INCREASED FEES AWAIT HUNTERS, ANGLERS IN NEW YEAR.

Byline: Bill Becher Special to the Daily News

There might not be new taxes, but there will be new fees for hunters and anglers in California next year.

The California Department of Fish and Game announced sweeping license-fee increases enacted by the state Legislature in August and starting Jan. 1.

``Our many roles in managing wildlife are far more expensive than they were a decade ago. And we needed to bring license fees in line with our costs to effectively manage these public resources,'' DFG acting director Sonke Mastrup said.

Fishing-license fee changes that take effect include:

--The annual Resident Sport Fishing License, valid in inland and ocean waters, will increase from $29.25 to $31.25.

--The annual Nonresident Sport Fishing License will increase to $84 from $78.50.

--The annual and one-day Pacific Ocean Only sport fishing licenses have been eliminated.

--Anglers can purchase a One-Day Sport Fishing License for $10 that is valid in inland and ocean waters. An ocean enhancement stamp is not required with this license.

--A Two-Day Sport Fishing License also will be available again. Cost is $15.75, up from $10.50. It is valid in all waters. The two-day license, like the one-day license, is exempt from ocean enhancement stamp requirements.

--The 10-Day Nonresident Sport Fishing License fee will increase from $29.25 to $31.25.

--The Striped Bass Stamp will longer will be required because legislation authorizing the stamp expires Dec. 31.

--The Ocean Enhancement Stamp fee increased to $3.50 for saltwater anglers south of Point Arguello.

--The Abalone Report Card increased from $12 to $15. Divers are required to have a Sport Fishing License and an abalone report card.

Hunting license and tag-fee increases that take effect July 1 include:

--The California Resident Hunting License will increase from $29.75 to 31.25.

--A Nonresident Hunting License will increase from $103.50 to $108.50.

--A Junior Hunting License for both residents and nonresidents under 16 goes from $7.25 to $8.25.

--The Two-Day Nonresident Hunting License fee will be equal to the California Resident Hunting License fee, $31.25, up from $29.

--A Resident Wild Pig Tag will increase from $8.75 for a book of five to $15 each, which are sold individually.

--A single Nonresident Wild Pig Tag will be $50.00, up from $13.25 for one tag.

Fees for lifetime hunting and fishing licenses based on the age of the person also will increase Jan. 1. DFG is urging prospective buyers to purchase these licenses before Dec. 31 to receive the current rate.

--The Gauntlet revisited: Lacking a quorum, two members of the Fish and Game Commission heard testimony last week for and against relaxing the special regulations re-instituted last year to protect spawning runs of trout in the Upper Owens River above Crowley Lake (called ``the Gauntlet'' by some).

Fly anglers and local guides favor restricting fishing in early spring and late fall, while DFG biologists say the regulations aren't needed and hurt fishing opportunities. The Commission will vote on the regulations in a telephone meeting Dec. 16.

--Not at snails pace: An angler found New Zealand Mud Snails in Putah Creek this fall downstream from Lake Berryessa in Northern California.

The tiny snails, which look like buckshot on stream bottoms, had been found in the Owens River and might have been introduced in the U.S. from a shipment of hatchery eggs from New Zealand. The snails have no natural predators in the U.S. and can damage fisheries by eating food other invertebrates would normally eat.

The Fish and Game Commission is considering emergency action to close all fishing in Putah Creek below Lake Berryessa Dam and Lake Solano to prevent the spreading the snails.

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