Yeah, but I'd venture to just about guarantee, that if seniors had to buy a license every year, they would average doing so less often than they did at a younger age.
I hate to be morbid but a high number of people at 70+ have health issues and/or are just not overall as active as they once were. I hope I'm fishing at 75 but, even if I'm still kicking, the chances of me doing so are far less likely than me doing so at 45. Offering a senior license is a gamble. The PFBC loses on someone who stays healthy and keeps on fishing for many years. But they win on those who get one and then quickly become less able or likely to fish. How it all plays out I dunno.
My overall take is that license sales increased through the 70's and 80's, peaked in 1990 and have been declining since. There are ups and downs on both sides of the peak but the trend is clear. Those short term ups and downs are most likely the result of outside factors, such as weather on the popular fishing weekends, economy, etc. The overall trend is the fundamental trend and is probably more cultural than anything.
Revenues on the other hand have continued to climb, based on overall increases in price of a license I'd assume, or maybe various stamp tack ons. Fits with inflation. I'd also point out that in obvious license cost increase years you see a marked and immediate decrease in overall license sales, which quickly levels off, indicating it's sustainable (people who leave don't come back, but more don't leave until the next big increase). But still, the PFBC gets more $$$ by saying c-ya to a few and raising prices on the rest of us.
Also, this year got a bit of a boost in the revenue department due to the 3 and 5 year license sales. However, it will likely be a penalty in years to come. If someone buys a multi-year license, it's virtually assured that they were going to buy a license every year anyway. They won't be buying next year!
