A hearing on a bill that proposes to raise hunting and fishing license fees by as much as 50 percent will be held Monday, Jan. 14, in a bigger room than the one normally used by the Joint Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, because of the large turnout expected.

LD 1929, which was proposed by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and sponsored by Rep. Matt Dunlap, D-Old Town, would raise license fees, create new licenses, and guarantee General Fund money for the department.

If passed, the bill would allow DIF&W to raise as much as $1.4 million annually by restructuring license fees, helping to offset the department’s $8 million financial shortfall expected to occur in three years.

The bill proposes, for example, to raise deer-hunting and fishing licenses from $19 to $28 in 2003.

It also would direct the governor and DIF&W to submit a budget to the Legislature that would include General Fund money. In recent years, DIF&W has been given General Fund money, but it must ask for it separately from the regular budget procedure.

Fees that help fund DIF&W have not been increased in five years and they account for two-thirds of the budget of $24 million.

In a separate move, George Smith, executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, has said that SAM will seek the support of the governor and Legislature for a sales tax proposal that would seek to give DIF&W a percentage.

Smith said SAM would lead a petition drive to put a sales tax proposal on a referendum ballot if the Legislature doesn’t take action on fee increases.

A year ago, the Futures Committee, which was established by the Legislature in 1999, issued a report suggesting a percentage of the sales tax go to help fund conservation.

Fish get a break

The 2002 ice fishing season is under way, but according to biologists in the Moosehead Lake region, it’s floundering.

The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife put out warnings before Jan. 1, the opening day of ice fishing season, cautioning eager anglers about thin ice. Colder weather that has arrived in the past week hasn’t helped much.

DIF&W biologist Paul Johnson said he’s heard little from anglers about the fish they’ve caught in the Greenville area, because few seem to be wandering onto the ice. And Johnson said that’s wise.

“There is more water surface open on Jan. 2 than in recent history,” Johnson said Thursday. “People are not finding a lot of ice. An inch or two, but it’s highly variable place to place.”

Johnson said some parts of Moosehead Lake have as much as 4 to 6 inches of ice, but there is less than 3 inches in other spots, and it doesn’t matter if you’re out in the middle of the lake or not. For this reason, he said anglers need to be cautious when walking out with an auger to attempt to cut a hole in the ice. And forget trying to get out onto lakes or ponds with a snowmobile.

“All bets are off with a machine,” Johnson said.

The head biologist said the problem is that due to the lack of real cold weather in December, the depths and overall sizes of Moosehead and Chamberlain lakes mean a great deal of surface water has not had a chance to cool enough to produce thick ice. While the surface may have reached freezing temperatures, warm water is still coming up, preventing ice from freezing rapidly.

If the warm weather and mild night-time temperatures in his region continue, Johnson said the lack of ice might last the month, which might serve the fish well, but would be hard on local businesses that benefit from ice fishermen visiting the region.

“It would be a disaster economically. I don’t want to see that. In the winter, you are supposed to be able to fish,” he said.

Word to paddle smart spreads

Kayaks and canoes are the reason for more than one-third of the 260 recreational boating fatalities in New England that have occurred during the past five years, according to the Boat Owners Association of the United States.

To address the safety issue, the New England Safe Boating Council is distributing 12,000 self-adhesive safety stickers urging boaters to “Paddle Smart From the Start.”

The sticker reminds boaters and paddlers to wear a life jacket, be prepared for cold water, and never paddle alone. The stickers are part of a campaign to educate “non-traditional” boaters and paddlers.

Because of the danger of hypothermia in New England waters, the colder months make this safety issue more of a concern. Even in the cold weather, canoe and kayak enthusiasts are active.

The council’s campaign was funded with a $45,000 grant from the U.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water.

Deirdre Fleming’s Outdoor Notebook appears every Saturday in the NEWS. She can be reached at dfleming@bangordailynews.net or at 990-8250.