BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is seeking to boost the fees for basic fishing licenses, saying the dollars are needed to offset financial gaps.

Jack Montoucet, a former lawmaker who leads the agency, said Monday that he’ll seek the fee hikes, estimated to raise about $10 million annually, in the regular legislative session that begins March 12. Montoucet calls passage an “uphill battle.”

Among the changes, the cost of a basic fishing license for residents would rise from $9.50 to $13.50 a year. A basic hunting license would go up from $15 to $20.

The plan also would trim the number of licenses from 117 to 30 to streamline options. In some instances, fees would drop.

Louisiana has 709,000 licensed fishermen and 326,000 licensed hunters.