Concord Monitor – Auctioning off moose hunting permits and relieving the Fish and Game Department of responsibility for state-owned dams will keep the agency afloat, Gov. John Lynch said yesterday. Although Lynch’s proposals fell short of the $3.2 million Fish and Game requested in the next two-year budget, the measures will ward off layoffs, Lynch said.
Fish and Game – which pays for its operations through the fees it collects – has struggled to scrape by on money generated from hunting and fishing licenses. But increasing responsibilities and a decline in the number of hunters and anglers has left the department in dire financial straits, with numerous employees facing layoffs.

Lynch described his proposals as temporary measures, designed to keep the department solvent “while we continue working on how to best serve the interests of New Hampshire’s hunters and fishermen for the long term.” He didn’t hint at plans for a long-term fix for the department during yesterday’s budget address, although he reiterated the importance of hunting and fishing to the state economy.

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Posted: 02|16|07 at 3:39 pm. Filed under: US Auction News.