CHEYENNE — In a virtual meeting Aug. 12, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Commercial Fishing Boat Advisory Board agreed on several recommendations to approve changes to the state's proposed Chapter 71 regulations. These changes agreed with department recommendations to address concerns about fees, reporting and boat registration, and will be brought to the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission during its Sept. 9-10 meeting in Lander. 

Board members reviewed a presentation that summarized public comments gathered from meetings throughout the state. The board expressed agreement with the need to balance the cost of administering the program with fees charged to outfitters, noting a concern that high fees could deter participation, especially from smaller operators and part-time guides. A motion to recommend the department keep fees at the lowest, feasible level while still covering administrative costs passed unanimously.

The board also discussed several solutions to issues raised by the public and members of the outfitting community, including:

• Registration: The board agreed the registrant of a boat or trailer does not necessarily need to be the owner, which provides greater flexibility for outfitters who use multiple boats or need to borrow a trailer.
• Decal transferability: The board approved a motion to recommend the registration decals be made transferable between watercraft. This allows  outfitters to only pay for the number of boats they have on the water at one time, rather than for each individual boat they own.
• Documentation: To comply with the statute that requires stickers to be affixed to the boat and the trailer, the board recommended a system that would include a dashboard slip as a supplemental document, which would clarify whether a boat is on a commercial or private trip. This also would address issues with borrowed trailers and stickers being damaged or tampered with.

The final revised regulations will be submitted to the Game and Fish Commission at its meeting in Lander There will be additional opportunities for public comment at that time.

-WGFD-