COLUMBUS, OH - Six open houses will be held this August across the state by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife to solicit comments on Lake Erie and other fishing regulations they will propose for the 2004 season.
We elected to conduct these six open houses in addition to an administrative hearing on September 18 so that our constituents have a greater opportunity to discuss these changes with us, said Steven A. Gray, chief of the ODNR Division of Wildlife.
Division of Wildlife fisheries biologists, law enforcement personnel and administrators will be available at the open houses to take comments and field questions.
Meetings will be held from 7 to 9 p.m., Thursday, August 14 at the Division of Wildlifes district offices in Columbus, Findlay, Akron, Athens, Xenia, and at the Sandusky Fish Research Station.
We are adding an open house at the Sandusky Wildlife Office for the convenience of Lake Erie anglers because many of these proposed rules are specific to Lake Erie, said Gray.
After the open houses and consideration of public input, the Ohio Wildlife Council will vote on the proposals on October 15.
The Division of Wildlife is planning to propose reducing the springtime limit on walleyes from four to three fish per day from March 1 - April 30. The limit for walleyes outside of the March 1- April 30 period is planned to stay at six fish per day. Also planned is a proposal creating a year-round walleye size limit of 15 inches. State fisheries biologists will also propose closing smallmouth fishing in May and June, when the popular sport fish are laying eggs and guarding their nests. Other Lake Erie and inland fishing regulation proposals will also be previewed.
We have proposed more conservative fishing limits for walleye and smallmouth bass during the spring season, which we feel will help protect our Lake Erie fishery, said Gray. While fishing on Lake Erie has been great so far this year, we are concerned that the combination of invasive species and poor weather during spawning seasons has had detrimental effects on the fisheries long-term health.
The Division of Wildlife uses the open house format each winter when taking comments on proposals for hunting seasons and bag limits, including those for deer and wild turkey hunting. Charts and graphs showing data on Lake Erie walleye populations will be available for review at the August 14 open houses. There will also be underwater video footage taken by Ohio State University researchers of goby predation of smallmouth bass nests.
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For additional news online, check out the ODNR Press Room at ohiodnr.com
For Further Information Contact:
Roger Knight, Lake Erie Fish Research Unit
(419) 625-8062
-or-
Andy Ware, ODNR Media Relations
(614) 265-6882