New fees by U.S. Fish and Wildlife being described as extortion by business owners

Owners could pay up to three percent of revenue

It’s not a tiny fee increase planned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for those operating fishing barges in the Upper Mississippi Wildlife Refuge.

Up to three percent of revenue from guys like Mark Clements, who operates the Clements Fishing Barge in Genoa, Wis.

“They look at the three percent as being not that big a deal,” Clements said. “What they don’t understand is that’s three percent of our gross.

Clements says that could translate into the feds getting 15-20 percent of his net profits.  

“I look at the three percent as being extortion, because I can’t operate in the refuge without their permission and they can charge whatever they want,” Clements said. “The government, to me, is basically using mob tactics to get more money.”

Fishing barges is just one of 23 different usage types of the Refuge that the feds are taking public comments on until October.

Clements is among the commercial users of the Mississippi River that face possible new regulations and higher fees. 

But the fed agency has proposals for 16 other non-commercial uses of the refuge. Several of them involve significantly higher fees. Others, like kayaking, sunbathing and camping, won’t likely see any regulatory changes.