The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission (TFWC) is considering adjustments to hunting and fishing license fees, as was discussed in their September gathering at Paris Landing State Park, as reported by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Citing increasing conservation costs since the previous license fee hike in 2015, the agency has proposed a rate increase in alignment with consumer price index (CPI) inflation, which has gone up by 31.6 percent.
Specifically, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency proposed a 22 percent increase in boating registration fees, while hunting and fishing license fees could see a rise of 28 percent. The Commission, having considered the input from hunters and anglers who conversely fund conservation, sees these as important but necessary measures. Commission Chairman Jimmy Granbery, in a statement released by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, emphasized, "However, we must take strong action to continue protecting and preserving wildlife and providing the services sportsmen want from the agency."
Along with fee increases, the agency has laid out proposals to restructure licensing—a move aimed at simplifying existing regulations. The new structure would switch from weapon-type to species-type supplemental licenses, and various Wildlife Management Area (WMA) permits would be consolidated. The inclusion of a trout supplemental license into the base hunting and fishing combo license means anglers won't need an additional permit.
Public feedback on these proposals is invited during the October-November window at Public Notice and Comment Opportunities. Scheduled to vote in December, the Commission will host its meeting at the Ducks Unlimited Headquarters in Memphis. Consequently, no price changes would take effect until July 1, 2025, should the proposal pass.
Additional topics of the commission's September agenda included the release of a safety video "Safe Boating Near Locks and Dams." This video is the result of a collaboration between the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Tennessee Valley Authority, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, and Hardin County EMA, in response to 17 fatalities at hydroelectric dams in the last decade across the state.
Mark Gudlin, a retired TWRA Wildlife and Forestry employee, was celebrated for his induction into the National Bobwhite and Grasslands Initiative Hall of Fame, marking a distinguished 38-year career at TWRA. Simultaneously, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation presented a hefty $300,00 donation to the agency, aiding the purchase of a 1,322-acre tract in North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area, with plans for additional habitat improvement announced by Will Bowling from RMEF.
