Commission passes wild baitfish regulations

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission approved regulations regarding the taking and transfer of wildcaught baitfish from certain waters Thursday at its monthly meeting at College of the Ouachitas in Malvern.

One regulation, which was opposed by the state’s commercial striped bass fishing industry, prohibits the use of wild-caught baitfish unless the baitfish was caught within the same water body being fished or from a tributary entering upstream of the waterbody being fished. No baitfish may be moved upstream past a dam or barrier that prohibits the normal passage of fish.

The second regulation restricts taking or attempting to take baitfish for commercial purposes in the Caddo River and from the Little Missouri River and its tributaries above Ozan Creek in Pike County; from all waters north of U.S. 70 in Howard County; and in all waters in Benton, Carroll, Clark, Crawford, Franklin, Lawrence, Madison, Montgomery, Newton, Polk, Sebastian, Sevier and Washington counties.

Gizzard shad and threadfin shad are exempt from this regulation.

The commission also voted to delay enactment of the regulations from Jan. 1, 2018, to Oct. 1, 2018, to give commercial baitfish dealers time to obtain threadfin and gizzard shad to sell.

Steven Beaupre, a non-voting member of the commission, said while it might be justifiable to delay implementing the regulation, time is also of the essence.

“There is no stopping these critters once they get in a watershed,” Beaupre said. “The scientific evidence is that they interfere with planktivorous fish that feed sport fish. The invasion of these carp into floodplain lakes undermines the food base for sportfish in the system, and we’re looking at the potential collapse of the sport fishery. There is a good reason for the delay, but the longer we wait to take action, the worse the problem will be.”

In other business, the commission clarified the terms of the Wildlife Management Area General Use Permit required to hunt and trap on commission-owned wildlife management areas. The amendment exempts hunters and anglers from having to acquire the permit to hunt, fish and trap on private inholdings within wildlife management areas. The permit also requires its holders to agree to comply with Game and Fish Commission regulations.

“The invasion of these carp into floodplain lakes undermines the food base for sportfish in the system, and we’re looking at the potential collapse of the sport fishery . ... The longer we wait to take action, the worse the problem will be.”

Steven Beaupre of the AGFC on the implementation of wild baitfish regulations