Commission Hears Fishing Proposals at Abbreviated January Meeting

DYERSBURG, Tenn. --- The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission held its first meeting of 2025 and heard a preview of the proposed changes to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Sport Fish and Commercial Fishing proclamations on Thursday (Jan. 9). The Friday (Jan. 10) session of the meeting was postponed due to the forecast of inclement weather.

Several fisheries regulations were proposed to address bass identification issues related to the introduction of Alabama Bass and their hybridization with native Tennessee bass. There were little to no proposed changes to largemouth bass regulations, but smallmouth bass, Alabama bass, and spotted bass would all fall under the same regulations for each reservoir to reduce confusion over identification of hybrids of these species.

The Fisheries Division also moved to update the scientific names of a couple of fish species in rule and proclamation due to recent changes by the American Fisheries Society.  These changes included updates for Largemouth Bass and Florida Bass. In the special definitions section, Florida bass is now recognized as a distinct species and not a sub-species of largemouth bass. This new designation of Florida bass as a separate species will require TWRA to recognize largemouth bass, Florida bass, and their hybrids as a group for state records consideration to eliminate excessive costs of DNA confirmation of these species.

In addition, there were proposed changes to several TWRA agency lakes to better manage sport fish species in the respective lakes. 

Among the few changes for the Commercial Take of Fish and Turtles, were to change the ending date for paddlefish season for Kentucky Lake to March 31. The Agency also proposed to increase the mesh size for gillnets used to harvest paddlefish from 6 to 7-inches square for reservoirs open to paddlefish harvest. There is also a proposal to move commercial license purchase dates to July 1.

The proposals for the sport fish and commercial fishing will be posted on the TWRA website, TNwildlife.org. in the Public Notice section TWRA will solicit public comment on the proposed regulation changes from Jan. 15 to Feb. 15. The Commission will vote on the proposed changes at the Feb. 20-21 meeting in Nashville.

In other business, Dr. Brad Cohen, Tennessee Tech University, provided an annual report on the mallard research project. The field study is now in its fifth year on state and federal refuges in West Tennessee. He discussed the best habitats for mallards.

The influences on ducks in West Tennessee include food abundance, quality, and availability, environmental factor, and hunting pressures. The survey shows that less than 50 percent of hunted fields have corn at the end of February.

Dave Kostersky, from Ducks Unlimited Canada, introduced Howie Singer as the new state partners coordinator. He provided updates on the Fall Flights Program, the wetlands projects on the duck breeding grounds in prairie Canada, and the continued partnership with the TWRA.

The rule hearing for Rules Governing the Commercial Use of Wildlife and Rules and Regulations for Fish Farming, Catch-Out Operations and Bait Dealers, and the rule hearing for Rules Governing Equipment Required on Vessels and Navigation which were originally scheduled for Friday, Jan. 10 have been postponed to Jan. 24 at a meeting at the TWRA Region I office in Nashville. The public comment period for both rules will remain open through Jan. 17.  

---TWRA---