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Anglers are seeking an increase in the minimum size limit of crappie harvested in Barren River Lake from 9 inches to 10 inches. The Fisheries Division concluded this would be beneficial.
Barren River Lake’s crappie population consists of half black crappie and half white crappie. White crappie reach 10 inches in 2-3 years, while black crappie take 4-5 years to reach this size. White crappie now dominate the angler catch. In winter, managers draw down the lake from 10,000 acres to 5,000 acres. As a result, winter harvest at Barren River Lake can be substantial. This regulation could help ease the impacts of increased harvest during winter.
The Middle Fork of the Red River is a trout stream that runs through Natural Bridge State Park in Powell and Wolfe counties. Anglers must immediately release all trout caught here from October through March. However, the park boundary is not far from the stocking location. Trout tend to migrate out of the park soon after stocking to areas without public access. This proposal removes the seasonal catch and release regulation from the Middle Fork and would allow anglers to harvest trout in the park year round.
Gunpowder Creek in Boone County is being stocked with rainbow trout for the first time in March 2019. Stockings will occur annually in March, April and October. Many warm-water trout streams in the state receive a catch and release designation from October through March. This allows anglers to catch trout throughout the winter. Gunpowder Creek would receive the catch and release designation. The fishable portion of this stream is nearly 2 miles, so trout should remain available for anglers throughout the winter even with some dispersion. Statewide harvest regulations would apply outside of the catch and release season.
Ponds and lakes within the Boone Tract of the Kentucky River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) received restrictive fishing regulations after being acquired by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. This provided the fisheries protection until the department could assess angler harvest pressure on the fish populations. The results from information collected suggest that the regulations on the lakes can be relaxed.
Central District Fisheries Biologist Kerry Prather served with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife for 31 years prior to his retirement in 2008. A devoted biologist and mentor to many fisheries division staff, his work in public education, farm pond management and promotion of fish and wildlife resources to the public was extraordinary. Prather authored three editions of “A Management Guide for Ponds and Small Lakes in Kentucky,” one of the most requested publications printed by the Department. His devotion to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife and his work involving small lakes and ponds was exceptional and made this request fitting. To honor his service, a popular 4-acre pond on the Boone Tract of Kentucky River WMA will be named, “Prather Pond.”
In 2018, the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission passed a 12-inch size limit regulation for lakes regularly stocked with catfish by the department. The following change are proposed to the Special Catfish Regulation Lakes:
Current regulations define a lake as impounded waters from the dam upstream to the first riffle on the main stem river and tributary streams. However, three reservoirs have main tributary streams, which make the location of the first riffle impossible during higher water levels. For these lakes, we recommend the following landmarks to define the upper lake boundaries:
Cave Run Lake
Green River Lake
Rough River Lake
This research project would focus on muskellunge movement in the Kentucky River after stocking. The two objectives of the project include determining the dispersal of age-1 and age-2 muskellunge stocked into pools 11-13 of the Kentucky River; and developing muskellunge stocking recommendations for the entire Kentucky River.
This proposal would allow the sale of Asian carp harvested by bow fishing or by any other legal method. For non-commercial fishing, harvesting fish, including Asian carp, requires a sport fishing license for taking fish.
Kentucky is participating in an extensive research project to investigate the efficacy of using a bio-acoustical fish fence (BAFF) to deter Asian carp from moving through lock chambers of dams to access pools or reservoirs above the dams. Researchers will place this experimental device below Barkley Dam at the lock chamber entrance early this summer. The test will last at least three years. If successful, the system could become a permanent deterrent to the upriver migration of Asian carp. Since the acoustics and air system needs protection from potential damage from hooks and weights, fishing access will be restricted within 200 feet of the BAFF system. Fisheries has hosted meetings informing the public of the experiment and need to establish a restricted area. The department has received no negative comments about restricting this small portion of water below the lock chamber.
The Asian carp issues in western Kentucky have compelled the department to accelerate efforts to promote harvest of the invasive species in otherwise restricted waters. The Fisheries Division received requests to remove a restriction that prohibits commercial fishing for Asian carp and scaled rough fish in restricted waters on weekends and holidays from April 1 through September 30. The restriction was originally included to reduce the amount of netting during times of high recreational use by boaters and anglers. However, recreational users now have a better understanding of the importance of commercial fishing to control and reduce Asian carp numbers and have expressed support for this proposal.
Pheasant quota hunts occur on three separate wildlife management areas (WMAs): Clay WMA, Yellowbank WMA and Green River WMA. Current regulations close all hunting except archery and muzzleloader deer hunting on each WMA for the three-day pheasant quota hunts. Pheasants are released on a small subset of the acreage comprising each WMA. The closure of each area in its entirety for this three-day period restricts hunting at locations where pheasant quota hunts are not taking place. Areas of each WMA not being used for pheasant hunting could be safely opened for all other legal hunting. The department will identify each pheasant quota hunt area and allow other types of hunting outside this boundary, according to each WMA’s regulations.
Proposed Dates: Nov. 28, 2019 – Dec. 1, 2019; and Dec. 7, 2019 – Jan. 31, 2020
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sets frameworks for duck hunting within the Mississippi Flyway based on Adaptive Harvest Models each season. Under the liberal framework, states may set a 60-day season between the Saturday closest to Sept. 24 and the last Sunday in January. The Mississippi Flyway Council requested that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service change the late season duck liberal framework closure from the last Sunday in January to a fixed date of Jan. 31. The federal agency approved the framework extension.
Extensive modeling efforts showed the changes would cause no significant impacts on populations or the likelihood of moderate or restrictive seasons. In informal surveys, hunters supported the Jan. 31 closure. Moving the date from the last Sunday in January has some additional impacts:
In 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and all four Flyway Councils adopted an Adaptive Harvest Management modeling framework to inform northern pintail harvest management. These models guide bag limits for pintails on an annual basis. Northern pintails are one of the few duck species that remain under long-term averages and careful management of this population is warranted.
The northern pintail adaptive harvest management protocol considers two population models that utilize breeding survey data and harvest data. These models also take into account latitude bias of the nesting pintail population. The model output this year prescribed a regulatory choice for the 2019-2020 hunting season of a one-bird daily bag limit and 60-day season. Therefore, for the 2019-2020 season, Kentucky must reduce the daily bag limit of Northern Pintails from two birds daily to one bird daily, and reduce the possession limit from six pintails to three pintails.
Current regulations for waterfowl hunting on public land requires hunters to be more than 200 yards from an area closed to hunting. This regulation has caused confusion at wildlife management areas (WMAs) utilizing hunting units.
Ballard WMA and Sloughs WMA utilize units when assigning hunting opportunity to waterfowl hunters. Managers of these areas rotate hunting opportunity among units, creating situations where hunters are hunting in a unit next to a resting (closed) unit. The small size of some units make being 200 yards from this rested unit impossible. Refuge areas are designed to be robust to hunting pressure on the edges and no negative impact would be expected.
The addition of hunting units at Ballard and Sloughs WMA has resulted in confusion for parties hunting in these units. In past seasons, hunters were restricted to blinds and were required to hunt in close proximity based on this. With the opportunity to hunt in units, the requirement to stay in close proximity no longer exists. Duck hunters could potentially spread throughout an entire unit. If parties were to separate widely, then hunting pressure is effectively increased. This could lead to more pressure than desired on our public lands. This rule would keep parties together so that hunting pressure generated by a party is limited to a single area, but would still allow hunters to make best use of the natural habitats for concealment.
Require licensed taxidermists to dispose of the carcasses of deer, elk and other cervids in a landfill or by burial. This parallels the disposal regulation required of deer processors. The correct disposal of carcass parts is necessary because improper disposal creates a source of potential risk for the introduction of chronic wasting disease (CWD) into the state. CWD kills deer, elk and other cervids. No vaccination is available. This regulation follows the recommendation of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies technical report on Best Management Practices for Prevention, Surveillance and Management of Chronic Wasting Disease.