Sponsor seeks 10‑day tournament tuna license to draw out‑of‑state boats; Fish and Game raises cost and implementation concerns

Representative Nicholas Bridal, prime sponsor of HB1833, told the Fish and Game and Marine Resources Committee the bill was prompted by a tuna‑tournament organizer in his Hampton district who asked for a short‑term, lower‑cost license to attract nonresident boats.

"They've run this tournament for a few years now," Bridal said, noting last year the event drew "between 20 and 30 boats," and saying a 10‑day tournament license would make New Hampshire more competitive with neighboring states. Bridal said he left the nonprofit provision in place so donations from tournaments could support conservation and recovery efforts.

The department's legislative and legal liaison, Melissa Nemeth, testified that the Fish and Game commission voted in opposition, primarily because of implementation costs. "Creating a new license type requires database processing, administrative costs for licensing and the marine division, and a verification procedure for nonprofit organizations," Nemeth said. She added New Hampshire issues roughly 16 nonresident commercial saltwater licenses on average and that the existing $500 annual nonresident commercial saltwater license generates about $8,000 annually for the state for people indicating tuna as their species.

Nemeth also flagged timing: the bill's effective date of Jan. 1 could leave insufficient time for rulemaking and necessary system changes. Bridal said he has worked with Fish and Game on language and would consider amending the bill so the tournament license term is tied to the length of an event rather than a fixed 10 days if that addresses enforcement concerns.

Committee members pressed on details including whether fees should be charged per vessel (the proposed structure) and how long tournaments typically run; Bridal told the committee many tournaments have been three to five days and he is open to flexible language.

The committee did not take a vote on HB1833 at the hearing; the sponsor said he would supply updated amendment language and work with Fish and Game on implementation details.