Saltwater Anglers Will Find It Faster to Purchase License this Year

RALEIGH, N.C. (Feb. 26, 2008)– Since the Coastal Recreational Fishing License (CRFL) requirement went into effect a little over a year ago, more than 476,000 licenses have been sold across the state, the vast majority of them in the coastal counties.

While the process to purchase a license went smoothly for most beach visitors last year, some people endured long lines at coastal bait and tackle shops, chain stores and other wildlife service agent locations waiting to purchase a license.

This year, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, which administers the sales of the coastal fishing licenses, hopes to make the purchasing process quicker and easier for beach-bound anglers by keeping its phone lines open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., from May through September.

The agency is also expanding its marketing efforts to encourage its out-of-state customers to purchase their fishing licenses before leaving home by calling the Commission or visiting its Web site.

“As with any new license or law that has the potential to impact so many people during a few-month span, we expected to have issues that would need to be resolved,” said Lisa Hocutt, section chief with the Commission’s Customer Support Services section.

The most time-consuming factor was entering customer information for first-time license purchasers. Agents in certain areas were hit hard by the demand for licenses, and data entry was the main problem.

“We now have the data entered for more than 476,000 anglers who purchased a saltwater license, which will significantly decrease the time it takes to sell or renew a license to those individuals returning in the future,” Hocutt said. “We are also using the data to target customers who purchased their license in popular vacation spots and encourage them to purchase it in advance, using the phone and the Internet.”

For anglers who want to renew their license, the purchasing process will be much faster as well because their information, such as name, address and date of birth, is already in the Commission’s license database so there’s no need to enter the information again.

The Commission offers several ways for people to purchase a license. Customers who choose to purchase a license before visiting a popular vacation area will save time and reduce the overwhelming impact on agents during the peak season.

To purchase a license, anglers can:

• Call the Wildlife Resources Commission at 1 (888) 248-6834. Hours of operation are: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday (from May through September, Monday-Sunday);
• Go to the Wildlife Resources Commission’s Web site, www.ncwildlife.org;
  
• Visit a local Wildlife Service Agent. Most are located in bait-and-tackle shops, hunting and sporting good stores and larger chain stores.

A CRFL is required for anyone 16 years and older who wants to fish recreationally in the state’s coastal fishing waters, which include sounds, coastal rivers and their tributaries out to three miles into the ocean. Recreational anglers who catch fish from three miles to 200 miles offshore also need this license in order to transport fish back to the shore.
Prices for the CRFL vary depending on residency, age, duration and type of license purchased. For residents, the annual cost for a CRFL is $15; for a 10-day license, $5. For non-residents, the annual cost for a CRFL is $30; for a 10-day license, $10.

For more information on the CRFL, including a comprehensive list of all available licenses, click here.