If they take the averages as they do with the catch and kill crowd, sure it would. Not everyone that buys a daily permit will catch a limit of trout. Does it really fall into a catagory of replacing the fish with the permits purchased. Didn't someone else say that the Parks are budgeted the money for the daily expenses and hatchery, and that the money collected for the permits goes into a general fund. And those monies are used throughout the whole MDC program. It's a put and take program to begin with, why not allow the state to make additional monies to add to the whole program of the MDC. Fee's collected from hunting licenses, trapping and many others go into the general fund of MDC, which in turn is benefiting the stocking program too. Granted, most already know this, but not all do. As I said before, they can't make everyone happy. I, for one, don't mind to pay as a non-resident, higher licenses fee's than a resident to fish for a species that I normally don't have such quick access to. I pay for a yearly non-resident license plus a trout license and a park permit to fish for trout only. And when my family goes with me, thats a additional three park permits per day and one three day non-resident license and trout license. And we may keep four trout per year. I don't, as of yet, fish for other species of fish in Missouri. But that is going to change. So, from just my family and myself buying the license and the daily park permits, the state (MDC) is coming out ahead. I don't mind that it helps the whole MDC program. That doesn't include the money that my family and I spend in Missouri and the taxes collected from that money.
My whole argument for this was stated above in one of my previous posts. For the catch and release permit to work, it will have to be the way that kills the fewest fish. And I agree, the fee for C&R would need to be higher than the $10-20 that was suggested. It's all a pipe dream until it happens, if it happens.