Commission Approves Nursing Home Fishing License

Meeting by telephone conference call May 30, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission approved rules establishing the Idaho Nursing Home Facility Resident Fishing Permit. The rules approved by the commission set up a process for care facilities to take their residents fishing after purchasing a once-a-year permit for $31.50. Permits are available only at Fish and Game offices. The permit will allow residents of care facilities to go fishing in events organized by the facility without having to get individual licenses. In the past, individual licenses have proved a problem because people in these situations often don't have driver's licenses or personal addresses to establish the proof of residency required by law. Under the blanket permit system, the facility is responsible for the record keeping and vouching for residency. The permit is part of a Fish and Game effort to improve customer service by making outdoor sports available to more people. It also gives a financial break to some of those who need it most. It also "brings people back" to fishing who once enjoyed it but have been kept away because of licensing technicalities or financial problems. Facilities that are eligible to purchase this permit include intermediate care facilities providing 24-hour skilled nursing care, assisted living facilities providing 24-hour extensive assistance and skilled nursing facilities providing 24-hour skilled nursing. When applying for the permit, the representative of the facility needs to present a copy of the current license issued by the state Department of Health and Welfare that verifies the facility meets the requirements. All residents of facilities having the permit are eligible to fish, as long as they are under the supervision of a facility representative. The representative must have in possession a valid permit listing the residents' names and other required information. The facility is responsible for seeing that fishing rules and regulations are followed. By January 31 each permit holding facility must send a report to Fish and Game listing each resident who fished during the prior year.