TWRA requesting public input on Fishing Regulations

[Carl Guffey]

<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN"><font size="3"><font face="Batang">The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is welcoming comments for its 2016 fishing regulations. This is an opportunity for the public to share ideas and concerns about fishing regulations with TWRA staff.

</p></font></font></span><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN"><font size="3" face="Batang">Public comments will be considered by fisheries managers and may be presented as proposals for regulation changes. Comments may be submitted by mail to: Fish Comments, TWRA, Fisheries Management Division, P.O. 40747, Nashville, TN 37204 or emailed by clicking </font><font color="#2e3e4f" size="3" face="Batang">here</font><font size="3" face="Batang">.<font color="#548dd4">[email protected] <[email protected]></font></font></span><span style="color: #548dd4; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themetint: 153"><font size="3" face="Batang"><font size="3" face="Batang"> </font><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN"><font size="3"><font face="Batang">Please include “Fish Comments” on the subject line of emailed submissions.

</p></font></font></span><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN"><font size="3"><font face="Batang">The comment period concerning fishing regulations will be open until April 30, 2015.

</p></font></font></span><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN"><font size="3"><font face="Batang">The fishing regulations are usually set each year during the October meeting by the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission.

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[EricM]

Thanks Carl. emoThumbsup

 

[riverrat1081]

Thank you I wish they would change some things

 

[churly]

Email them and tell them to ban gill nets on the TN river!

 

[EricM]

I have sent my email asking them to consider removing gill nets from Chickamauga and talked about the sport fishery growing here (black bass, striped bass, and trophy catfish) and the money that it brings to the state and the area. Please send them an email with a short comment about this (or any other concern you have). It only takes a moment and can only help! Thanks, Eric

[email protected]

"Fish comments" in subject line

 

[SpurHunter]

Email about nets sent!

 

[fishinvol]

I've sent my email.

 

[MagicMan72]

This may not be as good as it could be, I did it off the top of my head at work but here is my email to TWRA about the nets.


To Whom It May Concern,

I respectfully ask that you consider looking at regulations for Gill Nets on Chickamauga Lake. I see illegal netting being done on a very frequent basis. I’ve seen nets being placed where they are not legal to be. I’ve seen the same net stay out with fish in them for two days. I’ve seen an obscene number of trophy bass caught in these nets and I’ve also been there when these people pull large bass out of nets and just throw them off to the side dead. There is so much money and time that has went into the stocking program on numerous lake and Chickamauga Lake is being ruined by Gill Nets. I have placed a video of large bass floating dead out of a Gill Net, and I have more pictures and video also. If there is no way to ban Gill Nets all together, maybe they could be only legal in the main river channel where bass and other game fish can get by the nets. These Gill Nets placed in 5 to 8 feet of water from the surface to the bottom in the area leading directly to feeding and spawning areas for gamefish are really taking a toll on the fish, and I see this all the time. Also I have went in a slough that had three gill nets all the way across it so you had no way to get in there. Not to mention I’ve cut two nets there were placed illegally from around my prop and lower unit and there is no one to pay for our damaged props and lower units damaged by these nets. I really don’t think the nets are policed very well. I feel like sportfishermen are bringing in a lot more money than the few gill netters on Chickamauga. Sportfishermen from around the country are coming here to fish for the trophy bass that the stocking program has produced. I think TWRA should have more concern with all the money that has went into the stocking program and that’s brought in by fishing because at the rate large bass are being killed by Gill Nets this won’t be a Lake that attracts out of state license purchasers for long. We Tennesseans will be buying Out of State Alabama Licenses and fishing Guntersville because Chickamauga’s Trophy bass will be a thing of the past.

Respectfully

 

[churly]

Keep pounding the emails. We need as much support as we can get. I don't know of a single fisherman, that uses the lake regularly, that has not seen an illegally set gill or the destruction they cause. These nets are worse than bass tournaments, 5 hook rigs, and spraying grass collectively. It needs to cease!

 

[porthos33]

Yeah I am definitely in on this one. There is absolutely no reason for the commercial fisherman to be able to run those nets 3/4 across the main channel, with the nets hanging from the surface and block passage for the passing boats. Like others have said before, most of the lakes have already banned these nets, why have we not come together as a community and taken care of this problem.

Here is a thread back in 2008 when watts bar banned commercial fishing.
http://www.chattanoogafishingforum.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=15210&start=26&posts=31

 

[FishinMagician]

Email concerning gill nets sent. Here is a link for those of you who use facebook to see the damage that some of these nets are doing here on Chickamauga.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ban-Gill-Nets-On-Chickamauga-Lake/1394974204157152

 

[Fishindawg25]

Email sent

 

[puddle jumper]

Done...
PJ

 

[Sniperchoke]

E- mail sent