Fish and Boat director runs afoul of legislators

When John Arway was confirmed as executive director of the state Fish and Boat Commission in 2010, the biologist and agency environmental director promised himself he’d “follow the science” and avoid playing politics, he said.

“I guess that’s a promise I should have kept,” said Mr. Arway, following his presentation at a recent sportsmen’s meeting Downtown.

If lawmaking is a sausage grinder the public really doesn’t want to see, Mr. Arway stuck his arm in it last fall when he threatened to close two trout hatcheries and stop stocking streams located in the districts of lawmakers who opposed an agency funding plan supported by the executive director. A map linking the targeted streams with their legislative districts and legislators was quickly removed from the Fish and Boat website, but not before a political feud was ignited.

Within days, Fish and Boat commissioners were told there would be no legislative discussion of funding until Mr. Arway was gone. When the Senate and House Game and Fisheries committees returned to session Monday one of their first actions was the introduction of Senate Bill 935, which would set term limits for the position of Fish and Boat executive director to eight years. Mr. Arway marked his eighth year on the job weeks ago. The bill was rushed through committee on a 15-9 vote and now poised for passage on the House and Senate floor.

“Overall he’s done a good job,” said Sen. Patrick Stefano, R-Fayette, chairman of the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee. “But that one statement by him was seen as a political threat and much of the Legislature turned against him.”

The Fish and Boat Commission is responsible for duties including aquatic wildlife and habitat management, operation of fish hatcheries, working with other federal and state agencies to monitor water quality and enforcing the fishing and boating regulations. Like the state Game Commission, Fish and Boat is not funded through taxpayer dollars. Most of its $52 million budget comes from fishing license fees, leases on nature resource sales and a federal excise tax on fishing and boating supplies. In recent years the federal government has underwritten some of its industrial oversight expenses and the agency shares some shale gas revenues, but Mr. Arway says it’s less than is needed to stay solvent.

The commission system was intended to separate the long view of wildlife management from the shifting winds of politics. Commissioners appoint directors, the governor confirms

them and the Legislature sets license fees.

An adult resident fishing license costs $22.90. The last time legislators gave Fish and Boat a license fee increase was in 2005. Some lawmakers are reluctant to face constituents after increasing license fees, and others are pining for a merger of the two wildlife management agencies.

But the presence of multimillion cash reserves held by the Fish and Boat and Game commissions in case of a catastrophic natural disaster ruffles the feathers of some lawmakers.

Since about 2008, Fish and Boat has reduced services and eliminated 66 full-time staff jobs including 20 law enforcement positions. Mr. Arway said upcoming pension obligations cannot be met, and funds aren’t available to match grants necessary to repair high-hazard dams and operate the Fish and Boat training academy. Mr. Arway has very publicly challenged legislators to pass a license-fee increase or hold a vote for a proposal that would allow the agency and the state Game Commission to set their own license fees, with legislative oversight. That voting never occurred.

If SB 935 passes on the Senate and House floor it will be up to Gov. Tom Wolf to veto or sign it.

The governor, a Democrat, has supported hunting, fishing and wildlife-related initiatives, but hasn’t signaled how he’d vote on this issue.