2010 S.C. Saltwater Recreational License projects summary available

By S.C. Dept. of Natural Resources

Published: July 26, 2010

Revenue collected from the sale of recreational saltwater fishing licenses is dedicated to projects that result directly in better fishing opportunities such as inshore artificial reefs, enhancement of shellfish beds, and stocking of fish. A small percentage of funding is also allocated for law enforcement and administration.

A detailed list of projects funded during the 2009-10 fiscal year can now be found on the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website at: saltwaterfishing.sc.gov/report.html.

The South Carolina Recreational Fisheries License Program, since its inception in July 1992, has provided significant benefits to the state. Approximately 1,839,483 individual saltwater stamps/licenses, as of June 30, 2010, have been sold to marine recreational anglers over the course of the program’s existence. Since July 2009, 208,204 individual saltwater recreational licenses of all available types have been purchased, resulting in the generation of approximately $2.14 million in total revenue, the vast majority of which by law must be used to benefit saltwater recreational fisheries.
Some of the projects from the past fiscal year include:

* Artificial Reefs-Fourteen artificial reef construction projects were completed this fiscal year on 11 permitted reef sites encompassing every coastal county.  -
$150,000

* Marine Fish-DNR efforts to maintain high quality fishing opportunities include scientific surveys that monitor inshore fish populations and angler-related programs that collect biological information on recreationally caught fish. - $808,500
* Oysters-Over 21,762 bushels of shell were planted on 4 public and state shellfish grounds in 2 coastal counties during FY2010. - $181,600
* Education, Information, Outreach-The public recreational tagging program, while still maintaining a small tagging contingent, has been successfully utilized as an outreach tool for communicating with recreational anglers and promoting resource stewardship. - $120,000
* Infrastructure Support for Marine Division-Funds were allocated to provide general infrastructure support for the marine recreational fisheries programs. - $250,000