October Agenda TWRC

[Carl Guffey]

October Agenda TWRC



<font>TENNESSEE WILDLIFE RESOURCES COMMISSION
COMMITTEE MEETING

October 29, 2009 Holiday Inn Cedar Bluff
Knoxville, TN

Time Discussion Subject
1:00 p.m. * Wildlife Management Committee:

Mitchell Parks, Chairperson
Jeff McMillin, Vice-Chairperson
William Brown
Ken Givens
Todd Shelton
Mike Hayes

Greg Wathen, Chief 1. Elk Update
Wildlife Division</font></p>

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Fisheries Management Committee:

Mike Chase, Chairperson
Todd Shelton, Vice-Chairperson
Jeff Griggs
Eric Wright
William Brown
Mike Hayes

George Scholten, Biologist 1. Live Bait Proclamation 09-20
Fisheries Division

2. Commercial Taking of Fish and Turtles Proclamation 09-21
Bill Reeves, ChiefemoBang 3. Sportfishing Proclamation 09-22
Fisheries Division
4. Similarity of Appearance Rule Proposal by the USF&WS

Budget, Nongame and Endangered Species Committee:

Mitchell Parks, Chairperson
William Brown, Vice-Chairperson
Todd Shelton
Jeff Griggs
Julie Schuster
Danya Welch
Jeff McMillin
Gordon Martin, R.E. Specialist 1. Budget Expansion Real Estate/Forestry Division Cornett Tract – Sullivan Co.$145,000
FY09/10
2. Real Estate Report
*Times subject to change

TENNESSEE WILDLIFE RESOURCES COMMISSION
COMMISSION MEETING

October 30, 2009

Holiday Inn Cedar Bluff
Knoxville, TN

Time Discussion Subject
9:00 a.m.* Johnny Fred Coleman, Chairperson
1. Call to Order
2. Invocation
3. Pledge
4. Approval of Minutes

Doug Peckam Donation to TWRF for management
Volunteer Muskie Hunters Club and research of muskie in Melton Hill Reservoir and other Tennessee waters.

Presentations by Director Carter:
2009 Wildlife Biologist of the Year – Chris Simpson – Region 3
2009 Fisheries Biologist of the Year – Jim Habera – Region 4

Fisheries Management Committee:
Mike Chase, Chairperson
Todd Shelton, Vice-Chairperson
Jeff Griggs
Eric Wright
William Brown
Mike Hayes
George Scholten, Biologist 1. Bait Proclamation 09-20
Fisheries Division
2. Commercial Taking of Fish and Turtles Proclamation 09-21
Bill Reeves, ChiefemoBang 3. Sportfishing Proclamation 09-22
Fisheries Division

Budget, Nongame and Endangered Species Committee:
Mitchell Parks, Chairperson
William Brown, Vice-Chairperson
Todd Shelton
Jeff Griggs
Julie Schuster
Danya Welch
Jeff McMillin
Gordon Martin, R.E. Specialist 1. Budget Expansion
Real Estate/Forestry Division Cornett Tract – Sullivan Co.
$145,000
FY09/10
Ken Tarkington, Chief 2. Financial Report
Administrative Services

Adjourn
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[Carl Guffey]

<font size="2">Proclamation 9-20 and 9-21</font></p>

<font size="2"><font color="#000000"><u>Proposed Changes-Region III:
</u>*Dale Hollow Reservoir
Increase muskellunge minimum size limit to 50 inches, 1 fish per day creel
*Fall Creek Lake, Fall Creek Falls State Park
Remove black bass minimum size limit
Establish 20 fish aggregate creel limit for redear and bluegill
*Falling Water Lake, Burgess Falls SP
Remove all fisheries regulations- statewide apply
*<font color="#ff0000">Cordell Hull
Largemouth Bass-17-23 inches Protected Length Range (PLR), 1 fish over 23 inches, 2 fish under 17 inches
</font>*Caney Fork River
Rainbow and brook trout-14-20 inches PLR with 1 fish over 20 inches
Brown Trout-22 inches Minimum Length Limit (MLL) with 1 fish over,
(changed from 18-inches MLL with two over)

<u>Proposed Changes-Region IV:</u>
*Cherokee Reservoir - remove paddlefish size limit. Replace wording: "Culling, the releasing of harvested fish, is prohibited" with “Paddlefish: 1 per day. Season is open from March 1-15. Fish may not be released when caught.”
*Melton Hill Reservoir – Increase the muskellunge minimum length limit from 44 to 50 inches. 1 fish per day creel
Extend the striped bass PLR (32-42 inches, 1 over) to Hwy. 61 bridge at Clinton
*South Holston Reservoir- Remove the closed trout season (Dec. 1 to Feb. 28)
*<font color="#ff0000">Norris Reservoir – change smallmouth bass size limit from 18 inch minimum length limit to a 17 to 22 inches PLR-1 fish under and 1 fish over the PLR
</font>
<u>Proposed changes-Statewide:</u>
Sport trotlines, limblines, and jugs: To read –"Sport fishing trotlines, limblines, and jugs must be tagged and/or marked with the angler’s name or current TWRA identification number."

<u>Other changes being considered by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission (TWRC):</u>
After hearing from several members of the public, the TWRC Fisheries Committee let it be known that it will also consider the following changes:
*Increasing the agency recommended 22 inches to a 24-inch minimum length limit on brown trout on the Caney Fork River with one fish allowed over 24 inches
*Also, on the Caney Fork, the TWRC Fisheries Committee will consider changing the daily creel limit from seven to five trout per day, per person
*The committee is also considering a change offered from the public that would increase the sauger minimum size limit from 14 to 15 inches on Kentucky Lake.

<u>Bait Proclamations- Live Bait, Commercial and Sportfishing:</u>
The bait regulation changes that were previewed at the September TWRC meeting will be presented for Commission approval at their October meeting. These regulation changes include: 1) adoption of the Live Bait Proclamation 09-20 which will regulate the sale and use of live bait for fishing; 2) Proclamation 09-21 which amends Commercial Fishing Proclamation 08-01 to allow commercial fishers to use live bait and provides guidelines for bait dealers who harvest live bait from the wild for the purpose of sale; and 3) an addition to the previously proposed Sport Fishing Proclamation 09-22 which would remove live bait regulations from the Sport Fishing Proclamation (because they will now be in the Live Bait Proclamation).
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