Massachusetts fishing group blasts Beacon Hill for 'violation of public trust' proposal

Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald on Apr 29, 2026

Published in Outdoors

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BOSTON — A Massachusetts fishing group is throwing a sharp hook into a proposal at the State House that would divert license money into the general budget, which it claims is a “violation of public trust.”

The Massachusetts Striped Bass Association has put out a call to action ahead of Beacon Hill budget debates, alerting anglers and hunters to the House proposal that it says would be a “complete overhaul of funding” for the state Division of Marine Fisheries.

In the memo, Patrick Paquette, the association’s government affairs officer, says that the House is looking to reallocate inland (fishing and hunting) and marine (saltwater) license money to fund the division’s general budget and “other state budget items.”

If the proposal receives approval, Paquette fears that the funding diversion would “automatically disqualify” the state from receiving over $14 million in annual federal funding under an act that returns excise taxes collected from fishing tackle and motorboat fuel sales.

Paquette emphasized that the “dramatic change” came when the House Ways & Means Committee was developing its budget. Gov. Maura Healey did not include it in her spending request.

“The consequences of the House Ways & Means Committee changes to DMF funding will be felt by every angler & hunter across the Commonwealth,” Paquette wrote in his call to action. “Common sense dictates this diversion of license funds will severely reduce or completely eliminate many of the programs anglers & hunters in Massachusetts have grown to rely upon for quality recreation, tourism, and a wide variety of business opportunities.”

“This wholesale change in the use of fishing & hunting license money,” he added, “is a violation of the public trust given when the enabling legislation for each license was passed.”

The state Department of Fish & Game told the Boston Herald on Saturday that it recognizes the “importance of dedicated funding and programming for anglers.”

“We will continue working with the legislature as the budget moves forward,” it added.

The Striped Bass Association specifically pointed out that the so-called “George L. Darey Inland Fisheries & Game Fund” and “Marine Fisheries Development Fund” anchor what it says are among the “best recreational fishing & hunting license programs on the East Coast.”

“We must join as one large community,” Paquette wrote in his memo to anglers and hunters, “and send one loud and simple message to the State House, LEAVE OUR LICENSE MONEY ALONE!”

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