On October 11, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed AB 1052, an amendment to the Fish and Game Code concerning the Bay-Delta Sport Fishing Enhancement Stamp. This legislation repealed the requirement for anglers to have the stamp on a license or as a validation, and the collection of related fees, beginning in 2010.

The Bay-Delta Sport Fishing Enhancement Stamp Program was established in 2004 to benefit Bay-Delta sport fisheries. The law currently in effect requires anglers to obtain a Bay-Delta Sport Fishing Enhancement Stamp before sport fishing in the tidal waters of the San Francisco Bay Delta and the mainstem of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, including major tributaries, below the most downstream dam. The stamp requirement is still in effect for the remainder of 2009.

The cost of the stamp changes annually (it cost $6.30 this year) and fees received by the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) are deposited into a separate account within the Fish and Game Preservation Fund. The funds currently in the account will still be spent on appropriate projects in the Bay Delta.

“Winter angling pressure has been consistently higher than open-water fishing pressure, making the adjustment back to the 17- to 26-inch protected slot limit for the winter season a necessity,” said Gary Barnard, Bemidji area fisheries supervisor for the DNR. “Anglers still will have good success because walleye abundance remains high and there are good numbers of fish smaller than 17 inches.”

The change from the open water 20- to 26-inch protected slot limit to the winter 17- to 26-inch protected slot limit that begins Tuesday, Dec. 1, will continue through Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010.

The estimated open-water walleye harvest from state waters of Upper Red Lake for 2009 was 147,000 pounds. That harvest level is 21,000 pounds below the threshold that would trigger a more conservative three-fish limit.

Regulations for the 2010 open water fishing season will be determined later this winter and announced in advance of the walleye opener on Saturday, May 15, 2010.

The two meetings, to be held next week in San Diego and Newport Beach, will allow the public an opportunity to provide comment on potential regulation changes related to the to the physical dimensions of hoop nets and how many hoop nets may be used at a given time. The changes are under consideration by the Fish and Game Commission.

The first meeting will be held Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Outboard Boating Club at the Shelter Island Boat Ramp facility, 2210 Shelter Island Drive in San Diego. This is an outdoor venue. Parking is available at the boat ramp facility and along Shelter Island Drive.

The second meeting will be held Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6:30 p.m. at the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve, 600 Shellmaker Road in Newport Beach. Parking is available on the premises and adjoining streets, and participants are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs.

Participants are encouraged to bring their hoop nets to both events.

The specific changes under consideration can be found online at www.fgc.ca.gov/regulations/new/2009/29_80isor.pdf.

Sentences Imposed:

David Dreifort was sentenced today to imprisonment for a period of thirty months, followed by three years of supervised release. As a special condition of his sentence, Dreifort is prohibited from engaging in any fishing activities for a period of five years, in the Southern District of Florida, and waters contiguous thereto.

Denise Dreifort was sentenced today to imprisonment for a period of seven months, followed by three years of supervised release. As a special condition of her sentence, Denise Dreifort must also serve a term of home confinement of seven months, with electronic monitoring and is prohibited from engaging in any fishing activities for a period of five years, in the Southern District of Florida, and waters contiguous thereto.

In addition to the other terms of their sentences, the Dreiforts were further ordered to forfeit all their right, title, and interest in three vehicles and three vessels identified in the forfeiture count of the Indictment, which were used in the commission of the offenses charged.

On June 11, 2009, Robert Hammer was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of two months, a term of home confinement for six months, with electronic monitoring, followed by a period of supervised release of two years. The Court also prohibited Hammer from any fishing activities, commercial or pleasure, within the Southern District of Florida and adjacent waters for the duration of his supervised release. In a related matter before U.S. District Court Judge James L. King, Hammer was also convicted and then sentenced on April 30, 2009, in connection with the sale of fish which had been illegally received and acquired, knowing said fish was taken, possessed, transported, and sold, in violation of Title 16, United States Code, Sections 3372(a)(1) and 3373(d)(1)(B). For his role in that case, Hammer was sentenced to serve a term of supervised release of six months to run concurrently with his sentence imposed today. The Court further ordered Hammer to pay $20,000 to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a Congressionally-chartered organization authorized by law to receive payments arising as a result of criminal convictions.

On June 10, 2009, Sean Reyngoudt, was sentenced to a term of home confinement for four months with electronic monitoring, a period of probation of four years, and 300 hours of community service. The Court also prohibited Reyngoudt from any fishing activities, commercial or pleasure, within the Southern District of Florida and adjacent waters for four years.

On June 2, 2009, Michael Delph was sentenced to a ten month term of imprisonment, a term of home confinement of six months with electronic monitoring, 100 hours of community service, and a period of supervised release of two years.

John Niles, the first to enter a guilty plea in this matter, cooperated in the case, and testified against his co-defendant Delph. In recognition of his acceptance of responsibility, minor role, and assistance in the case, Niles was sentenced on April 2, 2009, to a term of probation of one year.

Restrictions to Preserve the FKNMS:

The FKNMS is a 2,900 square nautical mile area that surrounds the entire archipelago of the Florida Keys and includes the productive waters of Florida Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean. It encompasses coastal and oceanic waters, and the submerged lands thereunder, surrounding the Florida Keys, and extending westward to include the Tortugas islands, but excluding Dry Tortugas National Park. The FKNMS supports rich biological communities with extensive conservation, recreational, commercial, ecological, historical, research, educational, and aesthetic values of national significance.

Marine Sanctuary regulations prohibit any alterations of, or construction on the seabed of the FKNMS, as part of the effort to preserve the marine environment. In addition, the Florida Administrative Code, Chapter 68B, which apply to the FKNMS, prohibits anyone from harvesting any spiny lobster from artificial habitat. Artificial habitat is defined as “any material placed in the waters of the state that is reasonably suited to providing cover and habitat for spiny lobster… ” Other parts of Chapter 68B prohibit any person from commercially harvesting, attempting to harvest, or having in their possession, regardless of where taken, any spiny lobster during the closed season. The commercial season runs from August 6th through March 31st of the following year. An exception exists for the annual lobster sport mini-season. Those holding appropriate licenses and endorsements to commercially dive for lobster are limited to 250 lobster per day.

The Defendants’ Actions:

According to evidence presented through pleadings, trial, and other in-court statements, the six defendants were directly involved in the harvest of 922 whole lobster, as part of a conspiracy that illegally took 1,197 lobster on the opening day of Florida’s commercial lobster season in August 2008, and stockpiled approximately 1,700 pounds of wrung lobster tail harvested during the closed season, which was intended for sale after opening day.

NOAA and FWS Special Agents became aware of a group constructing artificial lobster habitat, often referred to informally as “casitas” or “condos” in the lower Keys. According to testimony at trial, agents tracked a boat on July 28, 2008, owned by David Dreifort, as it traveled entirely within the waters of the Sanctuary, harvesting spiny lobsters out of season. Subsequently the lobsters were placed in a freezer at a lower Keys residence, which held about 650 pounds of previously harvested, frozen tails. The pattern of stock piling and freezing lobsters taken ahead of the legal season led agents to dub the case “Operation Freezer Burn.” Officers returned to the GPS logged sites within the FKNMS and found each site held artificial habitats. The divers also found freshly wrung spiny lobster heads.

On opening day of the annual commercial lobster season, August 6, 2008, a multi-agency team executed a search warrant at the Dreifort residence, and executed five seizure warrants, taking custody of boats, vehicles, and a trailer used in the criminal violations. Over 1,700 pounds of frozen lobster tails, representing more than 1,000 times the legal bag limit for a mini-season sport dive were seized by agents. The defendants, with the exception of Reyngoudt, were intercepted as they returned from a morning harvesting trip in the FKNMS, during which more than 922 lobsters were illegally harvested. Part of the harvest effort was recorded by a surveillance aircraft, and shown to the jury during the Delph trial. The jury also heard a statement recorded by agents on August 6th, during which Delph admitted to diving on illegal habitat and harvesting an excessive number of lobsters that day. He further admitted that he had contacted David Dreifort before the season to offer his services as a lobster diver, in anticipation of being paid for his involvement, and confessed to having been involved in the same activity on multiple occasions during the prior year’s open season.

Defendant Hammer’s Related Action:

Hammer formerly held a special use permit to operate a commercial enterprise at Dry Tortugas National Park. The permit authorized him to bring passengers for hire to the Park [at Fort Jefferson] and engage in various activities, including recreational angling. The permit, and National Park Service (NPS) regulations, prohibit commercial fishing activities, which bars the sale of any fish harvested from Park waters.

According to information presented in Court, FWS agents, assisting NPS Rangers, conducted surveillance of Hammer’s operations and determined that he was commercially selling fin fish to brokers and retail fish dealers in the Miami area. Witness statements and observation of his activities established that between $10,0000 and $30,000 in fair market value fish were taken from the federally protected areas and sold commercially.

The $20,000 that Hammer was ordered to pay to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will be used by the organization to acquire and distribute commercially available side-scan sonar and Global Positioning System Tracker equipment to assist in the location, identification, and abatement of resource violations within the National Sanctuaries, Refuges, and Parks of the Florida Keys and adjacent waters, and to assist in the identification and apprehension of violators of the marine resource and wildlife protection laws.

Parallel Civil Proceeding:

In a parallel civil proceeding, the federal government brought suit against the Dreiforts under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, seeking compensation for costs and damages incurred as a result of natural resource injuries caused by the Dreiforts’ artificial habitats within the Sanctuary. On June 17, 2009, a civil consent decree was approved and entered in the case on behalf of NOAA, to settle the federal government’s civil claims against the Dreiforts. Under the terms of the consent decree, the Dreiforts must sell two properties in the Florida Keys, including their residence at Cudjoe Key, which was the staging ground for the criminal conduct, to reimburse the agency’s costs and pay damages in the case. The Dreiforts will pay NOAA the proceeds from the sales, up to a maximum of $1.1 million. The funds will be used by NOAA to remove approximately 700 casitas that were illegally placed in the FKNMS.

Acknowledgment:

Mr. Sloman commended the coordinated investigative efforts of the NOAA Office for Enforcement, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the personnel of the National Marine Fisheries Service Restoration Center and the Damage Assessment & Resource Protection Office of the National Marine Sanctuary Program which brought the matter to a successful conclusion. The criminal case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-FitzGerald, in coordination with Steven Keller of the Environmental Enforcement Section of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, DC, which prosecuted the civil claims.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

Technical comments about this website can be e-mailed to the Webmaster. PLEASE NOTE: The United States Attorney’s Office does not respond to non-technical inquiries made to this website. If you wish to make a request for information, you may contact our office at 305-961-9001, or you may send a written inquiry to the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida, 99 NE 4th Street, Miami, Fl. 33132.

Commercial fishing for black abalone was banned in 1993. According to Fish and Game Code Section 5521.5(b), possession of 12 or more abalone is suitable evidence that the individual in possession intends to use the abalone for commercial purposes. Additionally, on February 13 of this year, black abalone were formally granted endangered status by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Fisheries Service.

Despite the federally endangered status of the abalone, said Lt. Don Kelly of DFG’s Law Enforcement Division, wardens are seeing poaching operations on a much greater scale than in the past. “Poachers are taking in excess of 90 or 100 abalone at times,” Kelly said. “Amazingly, many of these poachers have previous convictions. These criminals are knowingly breaking the law.”

Monterey County abalone have long been declining in number due to a bacterial condition called wasting disease, as well as a historical precedent of overfishing in the area. But today, poaching is the greatest threat to the black abalone population. The animals typically sell for $50 to $100 each on the black market.

In addition to the abalone taken and killed for sale, others are mortally injured by knives and screwdrivers in failed attempts to pry them off the rocks. Whenever possible, wardens return confiscated abalone to the waters where they were taken, but often, the injuries prove to be fatal.

In addition to the illegal operation discovered on May 13, other notably large cases include:

• November 2008: Hoa Van Pham, 45, of Moss Landing, and Ty Van Lieu, 54, of Marina were found in possession of 66 black abalone that had been taken from a cove in southern Monterey County. Lieu had previously been found guilty of poaching abalone for commercial purposes in 2002 and 2005, and was arrested for another abalone violation in 1996. Pham had three prior poaching convictions, two in 2000 and one in 1998, specifically related to taking of marine life from a marine protected area. Both subjects pled guilty to the charges. Pham was sentenced to 30 days in jail, three years probation and a $25,000 fine, while Lieu was sentenced to 90 days in jail, three years probation, a $25,000 fine and a lifetime commercial fishing license revocation.
• February 18, 2008: Haeng Ju Shin, 42, of Cupertino, was found by a California State Park Ranger to be in possession of 18 abalone, 69 mussels, four limpets, three turban snails, one sea urchin and one kelp snail. She was arrested on charges of unlawfully taking abalone and marine invertebrates from a marine conservation area. Shin admitted using a knife to take the marine animals. She was fined $15,000, $7,500 of which was suspended.
• January 2008: Tony V. Le, 20, of Castroville and Jonathan Conner, 22, of Salinas, pled guilty to charges of possessing 119 black abalone and three red abalone. During the investigation Conner told authorities he could make $3,000 in two months by poaching. Le was sentenced to five days in jail and three years probation and was fined $15,000. Conner was placed on probation for four years, fined $15,000 and ordered to stay away from Soberantes Point where the crime was committed.
• May 2007: San Mateo residents Robert Ji, 29, Jennifer Ji, 19, Jong Duk Yoo, 55, Jong Bae Yoo, 67, and Jong Nan Yoo, 50, were arrested for poaching 95 black abalone from a cove in Monterey County. Robert Ji, Jong Duk Yoo, Jong Bae Yoo and Jong Nan Yoo each plead guilty to poaching charges and were placed on three years probation and fined $15,000 each. Charges against Jennifer Ji were dropped.

Kelly said that the continuing arrest and prosecution of poachers is key to preventing the extinction of these endangered animals. “It’s the highest priority of our wardens in this area,” he said. “If this problem is left unchecked, Monterey’s black abalone resource will disappear forever.”

Citizens who witness the poaching of abalone or any related offenses are asked to call the DFG 24-hour CalTIP line at (888) 334-2258.

“These changes were necessary to increase protection for Sacramento River fall run Chinook populations, which have drastically decreased in the last few years,” said DFG Fisheries Branch Chief Neil Manji. “The Sacramento River fall run Chinook are projected to just meet minimum escapement levels for 2009. We need this new measure to ensure that the stock will continue to recover.”

The new rule was adopted by the Fish and Game Commission on April 21 and went into effect on May 26. The previous regulation, which specified a zero-salmon bag limit in Central Valley rivers and tributaries, was replaced with language that states these areas are “closed to salmon fishing” and “no take or possession of salmon” is allowable. This eliminates catch and release fishing that targets salmon throughout most of the year.

The regulations make an exception for a limited late-fall run recreational fishery. For the second year, fishing on the Sacramento River will be allowed from November 16 to December 31, but only from Knights Landing to the Red Bluff Diversion Dam. The daily bag and possession limit will be one salmon during this period.

The remaining rivers and tributaries of the Central Valley Basin, which include the Feather, American and San Joaquin rivers along with all of their tributaries, will remain closed to salmon fishing year-round.

Fish and Game Code Section 1.80 defines “take” as “hunt, pursue, catch, capture or kill fish, amphibians, reptiles, mollusks, crustaceans or invertebrates or attempting to do so.” For more information regarding inland sport fishing regulations and the 2009 California salmon fishery, please visit DFG’s Web site at www.dfg.ca.gov.

The primary purpose of these changes, which were proposed by the Department of Natural Resources, are to protect paddlefish and prevent their overharvest. Paddlefish are long-lived, slow-maturing smooth-skinned fish with a long paddle-like snout that can reach sizes in excess of 100 pounds. They are highly mobile but their largest populations are in the Ohio River, which is the only Indiana location where commercial harvest is permitted. In recent years, commercial demand for paddlefish has escalated because of the value of their eggs for the worldwide caviar market.

The proposed changes were preliminarily adopted by the NRC and are listed at http://www.IN.gov/dnr/fishwild/2362.htm, immediately after the list of proposed deer-hunting changes, listed on “Paddlefish Rule Package.”

E-mail public comments to the NRC at: nrcrules [at] nrc [dot] IN [dot] gov, including name and city and state of residence. Comments also can be mailed to: Natural Resources Commission, Indiana Government Center North, 100 North Senate Ave., Room N501, Indianapolis, IN 46204-2200.

All comments must be submitted to the NRC no later than Monday, June 1. All comments sent to the NRC regarding these rule changes will be provided to NRC members and DNR staff, and will be publicly disclosed and searchable on the Internet and in a paper docket as part of the final report.

A copy of this public hearing report will be at www.IN.gov/nrc before final consideration by the NRC. The NRC will likely consider these rule changes for final adoption at its meeting in July. If approved by the attorney general and governor, the changes will become effective later in 2009. Individuals who need reasonable modifications for effective participation in public meetings should call the DNR ADA coordinator at (317) 232-4200 (voice and TDD).

For more information, please contact Tom Stefanavage, the DNR’s Big Rivers Biologist, at (812)789-2724 or by e-mail at: tstefanavage [at] dnr [dot] IN [dot] gov.

Trout fishing in this section reportedly can be excellent during this time of year. Catches of 20-30 trout are common, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division will continue to stock this section of the Chattahoochee River with trout through the end of the month.

The Morgan Falls Dam area is outside the delayed harvest section, from Sope Creek to Hwy. 41, so anglers can harvest trout year-round. Natural bait and artificial lures with more than a single hook are allowed. Anglers can cast for trout, shoal bass, largemouth bass, striped bass, yellow perch, sunfish and catfish here.

Visit www.gofishgeorgia.com , “Fishing,” “Fishing Opportunities,” “River Fishing Information” for the 2009 prospects for fishing the Chattahoochee River from Morgan Falls Dam to Peachtree Creek.

For information regarding river conditions below Morgan Falls Dam, contact Georgia Power at (404) 329-1455.

“We are using every resource we have available to keep up with sturgeon and salmon poaching,” said Nancy Foley, Chief of DFG’s Law Enforcement Division. “This is a huge case we will continue to make every effort to stop poaching.”

Friday morning, wardens served search and arrest warrants on:

Ivan Banatskyi, Citrus Heights; Sergey Sokalskiy, Citrus Heights; Andrey Bukaty, Sacramento; Petr Ivanovich Kolosov, Rancho Cordova; Yevgeniy Leontyuk, Rancho Cordova; Alexandr Paripa, Sacramento; and Serhiy V. Omelchuck, Sacramento.

The Sacramento River Fall Run Chinook Salmon population is in such a dire situation that all fishing for them was closed in 2008. Currently, a second year of closures is recommended for 2009 inflicting an estimated annual loss of $200 million to the economy. In recent years, wardens have noticed an increasing number of sturgeon poachers who use juvenile salmon as sturgeon bait and start each sturgeon fishing trip by catching as many of these juvenile salmon as possible.

Sturgeon eggs are especially valuable on the black market for caviar. Poachers target large breeding females loaded with eggs for profit. It creates a situation where poachers are removing the individuals that represent the future of both species, when the population of both species are depressed.

Pending charges range from felony conspiracy to commercially selling recreationally caught fish, illegal use of salmon as a bait fish, unlawful possession of illegally caught fish, overlimit of sturgeon and salmon, and several other poaching related offenses, to several cases of littering in state waters.

Because of the intense pressure from poachers on the sturgeon population, a law was passed in 2007 giving courts authority to issue a fine between $5,000 and $10,000, a year in county jail or both for catching and selling wild sturgeon. Other facets of this law allow the seizure and forfeiture of boats and vehicles used in the commission of the offense.

Successful investigations are often the direct result of lawful anglers giving local wardens or the CalTIP program information about poaching incidents. Contact the 1-888-DFG-CalTIP number to report poachers and polluters. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.

Substantive rule change suggestions can be made through a Web-based interactive form by going to IN.gov/nrc/ and clicking on the “Submit a Suggestion” link. The introduction of the online suggestion form marks the beginning of the third stage of a four-stage process recommended last year by a steering committee composed of Natural Resources Commission chairman Bryan Poynter; DNR deputy director John Davis; Col. Mike Crider, head of the DNR Division of Law Enforcement; Sandra Jensen, NRC administrative law judge; Patrick Early, chair of the DNR Advisory Council; and John Goss, executive director of the Indiana Wildlife Federation.

The suggestion form will be available until April 1. An advisory group will review the suggestions and conduct public hearings to determine the merit of suggestions received. The advisory group will report its findings and recommendations to the NRC in late 2009. Actual proposal of substantive rule amendments are not expected to be presented to the NRC until early 2010.

The first stage of the project was to readopt all Fish and Wildlife Rules (312 IAC 9) without change to ensure the rules did not expire while the remainder of the project is in progress. The readopted rules became effective on Dec. 24, 2008.

The Stage 2 goal is to provide clarity and consistency of interpretation and to improve enforceability with only minor amendments to the rules in three segments. The NRC granted preliminary adoption Tuesday to the first segment of amendments on deer hunting and hunter education rules. Additional segments will address rules associated with wild animals (except deer), mammals and game birds (March 2009), and rules associated with reptiles, amphibians, fish, invertebrates, commercial licenses and permits (May 2009). It is hoped Stage 2 will be completed and approved by October or November.

“Our intent is to take what we have and organize it, update it, and develop a more user-friendly product that encourages people to hunt and fish rather than discourage them because they don’t understand the rules,” Poynter said. “We want to unravel any language barriers by employing public input to help point us in that direction.”

The fourth stage provides an option to work with the state legislature to enact necessary amendments to existing statutes.

The content of the interim rule is based, to the extent practicable, on measures recommended to NOAA by the council. NOAA expand the recommendations to ensure protection for the stocks most in need, such as yellowtail flounder and winter flounder in southern New England, and northern windowpane flounder. The measures of the interim rule will be in place until the council completes and NOAA implements new measures for Northeast groundfish fishery management, tentatively expected by May 1, 2010.

Measures proposed for the commercial groundfish fishery include expansion of the area of the Gulf of Maine where each day fished is counted as two days, and a prohibition on keeping ocean pout, northern windowpane and southern New England winter flounder. Groundfish vessels using gillnet and trawl gear would also be restricted from fishing in an area of southern New England waters to further protect depleted winter flounder. The reduction in days-at-sea already scheduled to go into place May 1, 2009, would also be retained.

For the recreational groundfish fishery, proposed measures include a party/charter boat trip limit of 10 cod per angler, prohibition on retention of southern New England winter flounder, and extension of the current Gulf of Maine cod closure by two weeks for both private recreational and party/charter vessels.

Several measures are being proposed under the interim action to take advantage of healthier stocks and provide vessels with more business options. The existing program that allows commercial fishermen to fish for haddock in waters on the eastern portion of Georges Bank would be continued. The limit on the amount of white hake that can be retained per day would be increased. The minimum legal size for haddock would be decreased. Some measures would be revised to provide more flexibility in transferring or leasing most limited access permits.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit http://www.noaa.gov.

Sturgeon spearing on Black Lake, located in Cheboygan and Presque Isle counties, will be limited to successful lottery participants selected by random drawing.

The Black Lake sturgeon spearing season opens Feb. 7 and runs through Feb. 15, or until the maximum harvest of five fish has been reached. Twenty-five tags will be issued on a daily basis to successful applicants until the maximum harvest level is reached or the season is completed.

Interested anglers are advised to register for the spearing lottery during the Jan. 12-16 application period. To register for the lottery drawing, anglers should call 989-732-3541 or apply in person at the DNR Gaylord Operations Service Center between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the application period. All applicants 17 years and older must hold a valid Michigan fishing license. Those under 17 years old may still register for the season. Those applying for the drawing should have proper identification on hand during the application process. This may include a valid driver’s license, a Michigan ID card, a DNR Sportscard or a Michigan fishing license.

A 7 p.m. drawing on Jan. 17 will be held at the Chateau North located at 10621 Twin Lakes Rd. in Cheboygan. A total of 225 anglers, or 25 a day, will be selected to fish Feb. 7-15. Successful applicants will be notified of their date to fish by: mail in advance of the season, an update on the DNR Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnr under the Fishing section, or by calling the Gaylord DNR Operations Service Center at 989-732-3541. The phone line will be updated each night after 7 o’clock and will list the successful anglers for the following day, as well as an update of harvest results or if the season has closed.

Successful anglers in the lottery drawing may fish between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. the day they are eligible to fish. A 36-inch minimum size limit applies. Anglers will receive a tag and marking flags issued in their name for their day of fishing. These materials may be picked up at the Onaway DNR field office beginning at 7 a.m. each day. The Onaway field office is located four and one-quarter miles north of Onaway on M-211 Highway. These materials must be returned to the same location by 6 p.m. each day. Anglers wishing to call the Onaway office during the spearing season can call 989-733-8775.

Fishing tags are not transferable and anglers must present proper identification when picking up materials. Unclaimed fishing tags will be made available to anglers present at the registration station by means of a secondary drawing to begin each fishing day at 10 a.m.

For more information, contact the DNR Fisheries Division’s Gaylord office at 989-732-3541.

Currently, ice shanties are required to be removed from all UP waters by midnight on March 31 of each year. The proposal would change that date to March 15 in the boundary waters only, which would align the date with Wisconsin boundary water rules.

“This proposal will improve angler safety due to late season unsafe ice conditions, simplify regulations for anglers using these waters, and will make law enforcement efforts more simple and effective,” said Michael Herman, DNR Northern Lake Michigan Management Unit supervisor in Gladstone. “I encourage anglers to provide input on this proposed change as we move it through the public review process.”

To provide comment on the proposal, please call, e-mail or send comments to Michael Herman, DNR supervisor for the Northern Lake Michigan Management Unit, 6833 US Highway 2, Gladstone, MI 49837-2552. Comments may be sent by e-mail to hermanm [at] michigan [dot] gov, or by phone to 906-786-2351, extension 127.

Anglers will have a daily limit of two adipose-fin-clipped hatchery steelhead, which must measure at least 20 inches in length. Steelhead with an intact adipose fin, and those bearing an anchor floy tag, must be immediately released unharmed without being removed from the water.

Approved by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Services (NOAA Fisheries), the fishery targets the abundant return of hatchery fish that exceeds the number needed to meet spawning goals.

“Removing hatchery-origin steelhead and allowing a proportionally greater number of wild steelhead onto the spawning grounds will help further fish recovery efforts aimed at protecting and recovering wild steelhead populations,” said Jeff Korth, WDFW regional fish program manager. “Besides offering a great fall fishing opportunity, this fishery also will provide an economic boost to communities along the Columbia River.”

Steelhead fisheries are carefully managed to assure that natural-origin steelhead returning to the upper Columbia River Basin survive to spawn. WDFW closely monitors the fisheries, enforcing fishing rules to ensure protection of wild steelhead, Korth said. Although the fishery is scheduled to remain open through March 31, 2009, it could close earlier if the allowable incidental impact to wild steelhead is reached.

Korth reminded anglers that night closure and selective gear rules apply. While anglers are required to use single, barbless hooks and knotless nets, motorized vessels and bait are allowed. To further protect the population, anglers are strongly encouraged to keep the first two hatchery steelhead they catch, said Korth.

“During previous fisheries, most anglers have done a good job of following the selective fishing rules,” Korth said.

Additional regulations for the fisheries are available on WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm .

• Nets may be set after sunrise on the opening day and must be removed before sunset on the closing day.
• Minimum gill net mesh size shall be no less than 3 ½ inch net stretch measure. (Net stretch measure means the interior distance between opposite knots or corners of a single mesh of net, taken between the thumb and forefinger and applying enough pressure laterally to allow the opposite sides of the mesh to touch.)
• A Whitefish netting license is required.
• A person may use only one gill net, not exceeding 100 feet in length and 3 feet in width.
• One end of the gill net must have a pole, stake, or buoy projecting at least two feet above the surface of the water or ice.
• Gill net must have an identification tag attached near the first float of the end with the pole, stake, or buoy.
• Identification tag must be a minimum of 2-1/2 inches by 5/8 inch, permanently bearing the name and address of the owner.
• Gill nets may not be set after sunset or raised before sunrise.
• Gill net must be set and lifted by the licensee only and must be tended at least once every 24 hours.
• A gill net or any part of a gill net may not be set in any water deeper than six feet, measured from the lake bottom to the top surface of the water or ice.
• A gill net may not be set within 50 feet of another gill net.

The 2008 Whitefish and Ciscoes Sport Gill Netting Regulations can be found on the DNR Web site at http://www.mndnr.gov.