[Catch & Release]

A disturbing development has come about that I wanted to call to anyone's attention that is not already aware of this. Frankly, I am surprised it has been kept so quiet. Please take the time to read this and let the commissioners know your feelings about it.

The short version of the situation as I understand it is that a group of (about 40) commercial fishermen (supposedly from W TN) lobbied the state legislature to pass a bill which in the end has had the effect of some of the TWRA fisheries guys recommending at the last TWRA commissioners meeting that some of our most prized trophy striper waters be opened to commercial fishing for spoonbills. As you probably know this is done with gill nets. These nets kill pretty much anything that comes in contact with them – including perhaps entire schools of trophy stripers all at once. What sense does it make to stock and manage Cordell Hull (or any other body of water) as trophy striper water with special recreational restrictions and then allow the fish to be wiped out indiscriminately by these nets? Note that these restrictions would effect fisheries in Middle and East TN both.

There’s more detail below if you’re interested/concerned about this. Iif you have a minute and are willing I/We would certainly appreciate your support on this by emailing the letter below to the TWRA commissioners (address below too). If you feel so inclined please pass this on to any one that you think might be interested and feel free to repost it anywhere that might produce additional support. Please let them hear from you on this. Note that the next TWRC meeting is next week so this is time sensitive.

Thanks,

Tim


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Link to the text below at TWRA : http://news.tennesseeanytime.org/node/7806

Also presented were recommendations offered by Commercial Fishing Advisory Committee. The volunteer committee is entirely comprised of nine members of the commercial fishing community and was recently established by the Tennessee General Assembly. Its recommendations were:
· Eliminate Region 2 contract requirements (calling in and reporting).
· Reduce the number of commercial roe fish licenses (Type 108) sold to 70.
· Make it legal for commercial fishing helpers to run gear without presence of commercial license holders.
· Change mesh size of hoop nets to be 1 inch on the square and larger.
· Open Tellico Reservoir to commercial fishing.
· Rework commercial fishing laws to resemble a business regulation model following the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act.
· Open commercial harvest of catfish in Fort Loudoun Reservoir.
· Drop the statewide limit on catfish over 34 inches.
· Paddlefish recommendations: no changes be made to the handling procedures; no changes be made to the Mississippi River regulations; and implement a 5-year plan to open new waters to paddlefish harvest beginning in the 2011-2012 harvest season. The new plan a) requests that existing regulations be kept the same for water bodies currently open to commercial harvest; and b) creates a rotational plan for opening Norris, Watts Bar, Cordell Hull, Old Hickory and Melton Hill reservoirs to paddlefish harvest with a limited season of January 15–April 15. Upon accepting items (a) and (b), then increase length limit to 38 inches for the new 5-year plan.


These recommendations will be reviewed by TWRA staff. After input from the general public, this issue will be reviewed by the commission.

The TWRC will hold its next meeting Oct. 13-14 in Nashville. Full Article http://news.tennesseeanytime.org/node/7806


State Bill forcing TWRA to create the committee. TN Senate Bill 1140 http://e-lobbyist.com/gaits/text/195800 or http://e-lobbyist.com/gaits/TN/SB1140 are behind these changes.

Send emails to the following address... this address will go to the TWRCommissioners!


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TWRA.Comment@tn.gov

Possible letter to send (Copy and paste into your email)

Subject Commercial Fishing Proposal

Please do not allow the expansion of Commercial fishing into any new waters in Tennessee. By allowing commercial gill nets in our Reservoirs, sport fishing will suffer a certain decline. These types of nets will not discriminate and do not allow release of our stocked, sport fish such as walleye catfish and striped bass. I believe that the Sport fishing economic impact to our region is much larger and support many more jobs than the expansion of the 40-50 commercial licenses holders in our state. We do not need this expansion to new waters and we do not need to take a risk with our TN sport fishing resource. Do not allow this proposal!


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Here is the site for a list of TWRA commissioner names: http://www.tn.gov/twra/comnames.html