RI Saltwater Fishermen save money by purchasing State FIshing License

The thousands of Rhode Island saltwater fishing enthusiasts who put their poles in the water this summer are, for the third year, required to be part of the National Saltwater Angler Registration system.

The good news is that Rhode Islanders can be automatically registered in the federal system by purchasing a Rhode Island license for just $7 – half of the $15 now being charged by the federal registry. The substantial savings is thanks to forethought, technology and a public/private partnership between the Department of Environmental Management, the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association and Rhode Island Interactive (www.RI.gov).

State government officials had the option of allowing the federal government’s $15 registry fee to be the only option in Rhode Island, or creating a lower-cost licensing program of its own. By designing and implementing its own Recreational Saltwater Fishing Licensing Program, the DEM ensured that any license fees would stay in-state and exclusively support Rhode Island marine programs rather than going to the federal government. The program is enabled by a self-funded, online application developed and maintained by RI.gov at minimal cost to the DEM. By utilizing this funding model, the state saved more than $150,000 in development costs, $24,000 in yearly ongoing maintenance and support fees and a projected $10,000 in credit card processing fees.

More than 37,000 licenses were issued through the program in 2011. This year, 15,477 anglers already have secured their licenses through the program, and RI.gov expects that number to increase to more than 45,000 before summer’s end. Ordering a license takes less than five minutes online at RI.gov.