|
|
Member
Posts: 1406
| Take a look at the June 12 draft rules in the second link
Good Morning:
Please find attached the major documents included in the tournament rule package sent to the Natural Resources Board for their review at their August 15-16 meeting. This is known as the green sheet package.
<>
I will be posting them on the fishing tournament web site as well. At the NRB meeting on August 16, we will be presenting the rule requesting the board authorize us to conduct public hearings.
<>
If approved, those hearings will be held beginning October 11, 2006. I have drafted a tentative hearing schedule:
Wed. Oct. 11 - La Crosse
Thu. Oct. 12 - Madison
Wed. Oct. 18 - Fond du Lac
Thu. Oct. 19 - Racine
Tue. Oct. 24 - Green Bay
Wed. Oct. 25 - Rhinelander
Thu. Oct. 26 - Spooner
This schedule is subject to change, but will likely be close to this. Hearings will begin at 7:00 p.m. or so. Specific locations have yet to be determined. In addition to comments received at public hearings, there will be a written comment period in October as well.
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/fhp/fish/fishingtournaments/index.htm
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/fhp/fish/fishingtournaments/fishtournru...
Please share this information with anyone you think might be interested, and encourage people to attend hearings if possible.
PJS
P Patrick J. Schmalz
Treaty Fisheries Coordinator
| |
| | |
Member
Posts: 1406
| HOLY COW BATMAN WE HAVE PROPOSED RULE HEARINGS COMING SOON!!!
September Board Meetings by Michael Staggs
Wisconsin Administrative code NR 20.20
These rules meeting are expected to be in November and will require EVERYONES participation, some things that might concern some of you are,
Tournamnet size waters
Tournamnet participant fees
Prohibiting live release tournaments from July 1-Aug31
The NEW definition of Posession
Keep your eyes open, more to follow, This could affect you!
Good Luck
Tyee | |
| | |
Member
Posts: 1406
| This WILL affect you!
"It goes to the NRB on Sept 27th. here is what I received as a time table from Pat Schmalz:
We are in the process of scheduling those hearings and will likely not have them scheduled until after the NRB gives us the authority to conduct the hearings next week Wednesday. If the NRB approves the draft rules for hearing they can begin as early as October 30. The current tentative hearings plan includes conducting hearings beginning October 30 extending through November 15 in 7 locations across the state. The recommended locations are:
1) Spooner
2) Rhinelander
3) Fond du Lac
4) La Crosse
5) Madison
6) Sturtevant (Racine County)
7) Green Bay
Once we gain approval, an official hearing notice will be released with dates, times and locations. They will all likely begin at 7:00 p.m. and be during the week. An official public comment period will extend through the end of the public hearings as well and those comments will also need to be considered equally"
Good Luck
Tyee | |
| | |
Location: Rhinelander | The results of these hearings will have a major impact on permits issued for tournaments in Wisconsin. I'm sure the tournament directors are all very aware of the proposed changes, but the rest of the public may not be. Could you go over the general impact you feel this might have when you get the time? | |
| | |
Member
Posts: 1406
| It's time you guys wake up and smell the coffee. If the bill as proposed orig. goes through the tournament world of WI will be changing, many think this is a good thing many don't realize the impact of catch and kill tourneys in July Aug. Many don't understand the impact of the new definition of Posession (look out Musky guys or anyone who wants to photo a fish).
See this link for the lake association comments. I urge you to band together and support the good in this bill and address the bad as you see fit.
This bill is really in response to a social issue rather than protecting the resource so it is important that you make your position known to the powers at be.
http://www.wisconsinlakes.org/AdvisoryCommittees/FishingTournament....
Good Luck
Tyee | |
| | |
Member
Posts: 2393
Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | Tyee,
A lack response on our part does not indicate that we are sleeping. Many of us are waiting for the meetings to be official. I'll rally my troops then. I would hate to see the passion burn out before the actual meetings occur. You can rest assured that the walleye guys are concerned and vocal.
What happened at the NRB yesterday?
Some questions that I have include:
What will the cost be for participant permits purchased by open water tournament anglers?
The average cost for organizers will be from $415 to $850. This permit application fee seems fair and I will assume that this new cost be passed on to the fisherman. I hope that the tournaments that I do get more sponsorship 
I have no problem with the changes suggested that effect tournaments on smaller waters.
I have major issues with prohibiting live-release tournaments from July 1 -
August 31. I assure you that my testimony will be emotional on this issue.
I have no problem with the AIS plan.
I have not seen the new rule on Possession. Can you point it out to me or do we all have to wait for the meetings? Did I miss something during my reading assignment
| |
| | |
Member
Posts: 1406
| Here is the position Mr. Horton of BASS is taking!
"September 26, 2006
Mr. Gerald M. O’Brien
Chairman
Wisconsin Natural Resources Board
101 South Webster St.
Madison, WI 53703
Dear Chairman O’Brien:
On behalf or our 10,866 members in Wisconsin, I would like to thank you and the Natural Resources Board for your efforts to protect and enhance the natural resources of the state. However, we are seriously concerned with the attempts to move forward with the proposed changes to Wisconsin Administrative Code NR 20.40, as it pertains to tournament regulations.
Specifically, prohibiting live-release from July 1st through August 31st does nothing to help the resource. Even if mortality is relatively high (which it should not be with the proper education for tournament organizers and participants), at least some fish survive. With the proposed regulation, you are mandating 100% mortality. There is no biological evidence anywhere that indicates this practice would benefit the resource. A better approach would be to encourage tournament participants to make use of fish that may succumb to mortality, just as non-tournament anglers do when they elect to harvest the resource. They each have an equal right to pursue and harvest those fish. They should also have an equal right to release those fish to be caught another day. One group should not be dictated to kill their catch, while others can still release theirs.
Next, having been a former state biologist in charge of data collection and analysis from bass tournament organizations, I seriously doubt that the program costs would be $76,000 annually. Not only do the proposed tournament fees attempt to fund the program at that level each year, but they also collect additional fees to cover the cost of the pilot program ($90,000). After the cost of the pilot program is recovered, will the tournament fees go down? If not, where will the excess money go? Since this is essentially a "tax" on tournament participants, then we would argue that those funds need to be returned to the participants in the form of improved access areas, expanded parking at popular tournament sites, state-of-the-art weigh in facilities, etc.
In addition, since the tournament anglers are essentially paying twice (once with license fees/excise taxes and now with tournament fees) for routine data collection, each participant should receive an annual report giving the statistics for the previous year. Statistics on the lake/river with the most number of bass over 5 lbs, average catch per angler, average weight per fish weighed, etc. This gives the anglers some guidance on the best places to fish the following year, and it is a simple, added benefit for the money they invest in your program.
We also have a problem with the tournament organization being required to file an aquatic invasive species plan (AIS). Unless the WI DNR will require EVERY boater in WI to have similar procedures, this is an unjust regulation. Tournament officials could be required to recommend boat/trailer cleaning and disinfection, but to make it mandatory for a very small group of users and not all boaters is neither fair nor acceptable. Unless every vessel is similarly treated, this regulation will do nothing to prevent the spread, while placing one more stringent requirement on tournaments. This regulation deals with perception and not biological reality.
Finally, we ask that you seriously consider the potential negative economic impacts that these changes could have on local communities in Wisconsin. BASS/ESPN Outdoors will not hold a tournament where we are required to kill the catch. It simply goes against our principles of conservation and doing our best to leave the resource just as we found it. In addition to the summer kill requirements, these stringent regulations taken as a whole leave the perception that the Wisconsin DNR does not welcome tournaments in your state. If these regulations go into effect, you can expect to see a decline in tournament participation, especially from larger organizations, which will translate into lost revenues for local communities and the state.
In reality, tournament anglers are just fishermen who want to compare their catch, then release them to be caught another day. They are not taking anything away from the resource. Tournament anglers could legally harvest every fish they catch within the daily creel, just like the non-tournament anglers often do, but they do not because they, more so than most, want to conserve the resource.
We urge you to reconsider moving forward with the proposed changes to Wisconsin Administrative Code NR 20.40.
Sincerely,
Chris Horton
Associate Director, Conservation
BASS
P.O. Box 10000 • Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
407-566-BASS • Fax 407-566-2072
[email protected]
| |
| | |
Member
Posts: 1406
| Pat had this to say when I sent him my questions!
"Culling will need to be addressed by the legislature as current law does not permit us to write rules allowing exemptions to tournaments. We may have to address different regulations for different species. Please feel free to provide specific written comments with suggestions and/or attend public hearings."
Good Luck
Tyee
| |
| | |
Member
Posts: 1406
| Mettings are scheduled with only one change to the rule specifically regarding who pays!
I will be attending the Green Bay meeting on Nov 8th and drafting a document in support of tournament fishing, although it will be a general comment addressing ALL tournament events, including Ice fishing, Musky, Charitable events, Walleye Bass, Musky, Carp and Sheephead events and will be my perceptions only. I encourage everyone one who reads this to do the same!
Good Luck
Tyee
Edited by tyee 10/1/2006 11:09 PM
Attachments
----------------
 Public Hearing Notice - FH-22-06.pdf (18KB - 122 downloads)
FH-22-06_hearing_order_final.pdf (84KB - 125 downloads)
Fishing Tournament Fees alternatives_final.pdf (123KB - 129 downloads)
| |
| |
|