There are many debates about fishing regulations set out on various waters. I hope this article will help explain why some States set limits and what it can mean to fisherman.
Modern fisheries management is most often based on biological arguments where the idea is to protect the biological resource in order to make a sustainable exploitation possible.
Fisheries biologists are challenged to provide the best fishing for the waterways they control. Different waterways have varying carrying capacities. As fish managers study their options they may decide that waterways are more or less productive depending on the characteristics of the lake or river.
Often fisheries managers must decide on division of resources with commercial fishermen and sports fishermen. In the shared waters of the Great Lakes, most commercial fishermen from the U S have been bought out to decrease pressure on populations of perch and walleye. Canada is working on decreasing the catch by commercial fishing. Gamefish populations are responding well.
Tennessee fish managers decided that a slot limit on trophy catfish would enhance recruitment of catfish in their waters. The regulation of 1 catfish over 34 inches per day, per angler was instituted. This should provide sports anglers with more opportunities for trophy fish. A liberal limit of smaller fish will satisfy anglers eager for a fish fry. Retaining large mature catfish will help managers maintain populations of catfish with natural spawning as opposed to hatchery stocked fish.
Following the institution of this regulation, commercial fishermen pulled their nets from Tennessee waters and resumed their operations in states allowing unlimited harvest.
In some instances fisheries provide great economic effects on local and state incomes. The pressure to provide suitable fishing will influence decisions. Often surveys of fishermen conducted on the water provide information revealing what the public wants most from their waters.
Grenada lake in Mississippi has gained a reputation for trophy crappie. Crappie anglers from everywhere flocked to Grenada for crappie often averaging more than a pound.
Faced with increasing fishing pressure on a lake with trophy fish, the Mississippi Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks approved new regulations for crappie fishing at Grenada Lake.
Effective March 21, anglers will be allowed to keep 30 crappie per person -- 25 of which must measure 12 inches or more.
A 12 inch crappie is over a pound and on most lakes is a very impressive fish. Recent Grenada crappie tournaments have had winning limits of crappie averaging 2.92 pounds.
These unique regulations were enacted to preserve the trophy fishery that exists at Grenada lake.
Often states have laws on the books with liberal limits that were established many years ago. Today there are more fishermen with more time and sophisticated equipment. These fishermen can actually harvest more fish than the waterway is able to produce. In some instances, fertile waterways will produce more fish than can be harvested and stunting can occur. Careful studies of each waterway should be considered before decisions of limits, slot limits, or closed seasons are determined.
In the Northern United States, Bass grow slowly. Bass mature at an older age and recruitment of young bass into the population is slow. In the Southern United States bass mature and grow quickly. There may be multiple spawns per year with high recruitment of bass. Survival of the young bass is better in the South and amount of habitat is larger.
Fisheries managers often close seasons on bass in northern states. They attempt to protect spawning bass from being caught from nests so spawning is more successful. In southern states this is not the case because even with continued fishing during spawn the replacement of bass population occurs successfully.
In Texas the TWPD developed a program to hatch and stock flathead catfish. In the following years Texas had scientific studies to determine age and size of maturity for flathead catfish. Following this study they enacted length limits on flathead catfish to retain mature fish capable of spawning. Theses limits were enacted in 1994. Later studies determined that fishing pressure was not severe enough to impact spawning flathead and the regulation was repealed.
This is an example of the trial and error process that must be used in any scientific experiment. Regulations must be used to improve existing fisheries or revised again until optimum results are achieved.
