A bill is on its way from the House to the Senate. It would mandate that you buy an annual license at a cost of $100 $7 (seven dollars) [correction supplied by Rep Loughlin via e-mail: the cost of the license is $7.00; it would be a $100 fine if you were caught without a license] and that you keep a log of all fish that you catch. Said log would have to be presented when you renew your license the following year. If said log was not maintained, said license would not be renewed.
This fun-killer of a soon-to-be law is not entirely the brainchild of the Rhode Island General Assembly. Apparently, the federal government would have imposed the requirement for a federal saltwater fishing license, inclusive of the fishing log component, if the state did not implement a state license. It is not entirely clear, however, whether the state is obliged to charge a fee for the license or, if it is, that it has to be as high as a c-note [see correction above]. Addendum: Or that the fine has to be as high as $100. It’s not like someone is counting on the proceeds of such an offensive fine for revenue. Right?
And while we’re on the subject of fishy, heavy-handed regulation, it was revealed this week that President Obama would like to zone the ocean. Yes, you read that correctly: zone the ocean.
(Let’s see, zone the ocean. A media that swoons over the president catching a fly. Health care reform to be accomplished by gutting existing programs. Predatory lending to be outlawed … unless conducted by the federal government. Now I get it. We’re trapped in a Saturday Night Live skit!)