THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 16, 1995 TAG: 9502160003
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 27 lines
Your outdoor editor's argument that the requirement of a saltwater fishing license ought to be extended to include all of Virginia's coast since people fishing outside of Chesapeake Bay can win expensive citations is outrageous. If anyone qualifies for and wants one of these plaques, I say let him pay the $15 or so himself.
Why should people who may simply want to catch a few flounder or spot for supper be forced to subsidize awards for trophy-aspiring fishermen?
Such licenses simply deter the casual fishermen, and even if it could be shown that they find programs which improve the fishing, such improvements still benefit most those who would catch the greater number of fish in the first place.
Let there be some things people can still do without paying the state.
JOHN M. BUCKLIN
Machipongo, Jan. 26, 1995 by CNB