LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Michigan’s hunters and anglers are being asked to chip in more, as license fee hikes return to the state budget agenda.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s budget proposal includes the first hunting and fishing license fee increase since 2014, raising millions for state conservation programs as participation declines.

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Under the plan, resident fishing licenses would rise from $25 to $30, nonresident licenses from $75 to $90, and resident deer tags from $20 to $25. The proposal would channel an estimated $29.4 million each year into the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Game and Fish Protection Fund, which underwrites everything from fish breeding programs to habitat maintenance.

DNR officials say shrinking license sales and rising costs are straining the agency’s ability to maintain Michigan’s outdoor programs.

“Hunting and fishing license revenue is declining, along with the number of people who hunt and fish,” DNR spokesman Ed Golder said, describing the increase as integral to sustain conservation work.

The proposal now moves to the Legislature, where similar fee hikes have faced resistance from lawmakers representing Michigan’s large hunting and fishing communities.