AGFC hears proposals for 2017 fishing regulations

            LITTLE ROCK –The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission heard 14 proposals to change fisheries regulations for 2017 at its August meeting today.
            The following proposals have been distributed to the public and public comments have been received through an online survey, which ran for 30 days in May:
·       Implement a 10-inch minimum length on crappie at Lake Atkins;

·       Replace 3-fish daily creel limit on striped bass in Lake Greeson with the statewide daily limit of 6 fish;

·       Remove the ½ daily creel limit restriction on Dr. Lester Sitzes III Bois d’Arc lake for all game fish except crappie;

·       Clarify the need for a commercial license to sell wild-caught fish;

·       Clarify the definition of “snagging” in the AGFC code book;

·       Clarify snagging regulations;

·       Clarify that game fish may not be possessed while gigging;

·       Implement a 14- to 17-inch protected slot limit with a daily creel of 10 fish, one of which may be over 17 inches, for largemouth bass on Mallard Lake;

·       Move Dr. James E. Moore Camp Robinson Firing Range pond from Family Fishing Program rules to Community Fishing Program rules;

·       Remove Landers Lake from the Family Fishing Program;

·       Close commercial harvest on all species of greatest conservation need outlined in Arkansas’s State Wildlife Action Plan (available at http://www.wildlifearkansas.com/);

·       Close a portion of the White River from Newport Access to Jacksonport Access to commercial fishing for paddlefish and sturgeon;

·       Implement a 15- to 18-inch protected slot limit with a creel limit of 10 fish, only one of which may be larger than 18 inches, for largemouth bass on Lower White Oak Lake, and

·       Simplify the Commercial Facility Operator’s License by having one Commercial Boat Dock Permit with an annual cost of $25 on any commercially licensed facilities on Commission property.

            Commissioners are scheduled to vote on these regulations proposals at their regularly scheduled Commission meeting, Aug. 18. All approved changes would go into effect Jan. 1, 2017.
In other business, the Commission:
·       Approved delegation of authority to newly promoted AGFC Director Jeff Crow for administrative decision making.

·       Recognized 26 employees with a total of 405 years of service for their commitment to the people and natural resources of Arkansas.

·       Approved the removal of obsolete, damaged and unusable inventory with an original value of $824,990 and a current net book value of $2,204.

·       Ratified the emergency order to lift game fish limits for 120 days on Lake June in Stamps, which was signed by Director Crow June 7.

·       Approved a budget appropriation for chronic wasting disease monitoring and management for Fiscal Year 2017 of $1 million, with 75 percent of those funds to be reimbursed through a federal matching grant with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.