaction and next steps: The sponsor said the fee was proposed by fishermen to support Georgia-focused surveys. HB443 was included on the Rules committee slate to move forward for committee consideration.
