Staring down a state mandate that has local anglers clutching their creels, state Senate Republicans have announced their opposition to a plan by Gov. Kathy Hochul to impose a new saltwater fishing license, a move seen as another money drain from Long Island.
"Long Islanders, like all New York residents, are feeling the crunch when it comes to inflation and simply can't afford another money grab by the state,” retorted Senator Dean Murray, who is leading the opposition. “We urge the governors to join us in listening to our constituents when they say ‘NO’ to another money grab and ‘NO’ to a tax on saltwater fishing."
The state trolled residents with the unpopular tax once before and retreated after massive public opposition. With former Democrat Senator Brian Foley casting the deciding vote, a fee was imposed in 2009 targeting Long Island, which has the bulk of the state’s saltwater anglers. Foley was ousted after one term, partly because of the tax and for caving to New York politicians by imposing a payroll tax to funnel money to the MTA.
This time, Long Island’s GOP delegation is keeping the lines of communication taut with the governor in a letter signed by seven senators, including Murray, Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Jack Martins, Anthony H. Palumbo, Mario R. Mattera, Steven Rhoads, and Alexis Weik.
“We implore you to put a stop to the effort by the state Department of Environmental Conservation to once again impose a requirement on saltwater anglers to pay for a license to fish in state marine waters,” the senators wrote. “Long Islanders feel that saltwater fishing is their natural right, and they shouldn't have to pay a fee to do it. We live on an island, and fishing is a favorite pastime shared by many families.”
Currently, those 16 or older fishing in freshwater are required to pay a state license fee, with the money supposedly going to conservation and restocking efforts.
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“Long Islanders vehemently fought against the fee then, and we know they will do so again. It is unwarranted and unwanted,” Murray continued. “This is just another of a long list of taxes and fees being imposed on New Yorkers and in this case, clearly targeting Long Islanders.”
The senators noted that the claim that this revenue will go toward enhancing support of the recreational fishing industry is hollow since there have been no calls for help from the fishing community. In fact, a DEC spokesman had described the recreational fishing industry as being "robust.”
Democrat Senator Monica Martinez, who was not a signatory to the Hochul letter, said, “I am in opposition to imposing fees on anglers unless anglers approve this initiative and revenue is utilized appropriately to improve fishing access and environmental initiatives. The economic and recreational role of fishing on Long Island cannot be understated, and creating barriers to entry will undermine such unless revenue is allocated appropriately."
Long Island’s other Democrat senator, Kevin Thomas, did not respond to requests for his position on the issue.
“A saltwater fishing license? What a ridiculous idea,” said Victor Lagattolla of Ridge, who was wetting a line recently at Brooklyn Dock in Center Moriches. “We’re tired of sending our tax money to Albany only to be handed down restrictions on what we can catch.” The angler noted that the number of fish you’re allowed to keep “hardly makes it worth it.”