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The Threat. Late last year, we updated you on efforts to legislatively prevent a new EPA regulation that would require National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for all recreational boats that have incidental discharges. The proposed regulations are a result of a court order directing the EPA to stop exempting recreational boats as a significant source of incidental discharges. These incidental discharges include engine cooling water, deck run-off, live-well discharges, etc. Essentially, any BASS boat in the United States would be required to obtain an NPDES permit under the new EPA regulations expected later this year.
The Clean Boating ACT of 2008. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) have introduced S. 2766, also known as the Clean Boating ACT of 2008. This act offers an effective compromise by permanently reinstating the previous exemption for recreational boaters, while also protecting our waters by evaluating whether additional, reasonable best management practices need to be implemented for some incidental discharges. Passage of this bill would still protect our waterways from harmful ballast water discharges from commercial vessels, while removing the undue burden that would otherwise be placed on recreational boaters.
HOW YOU CAN HELP! Now that the bill has been introduced, we need cosponsors. Contact your senators and urge them to co-sponsor S. 2766. You can do this quickly and easily by visiting www.boatblue.org, a national organization of partners (including BASS) that is dedicated to the future of boating and clean water.
Take the time to make a difference for your boating future today!
Make sure you are on our email mailing list to receive Federation Nation news and updates.
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Angler Hometown D No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1. Jeff Freeman Max Meadows, Va. (VA) M 15 27-11 $49,575.00
2. Jamie Laiche Gonzales, La. (LA) C 15 24-10 $10,000.00
3. Chris Loftus Bloomfield, N.Y. (NY) E 15 23-08 $5,000.00
4. Darin Doll York, Pa. (PA) M 15 23-01 $2,500.00
5. Mike Baskett Salem, Ore. (OR) W 14 20-12 $2,000.00
6. Sheron Brown Shirley, Mass. (MA) E 11 19-04 $1,500.00
7. Brent Haimes Mazeppa, Minn. (MN) N 12 19-01 $1,500.00
8. Shane Long Sarcoxie, Mo. (MO) C 8 18-12 $1,500.00
9. Doug Thompson Mabelvale, Ark. (AR) C 14 17-10 $1,000.00
10. Richard Watson Plattekloof, South Afr S 14 17-03 $1,000.00
11. Leslie Kennedy Fort Worth, Texas (TX) C 9 16-13 $1,000.00
12. Pat Klausen Lincoln, Neb. (NE) C 13 16-10 $900.00
13. Justin Rowse O'Neill, Neb. (SD) N 12 15-12 $750.00
13. Mark Pierce Clarksville, Tenn. (TN S 11 15-12 $750.00
15. Michael Prindle Tallahassee, Fla. (GA) S 9 14-13 $600.00
16. Nobel Willits Altamonte Springs, Fla S 12 14-10 $500.00
17. Brent Shores Boise, Idaho (ID) W 9 13-05 $500.00
18. Mike Keel Auburn, Ala. (AL) S 11 12-11 $500.00
19. Steve Smith Johnstown, Ohio (OH) N 6 12-07 $500.00
20. David McKinney Cullooen, W.Va. (WV) M 8 12-05 $500.00
NORTHERN DIVISION
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Brent Haimes Mazeppa, Minn. (MN) 12 19-01 $1,500.00
2 Justin Rowse O'Neill, Neb. (SD) 12 15-12 $750.00
3 Steve Smith Johnstown, Ohio (OH) 6 12-07 $500.00
4 Nicola Panareo Portogrvaro, Italy (ITA) 9 10-13 $500.00
5 Ron Fabiszak S Bend, Ind. (IN) 7 9-01 $500.00
6 James Sullivan Strunberry Point, Iowa (I 7 9-00 $500.00
7 Don Fowler Cadillac, Mich. (MI) 6 6-06 $500.00
8 Jason Stangel Two Rivers, Wisc. (WI) 4 5-02 $500.00
9 Larry Coleman St Anne, Ill. (IL) 3 1-15 $500.00
View ESPN
story and final standings DNR
statement of need
About 6 years ago our Minnesota Department of Natural Resoures (DNR) instituted
a fishing contest (tournament) permit process to address complaints regarding
busy lakes and accesses. Within this process the DNR limits tournaments based
on the size of the body of water and a tournament organizer must request
a tournament permit that is free of charge.
Today, due to this process, previously reported complaints are virtually
non-existent. However, our DNR has changed this process by amending the statute
which stated
"Permits shall be issued without a fee" to "The commissioner
shall charge a fee for the permit that recovers the costs of issuing the
permit and monitoring the activities allowed by the permit.". The language
change was based on the recommendation of the Budget Oversight Committee
to recover the (FY 2006) $108,000 permit administrative costs.
Permit Overview
The permit process is manual and consists of several steps. First, a tournament
organizer downloads the application and mails the completed application to
a DNR regional office. If no scheduling conflict occurs, the permit is granted
and a copy of the application is mailed back to the tournament organizer.
If a conflict occurs, the DNR provides each tournament organizer with the
conflicting tournament organizer's contact information and asks them to resolve
the scheduling conflict. If no resoluation can be made, the DNR will conduct
a drawing to award the permit. Finally at the conclusion of the tournament,
the tournament organizer mails his tournament creel statistics (how many
were caught, how many were released, and the big fish) which is entered in
a database by a DNR employee.
2008 Fees
The DNR is moving forward with the following fee schedule:
Fee for open-water contests:
. Small contests (31-100 participants, 50 or fewer boats): $120
. Large contests (more than 100 participants or more than 50 boats): $400
Fee for contests with off-site weigh-ins:
. Small contests: $500
. Large contests: $1,000
Fee for ice contests (more than 150 participants) is $120.
Fee must be submitted with the application.
See http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/tournaments/regulations.html
Ron Payer, MN DNR Fisheries Chief, stated that these fees will be tracked
and go into the Game & Fish fund to support projects.
Uncommon Fees
Many states do not require tournament permits and even fewer charge a fee.
Other natural resource state agencies fund administrative costs through fishing/boat
licenses and sportfishing equipment (that is subject to a 10% Federal Excise
Tax that is funneled back to states).
| State | Permit? | Permit Fee? | Notes |
| Alabama | Varies | No | Corps of Engineers
require a permit; State parks with launch and weigh-in facilities require a permit |
| Connecticut | Yes | No | |
| Iowa | Yes | No | Permit required for tournaments over 6 boats |
| Louisiana | No | No | |
| Maine | Varies | Varies | catch,
measure and release (CMR) permit for $15--used during the spawn club weigh-in tourney permit for $25, allowing no more than 15 boats to be involved open tourney permit for $55, up to 100 boats and cash prizes up to $10,000 Multi-day permit $150 (allowing up to three consecutive days on one body of water) Maine limits the number of permits of any kind on any one body of water to four opens and three club weigh-in tourneys, CMR’s do not count. |
| Mississippi | No | Varies | Ross Barnett Reservoir
$5 fee per boat for tournaments over 50 boats Pat Harrison Waterway district (8 or 9 lakes) charges a $25 tournament fee |
| Montana | Yes | No | |
| New Mexico | $15-25 | ||
| Oklahoma | No | Varies | Corps of Engineers:
free to $25 (based on size) Grand River Dam Authority: $25-$55 (based on size) Oklahoma State Parks facilities: free to $25 (non-profit vs. profit) National Park Service: $30 ramp fee |
| Ontario Canada | No | No | |
| Oregon | Yes | Varies | Marine
Board charges a $25 fee when over 24 boats Various county park and US Forest Service ramps charge $25 on average |
| Rhode Island | Yes | No | Permit required for tournaments with 6 boats or more |
| South Carolina | No | Varies | Typically around $25 |
| Texas | Varies | No | Some lakes require permits but the TPWD does not |
| Washington | Yes | $24 | Maximum of 7 tournaments per year per organization. |
| West Virginia | Yes | No | |
| Wisconsin | Yes | None at this time |
Moving Forward
We have stated the desire to receive more information and sooner from the
DNR so we could have been better informed about these fees and provide
more feedback in a timely manner back to the DNR as a valued stakeholder.
In the future there is opportunity to reduce permit administrative costs
by automating the current "paper" process to allow tournament
organizers to go online to 1) submit an application 2) check application
status 3) and enter tournament creel survey data. We would also like to
investigate other fee recovery approaches. The DNR should poll to estimate
how many tournament anglers exist in Minnesota. The Wisconsin DNR estimates
they have 20,000 tournament anglers. The 2006 Brainerd ice fishing tournament
had over 10,000 anglers in itself. If each angler is required to purchase
a "tournament stamp"
for $10, the $108,000 dilemma would be fulfilled and it would be less a burdensome
fee than the current schedule (ranging from $125-$1000).
Mickey Goetting
Minnesota B.A.S.S. Federation Nation
Conservation Director & Webmaster
mgoetting@mnbfn.org
The Minnesota B.A.S.S. Federation Nation was named Federation of the Year at
the recent B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Championship held in Gadsden, Alabama.
The prestigious annual award goes to the state organization that best puts
together a well-rounded program involving conservation, youth and community
service.
Minnesota Federation President, Paul Becka, recognized Roger Diesen for 30
years of membership. In his thirty years, Roger has enjoyed the people he has
met and the friendships he developed. Roger stressed the importance of volunteering
and contributing to youth projects.
