LAKE STAMP PETITION

Anyone have any more info on this? Like why the petition was started in the first place? I did a search beyond FishErie forums and found the petition is located at East End Angler. Would like to know why someones hackles were raised enough to get the stamp abolished.

Could you please tell me where or what projects outside the Erie watershed this money is being used for?  I tried doing some research on this and did not come up with anything as of now.  I do see the money is controlled by a board called the LEAC, Lake Erie Advisory board, which is made up of 6 members.  This board is made up of some of the Erie groups you have mentioned.  Sons of Erie being one of them.  So as I see it , we have representation from that area that is supposed to oversee that this money is used only in the Erie watershed.  Are they not doing the job???   I would really appreciate any information you may have.   Thank you in advance..

I have no problem. The moneys are spent in the Lake Erie watershed.
I hope the stamp continues into perpetuity. PAFBC pleas spend the money on easements no matter how much they will cost!
Get them locked in place. Prices will only go up.
Again spend the money!
Boat registrations should be increased and will result in an increase in the boat fund, with it comes more matched moneys for lake access, ramps and marinas.
I also feel there should be a dockage, "fee/tax", on all permanent docks/moorages that are on public waterways. This money to be used for boating enhancements marinas, accesses, etc. Boaters need to pony up for these things state wide. Gasoline taxes are not enough.

I don't know trout54 unless you requested an audit from the state to see where and how the funds were dispensed.  like i mentioned, this is just something i was told and i could be passing on erroneous info. i do recall reading remarks on these boards a while back from people complaining about this same thing. again, they could be passing along rumors too.  but it seems now tho, this may be worth looking into.  i will pay that stamp fee and any increases as long as 100% of the money stays here.  don't want to be paying for other peoples improvements on the other side of the state. and bogey, i don't think creating yet another stamp will solve anything. how far can they take that. a raystown lake stamp? a county specific susquahanna river stamp?  it seems the drafters of this petition feel the original intent of the lake erie stamp(subsidizing commercial fishermen), has long since passed. but as i mentioned before, i'd continue to support it as long as all monies stay right here. its a lake erie stamp, and funds should be spent on anything lake erie and the tribs.

You guys, and East End ( who SHOULD know better ) are confusing the original stamp with the current one. The original was indeed established to recompense commercial fishermen. THAT stamp expired, and there was NO lake Erie stamp for several years.After "paying off" the commercial fishermen, there were execess monies remaining from the original stamp. The language of the legislation creating the original stamp only allowed for those revenues to be spent on compensating commercial fishermen. So once that had been dione, the remaining monies layed idle ( unspent ) for many years. As they were no longer needed for their original pupose, and could not legally be spent anywhere else, or ON anything else. The legislature recently acted ) they are the only ones who could do it ) to adress that issue. It is those remaining monies ( from the original stamp ) that might be under the control of the LEAC and being spent elsewhere. NOT revenues generated by the current stamp.
 
The current stamp was established, and subsequently re-authorized through seperate legislation for the purpose of access in the Erie watershed ( IE: easements, etc. ). It's revenues are not being, can not be spent outside of that watershed. They also are uinder the control of the PF&BC, not the LEAC or ANY other group or organization. The terms under which current stamp monies, are also strict. This is what limits expenditures which benefit the boat angling community. And what has ( understandabley ) put the sand in their vaginas.
 
The petition is miguided, in that the issues raised are not relevant to the current stamp. Also because the current stamp, like the original was created through a legislative act. It can only be "abolished", by such. NOT by the governor, the PF&BC, OR through petition.  The current stamp has been very benificial, though mostly to stream anglers. It HAS benifitted lake anglers as well, with monies going toward the acquisition of the Avonia beach property, and the construction of a 300ft. fishing platform in the bay.  For boaters, not so much. Rather than try to get the stamp abolished. Those who have an issue with how revenues are spent, should work to have the legislature amend the law to relax the restrictions, or possibley exempt boat anglers.  THEY ( the legislature ) are the only ones that can do it.

Everyone knows or should know that the Lake Erie permit has nothing to do with the gill netting.  The one thing that we do know for sure is out of 67 counties in the Commonwealth of PA there is only one county that pays more than $22.70 for the resident annual fishing license.  Since the conception of any kind of Lake Erie permit, the first being for the gill netter payoff…fishing license sales have steadily decreased and this is not a good situation for the PFBC. The PFBC has effectively turned Lake Erie into a “pay to fish” lake, which has directly affected the local small businesses, fishing charters, local bait stores and out of town anglers opting to forgo fishing in Lake Erie. We must also take into consideration how the permit money is being spent….there does seem to be some bias to how the funds are being distributed. It appears that at least 95% of the moneys collected have gone to the stealhead industry, which by the way is not a native species of Lake Erie…The reports on the spending of the restricted Lake Erie permit account is nearly impossible to find via google, or any other search engine. The copy that I have read was provided to me directly from our new area Commissioner Ed Masharka.  There has been a very strong response in favor of the ABOLISH LAKE ERIE PERMIT petition with signatures from anglers all across the state.
 
I AM INFORMED, I AM INVOLVED, AND I DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

$30,000 Boat
$40,000 Truck
$1,000's Of Rods, Reels, Lures
Gas $$$
 
Yet a FEW dollars for a Lake Erie Permit will cause somone to quit fishing Lake Erie..  Go back in the Lake Lady...

" Since the conception of any kind of Lake Erie permit, the first being for the gill netter payoff…fishing license sales have steadily decreased"
 
This is not correct factually, or in the hypothetical of cause & effect. License sales dropped dramatically the year of the general license increase ( they were already beginning to decline, as in many other states ). They increased in some subsequent years, and decreased in others. There has been no long term trend in either direction since the stamp came about. As for cause & effect, one only need look at the changing demographics in Pennsylvania. There are more folks turning 65 ( obtaining lifetime licenses ), than turning 16 ( obtaining 1st time licenses ). Lifetime license holders are no longer reflected as "sales" in subsequent years.  Add in cultural changes in among our youth, and add time restraints on adults. It is impossible, and intellectually dishonest to try and draw a correlation between the stamp, and declining license sales.

Really…..what exactly does it mean to be intellectually dishonest? I have read the same reports that you quote bits and pieces of and none of them are PA specific. What I can tell you is, anglers who live on Lake Erie pay $9.70 more to fish their home waters than anywhere else in the Commonwealth…..that is an increase in license cost therefore a decrease in license sales. Believe it or not there is an army of bucket fishermen made up of senior citizens, parents with their kids and people just fishing for their food that have no desire to fish for stealhead and don’t own a boat….yet they have to pay the piper to fish the pier.
By the way, the 300 foot fishing pier that you mentioned that was partially funded with the Lake Erie permit money, is not a pier at all it’s a breakwall.
This breakwall runs 300 feet parallel to the shore and it has a 4 foot fence around it. The fence is there for safety reasons, so the people who are listening to the concerts at Liberty Park in the summer don’t fall into the rocks (not much water there). So unless you are at least 7 foot tall and can cast like Babe Winkelman it’s virtually useless.

ladyoflakeerie

Really…..what exactly does it mean to be intellectually dishonest? I have read the same reports that you quote bits and pieces of and none of them are PA specific. What I can tell you is, anglers who live on Lake Erie pay $9.70 more to fish their home waters than anywhere else in the Commonwealth…..that is an increase in license cost therefore a decrease in license sales. Believe it or not there is an army of bucket fishermen made up of senior citizens, parents with their kids and people just fishing for their food that have no desire to fish for stealhead and don’t own a boat….yet they have to pay the piper to fish the pier.
By the way, the 300 foot fishing pier that you mentioned that was partially funded with the Lake Erie permit money, is not a pier at all it’s a breakwall.
This breakwall runs 300 feet parallel to the shore and it has a 4 foot fence around it. The fence is there for safety reasons, so the people who are listening to the concerts at Liberty Park in the summer don’t fall into the rocks (not much water there). So unless you are at least 7 foot tall and can cast like Babe Winkelman it’s virtually useless.

 
 

Just don't fish Lake Erie or the tributaries = same prices as rest of state. Home waters can be french creek, Lake Pleasant, Edinboro Lake or Eaton Reservoir
All have excellent fishing on par or better than LE = ALL for the price the rest of the state pays and within 30 min of the city of Erie.
Your complaining about $10 which is about 2.5 gallons of gasoline, less than $4 more than a pack of cigarettes or a few dollars more than a Big Mac value meal.

 

ladyoflakeerie
Believe it or not there is an army of bucket fishermen made up of senior citizens, parents with their kids and people just fishing for their food that have no desire to fish for stealhead and don’t own a boat….yet they have to pay the piper to fish the pier.

 
I agree with this part of your statement and the Lake Erie permit is costly for the local perch/panfish fisherman that wheels their cart down the street with their bucket. Sometimes people do not have cars or any way to get to the steelhead streams and only fish wherever the bus drops them off or where they can walk/ride their bikes.

bulldog1

Yes It's Sarcasm....

Oh...I thought you were onto something there for a minute...

I heard they were closing down Sportsman's Warehouse!?!  Any truth to this?  I shop there ALL THE TIME!!!

After talking to a few WCO's on the issue I can understand it being outlawed. The problem is we are the only Great Lake region (state) to require a lake permit. As well, there has been 3.4 million put into a separate fund that would go to improving the waterway, while only 160k has been recovered and the other part has not been contributed (since 1998). I don't buy this money has just been sitting for 15 years. In addition, many uneducated fishermen do not know they need a lake erie stamp and some sales representatives are not informed enough to tell people they need one, nor are they required. From what I've heard this is an issue to the commision and other fishermen and it needs to become more public what these funds go toward if they continue this. The main reason for the stur is the 3 and 5 year licenses. It is believed that the commission or state over spent these funds on various things and now they are selling the longer licenses to pay off the debt. If they continue the stamp I have no problem paying it if I know where my money is going, but right now no one knows and if they say they do I want some solid proof because not even the commission knows

jimmytwotime

they should make a steelhead stamp and stalk more steelhead
something like 50 dollars or more and boaters pay it to even if they dont catch any
steelhead are the only reason erie is popular anyways

 
I would think its kinda hard to Stalk Steelhead in 80 FOW From a boat