Fish and Game director: canoe, kayak fees “a tough gig”

The Fish and Game Department provides a variety of services to New Hampshire, from search and rescue to managing boating access sites. Unfortunately, the department has been battling a budget deficit for years.

Most of the department’s funding comes from license fees and the federal government. For many years license fees were set by statute and did not increase, which put the department in the red.

Last year the Legislature authorized the Fish and Game Department to raise license fees and provided additional funding from the general fund of all tax revenue. The state also created the $10 Hike Safe Card, which gives hikers some protection from getting billed if they need rescue.

Other funding proposals include a small registration fee for canoes and kayaks.

A study committee recommended that idea in 2014. According to their report, canoers and kayakers benefit from boat access sites, water rescues, and wildlife protection, but those boaters do not contribute any money to the department.

Supporters of a canoe and kayak fee argue it is only fair that canoers and kayakers help support the Fish and Game Department, just as hunters, fishers, snowmobilers, and OHRV operators contribute with license fees.

However, in a recent interview on NHPR’s “The Exchange,” Fish and Game Executive director Glenn Normandeau said the proposal is a tough sell.

“In 2007, we had a bill, I was on the commission at the time. We got our ‘derrieres’ handed to us in the Legislature. … When you’re used to not having to pay for something, it’s a tough gig. That was a fight we lost on heavily.” 

A similar proposal died in 2014.

Opponents of canoe and kayak fees argue that such fees will decrease tourism.

Others argue that since canoes and kayaks do not disrupt the environment like other vehicles, there is no justification for fees.

Would you be open to a kayak and canoe registration fee to help fund the Fish and Game Department? Share your opinion in the comments below.