Cuts to affect state’s fish and wildlife rule books

State officials plan to publish a combined open-water fishing and ice fishing lawbook early next year as part of the budget cuts ordered Tuesday by the Baldacci administration.

And in a more controversial move, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is considering publishing the new combined fishing rules book once every two years rather than annually. It might consolidate the lawbooks for boats, snowmobiles and ATVs and publish those biennially.

The changes to the rules books are predicted to save the department $12,000 during the current fiscal year. The department hopes to save an additional $125,000 by not filling several vacant positions, including one game warden post.

Deb Turcotte, spokeswoman for DIF&W, said the new combined open water-ice fishing rules book is expected to come out in January.

The next fishing lawbook, which lists the myriad rules that pertain to individual water bodies in the state, such as size and bag limits and special gear restrictions, would come out in January 2010 if the department switches to biennial publication.

“That part of the proposal is still under consideration,” Turcotte said.

The department also is discussing combining the lawbooks for boats, snowmobiles and ATVs into a single “recreational vehicles” rules book, Turcotte said.

George Smith, executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, said consolidating the two fishing books was a bad move given the differences between the sports. Smith also criticized the proposal to publish biennially, saying fishermen already pay for the rules books as part of their licenses.

“We want our rules books and we need our rules books,” Smith said. “They are constantly changing the rules. How are you supposed to keep up with everything?”