John Arway, executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, has the courage of his convictions — and Pennsylvania’s outdoor enthusiasts should be grateful for that. Mr. Arway long has warned state lawmakers about the commission’s impending financial wall. He’s still doing so, even after learning his outspokenness could cost him his job.
Mr. Arway is warning of the need to close three hatcheries and cut back other services because of a funding squeeze. He wants the public’s input on what to maintain or cut, and visitors at this week’s 33rd annual Allegheny Outdoor, Sport & Travel Show in Monroeville will have the opportunity to weigh in via a questionnaire.
Revenue for the commission’s $52 million budget comes largely from the sale of licenses and permits, and the price of a general fishing license last increased 13 years ago. Only the Legislature can increase the fee schedule under current law, and the House hasn’t yet responded to Mr. Arway’s calls for help.
The delay is unfortunate partly because Mr. Arway’s request for relief is eminently reasonable and because the job to help him is half done. Under a bill that passed the Senate last March and has remained in the House Game and Fisheries Committee ever since, the commission would be able to set its own rates for three years, with the public having the right to offer comment and the Legislature and governor overseeing the process.
The House tabled a similar rate-setting bill for the Game Commission last year, and Rep. Keith Gillespie, R-York, chairman of the Game and Fisheries Committee, said he’s unwilling to advance one bill without the other. He said he hopes either to get both bills moving as currently written or otherwise approve fee increases for both agencies, saying they “desperately” need them. His commitment to helping the agencies is good to hear.
However, with the bill stuck in the House last fall, members of the the commission told Mr. Arway to cut $2 million from the agency’s 2018-19 budget. That is looking like it will involve the closing of three hatcheries this year or next. That, in turn, would translate into 241,000 fewer adult trout to be released into 61 streams and four lakes, plus a falloff in production and stocking of warm-weather species such as walleye and channel catfish. In addition, Mr. Arway is asking the public’s help in deciding what else to cut.
When he tried to rally outdoor enthusiasts to put pressure on the Legislature, the Senate in October quickly passed a bill limiting the commission’s executive director to eight years in the post. Not coincidentally, Mr. Arway will mark eight years on the job March 2. That bill remains in the House Game and Fisheries Committee, too, with its fate riding largely on Mr. Gillespie, who believes it’s premature to talk about closing hatcheries and the streams likely to suffer from such decisions.
The Legislature needs to approve fee increases of one type or another for both commissions and consider other measures to further shore up their finances. The bill targeting Mr. Arway’s employment should die in the House without another word. For zealously representing the interests of Pennsylvania’s anglers and boaters, Mr. Arway deserves respect, not a pink slip.
First Published: February 13, 2018, 5:00 a.m.