HARRISBURG, Pa. – During a special meeting held virtually on November 4, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) Board of Commissioners acted on two items that were not available for consideration during its recent quarterly business meeting. In both instances, the public comment period associated with each agenda item had not concluded when the regularly scheduled meeting occurred on October 19-20.
The Board voted to amend regulations related to Charter Boat/Fishing Guide operations. An internal review of the current permit application process revealed a cumbersome system that could be made more efficient through an online process. The amendments to Section 51 (Pa. Title 58) will allow for the application and issuance of Charter Boat/Fishing Guide permits online exclusively through Pennsylvania's online fishing/hunting license portal The Outdoor Shop. As part of this change, the requirement to display a decal on charter boats will be removed. Moving forward, Waterways Conservation Officers (WCOs) will verify applicant provided information during standard field checks. An additional change will require an individual guiding on Commonwealth Waters to have a Pennsylvania fishing license and permits. Under the current language, a loophole was created that allows some nonresidents to guide on Commonwealth Waters utilizing their out of state license with a Pennsylvania Nonresident guide permit. This amendment will go into effect upon publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
Commissioners voted to amend regulations related to the sale and purchase of fish. The amendment to Section 63.19 (PA Title 58) will exempt byproducts from PFBC recognized fish cleaning stations from regulations requiring a fish to remain in-tact until reaching its place of consumption. Currently, cleaning station operators are required to grind carcasses and place byproduct into wastewater treatment or landfills. The amended regulation will allow for the sale of byproducts to other entities for further beneficial use such as fertilizer in agriculture. This amendment will go into effect upon publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
"It is known that entities would be willing to pay for the fish waste, so this result is a benefit to both the environment and the operators of the fish cleaning stations," said Daniel J. Pastore, PFBC District 1 Commissioner. "Instead of throwing the waste into a sewage treatment plant, it can be recycled for agricultural purposes, and it's good for the cleaning stations because they can actually sell that waste and recover some of the cost of operating the cleaning station."
The meeting was streamed live on Facebook and can be viewed here: VIDEO
An online version of this news release can be found here: https://www.media.pa.gov/pages/fish-and-boat-commission-details.aspx?newsid=349