For the last couple of years, ND has been requiring a 10% tournament permit fee – with no limit/cap to the amount – based on “gross receipts/entry fees of the tournament prize purse to be paid to them in order to secure the event permit.”
It used to be the same 10% fee but it was capped at $5,000. Their rationale for the elimination of the $5K cap was the belief that all tournaments – regardless of size – should pay the fixed rate of 10% as a matter of fairness.
The good news is those funds go “toward fisheries conservation projects such as boating access and other fishing infrastructure or educational fishing programs.”
The bad news is a bunch of big tourney platforms pulled ND stops off their tourney schedule because of the fee change.
The $5K cap removal in 2020 pushed the conservation fee into the $10K to $30K range for the biggest derbies! 😳
Get this: There were 6 different National Walleye Tour events held in ND between 2013-2020…but NONE since the fee increase…. 👀
It’s estimated that 1 regular season NWT event brings roughly $250K+ of outside dollars into the local community (from angler’s hotels, gas, meals, gear, etc) where it revolves many times over.
And no doubt you can expect more people and $$$ to make their way over to fish after watching the pros wallop on fish, and spitting out exactly how they caught ’em. Think about the hit those local economies are taking….
As you can see:
