This new federal registry is nothing more than a telphone book of all recreational salt water anglers.  

 Jack Travelstead and his staff have done their homework and have come up with an option:  OPTION #3  which probabaly will easily pass the General Assembly,  will qualify Virginia's recreational salt water license to exempt us from the fees the Feds have in mind for the a National federal registry. 

Option 3   is based on an already familiar program to hunters called the Hunters Information Program(HIP).  There will be NO increased license fess for Va salt water anglers if the newly proposed Fishing Information Program (FIP) is passed in the VA Legislature.   To do this your support will be needed. 

Option 3 provides an easy way to get your name into the Federal Telephone book of all recreational salt water anglers.   Each angler will be required to call or register on-line once per year at absolutely NO cost to the angler.  Yes, the program will cost some money, but the program is to be funded by excess license fee money (remember the $400,000 the governor took from us last year?) that you are already providing to the Recreational Licesense fund.  If you do not register into this telephone book, there may be penalties. 

The recreational anglers all over the East Coast have complained for years about the inadeqacies of the Marine Recreational Fishing Statistical Survey (MRFSS).  Finally the Magnusun Stevens act recognized that MRFSS was totally inadequate and passed a law to establish a Federal phone book of salt water recreational fishermen so that ASMFC surveyors could directly call by telephone  recreational salt water anglers. 

Now it is necessary by 2009 to get all anglers names, telephone numbers into the phone book.  All one will have to do is pick up the phone, call into the location and give them some required information...you will receive a number to demonstrate that you have registered...keep the number in you wallet or on the boat to inform any law enforcement agent that you do participate in the Fishing Information Progtram (FIP).  All Anglers will be required to register individually.

This is merely an overview of the proposal.   The proposal  will centainly be tweeked  by the time it is in effect.  

Other states are planning similar systems to get their salt water licenses exempted , so they will not be required to purchase an additional Federal Registry License.

Become informed...get aboard...support option 3 as it will do the job at NO OUT OF POCKED FEES to the recreational angler.   And yes, you will still have the "boat License" so you can take friends and relatives that do not possess individual va salt water licenses.  Each angler on your boat  will merely be required to call and have their name recorded into the salt water telephone book!!