I am going to list some websites that concern paddlefish.

http://www.fws.gov/international/DMA...ne%202009).pdf

This is the study.

http://www.tn.gov/twra/pdfs/pfpopulations.pdf

Gfawkes, I am a little confused on your comment on funding.... I agree on your comment on multi-use for recreational and commercial. That is why I said the taxpayers in Tennessee should fund this study. We as fisherman have a stake in this study and we should pay a portion, but not all of the study. If all of the funding comes from the state, then we all are paying equally.
If you look at the second web link I placed here. You will see that the retail value of harvested paddlefish has decreased in Tennessee by $5.7 million.
This brings us to the first web link I have here. CITES will not allow export of paddlefish flesh or eggs from Tennessee waters. They site over exploitation as a possible cause.
There are some fish consumption advisories in some of the study areas. Have you ever seen a food product bought at any store with a warning label?
Such as do not eat more than 6 meals a year or do not consume if you are pregnant, or woman wanting to become pregnant, do not eat if you are an infant or child. I have not either. That is enough on the fish.
Gillnetters do have a place in our lakes and rivers. There have been a few successful studies done on netting asian carp. I think that was in Missouri.
Apparently CITES does not think that the rate of harvest in Tennessee waters are sustainable for paddlefish with current regulations. Perhaps we should reduce the allowable catch rate on current lakes.

Catch and Release,
I think CITES only covers international export of Paddlefish. It doesn't cover domestic sales. I could be wrong and probably am.
There has been a lot of discussion in the past on gill nets catching sport fish. Lake Guntersville in Alabama has been hot on this topic for years. I have seen photos of dozens of big female bass dead in nets in the spring. A friend of mine has seen nets across the mouths of creeks on the Tennesee River near Cuba Landing. He actually got his motor tangled in one while loading his boat on the trailer. The net was in the back of a creek in front of the ramp!!!
The only place I disagree with you is on the elimination of gill nets. They are the best way to control over population of rough fish and catfish.
I do want to say I respect everyone's opinion on this issue. I admit I do not know the answers and I do not posses all of the information. I am not against the study. I am against us fisherman and hunters and boaters funding this study. Our license fees for hunting , fishing and boating registration fund the management of our activities. This could also be called a " User Fee " Do we not pay to ramp at Army Corp. ramps. Don't some parks charge an entrance fee for using them? don't they exist at public expense?
In closing, The paddlefish fishery would not exist without the hatcheries in Tennesee. We have stocked the lakes and rivers with paddlefish and as far as I know we still stock them.
In closing, contact your state Rep and Senator and TRWA and let them know your position.