Legislation Proposal for a 365 Day of Purchase Fishing License

SACRAMENTO一On Feb. 16 California Assemblymember Jim Wood re-introduced a bill sponsored by the Coastal Conservation Association of California, proposing a transition from a calendar-based purchasing system to a 365 day-of-purchase system for California fishing licenses. Under the current system fishing licenses in California expire on Dec. 31 of the current year and then are re-upped on Jan. 1. The bill proposes changing the expiration date to match the date-of-purchase allowing the angler to utilize the license for a full year without depending on the end of the calendar year. “Fourteen states have transitioned to a 365-day license. According to Rob Southwick, a national marketing and economics expert who has studied fishing license sales, states that offer a 365-day license are outperforming revenue of states that only offer a calendar-based license.” said a Feb. 17 press release from Jim Wood’s website. The bill also introduces a mobile application that would allow the angler to access their license from their phone without carrying around a physical copy. This is not the first time that California has seen this bill in rotation. According to Wayne Kotow, executive director of the Coastal Conservation Association of California the bill has been seen four times. “A couple of years ago...