minner
Well-known member
Fellow Catfishermen,
I'd like to give you and update on our current situation; trying to get limit laws passed in Alabama. This past Saturday, the 9th of February, three members of the Southern Catfishermen Association, including myself and Bprice, attended the first meeting of the year of the Alabama Conservation Advisory Board in Montgomery. Due to the unusually large attendance and registered speakers during the open forum our time allotment to address the Board was cut from 10 minutes to two minutes. We were readily prepared with a PowerPoint slide presentation for the Board and were able to pass out the printouts to each board member prior to addressing them. We addressed the Board with our concerns about trophy catfish leaving the state, proposed regulations, and the petition that all of us had signed. We did see a few eyebrows raise when Board members reviewed the petition.
Later when the meeting adjourned for a break we were able to speak one on one with the two Board Members representing North Alabama, Dr. Warren Strickland and Mr. Raymond Jones Jr. Each of these gentlemen were aware of the problem but seemed inexperienced with the subject. Both men agreed that it could be a potential problem and seemed supportive of further discussion.
Mr. Jones provided some incite from experience on getting new regulations passed and suggested rephrasing our proposed regulations in order for them to be more agreeable with more fishermen. He suggested we drop the proposed gamefish status and instead add some of the gamefish's implications to the 34" regulation. In other words we would have two new regulations instead of the three we proposed: 1.) Only 1 catfish over 34” in possession per person per day 2.) No transfer of live catfish exceeding 34" over Alabama state lines.
We agreed with Mr. Jones that this would help to get new laws passed without statewide panic due to catfish being named a gamefish. We were also advised that it would be useful to find State biologists that are in agreement with new limit laws and present evidence of their support with new information before the Board during the next meeting.
The next CAB meeting is in Guntersville Alabama on March 8th at Guntersville State Park. Between now and then we need to assemble our facts and research to once again present before the board. We need more signatures on the petition and many letters of recommendation from high profile figures in the sport of catfishing. We need to attend this next meeting in force because we predict we might see opposition unlike this past weekend.
Thank you,
Allen Neuschwander
256-852-7858
I'd like to give you and update on our current situation; trying to get limit laws passed in Alabama. This past Saturday, the 9th of February, three members of the Southern Catfishermen Association, including myself and Bprice, attended the first meeting of the year of the Alabama Conservation Advisory Board in Montgomery. Due to the unusually large attendance and registered speakers during the open forum our time allotment to address the Board was cut from 10 minutes to two minutes. We were readily prepared with a PowerPoint slide presentation for the Board and were able to pass out the printouts to each board member prior to addressing them. We addressed the Board with our concerns about trophy catfish leaving the state, proposed regulations, and the petition that all of us had signed. We did see a few eyebrows raise when Board members reviewed the petition.
Later when the meeting adjourned for a break we were able to speak one on one with the two Board Members representing North Alabama, Dr. Warren Strickland and Mr. Raymond Jones Jr. Each of these gentlemen were aware of the problem but seemed inexperienced with the subject. Both men agreed that it could be a potential problem and seemed supportive of further discussion.
Mr. Jones provided some incite from experience on getting new regulations passed and suggested rephrasing our proposed regulations in order for them to be more agreeable with more fishermen. He suggested we drop the proposed gamefish status and instead add some of the gamefish's implications to the 34" regulation. In other words we would have two new regulations instead of the three we proposed: 1.) Only 1 catfish over 34” in possession per person per day 2.) No transfer of live catfish exceeding 34" over Alabama state lines.
We agreed with Mr. Jones that this would help to get new laws passed without statewide panic due to catfish being named a gamefish. We were also advised that it would be useful to find State biologists that are in agreement with new limit laws and present evidence of their support with new information before the Board during the next meeting.
The next CAB meeting is in Guntersville Alabama on March 8th at Guntersville State Park. Between now and then we need to assemble our facts and research to once again present before the board. We need more signatures on the petition and many letters of recommendation from high profile figures in the sport of catfishing. We need to attend this next meeting in force because we predict we might see opposition unlike this past weekend.
Thank you,
Allen Neuschwander
256-852-7858
