Anglers face unknown enemy in fight for fishing license reform

STATEWIDE — If you want to understand the frustration of the everyday American voter, look no further than California’s angling community. Anglers up and down the state spent about two-thirds of 2017 believing they’d realize the fishing reform they long sought: the ability to buy a sportfishing license for a full 12 months, regardless of purchase date. Dreams of efficient consumerism were dashed when a California Assembly committee, despite overwhelming support from several corners and no known opposition, opted not to move forward with Senate Bill 187 (SB 187). The bill, proposed by State Sen. Tom Berryhill, would have changed California’s calendar-based licensing system to a 12-month program, giving the state’s anglers greater value for their license purchases. Proponents of SB 187 argued the bill would have mandated common sense reform to California’s fishing licensing system. The system currently in place, after all, effectively devalues any fishing permit not purchased on the first day of any given year. An angler who purchases a California fishing license on Jan. 1 is the only person who receives maximum value for his or her purchase – all others are buying into a depreciating asset from Jan. 2 onwards. So why would a (seemingly common sense) plan...