The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will consider removing the requirement that anglers display their fishing licenses while fishing at its quarterly meeting Monday and Tuesday, January 27-28, in Harrisburg.
Pennsylvania is one of only three states to still require the display of a fishing license, along with Delaware and New Jersey.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission in 2012 removed a similar display requirement for hunting licenses, which caused confusion among some anglers, who also are hunters, and led to complaints by anglers.
They claim that the requirement to display fishing licenses on an outer garment is antiquated and often inconvenient, particularly when an angler is purchasing a license online on relatively short notice and does not have a license holder, and that they often lose their license after it becomes unattached somewhere along a stream or on a boat.
Replacement fee for a lost fishing license is $6.90.
If approved, the revised regulation would require each angler to carry his fishing license, but not display it, while fishing.
Any angler who wants could still display the license, or a voluntary supplemental metal license button, but would need to also carry the fishing license.
Commissioners gave preliminary approval to a similar rule change in July 2017 but then tabled in response to concerns from the Office of the Attorney that it also would have allowed anglers to display their licenses on mobile devices, something that would require the state legislature to first remove a requirement that licenses be signed in ink.
According to the commission, staff is working with legislators to develop the needed legislation.
In the upcoming meeting, commissioner committees will meet beginning at 10:45 a.m. Monday, January 27. Formal consideration of the agenda by the full commission will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 28.
A complete copy of the meeting schedule and the full agenda for the meeting can be found on the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission website.
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Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.