Amid growing concern over one of the state's most unique fisheries

resources, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation is moving to

permanently adopt, emergency rules implemented earlier this year by the

Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission.

"The last few years anglers have become very successful at harvesting

paddlefish in their pre-spawning staging areas," said Kim Erickson, chief

of fisheries for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "These

rules will help to maintain the health of paddlefish populations and

ensure long term recreational opportunity."

Paddlefish are large, prehistoric fish found in Oklahoma mainly in the

Grand and Neosho river systems. Paddlefish gather microscopic animals from

the water by swimming slowly with their mouths open.

Several regulations were amended to ensure that paddlefish will be

abundant for many generations to come. The daily bag limit on paddlefish

taken during the spawning season was reduced from three fish to one per

day. Catch and release fishing will be allowed year round until an angler

keeps a fish, at which point the angler must stop snagging. The new rules

define a hook used in snagging as one single hook or one treble hook and

require all hooks to be barbless. Anglers will be required to tag (with

name, address and fishing license number) all paddlefish and paddlefish

parts until reaching their residence.

The new rules also allow non-residents to take four daily limits home and

changes legal snagging hours below the dam at Ft. Gibson from "sunset to

sunrise" to 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. The new rules also more clearly define the

term, “in the field,” specifically, in the field means while fishing,

while in the boat, on the bank, in the immediate vicinity of any river,

creek, stream, lake or pond, or while transporting or carrying the fish

from the waters described above to camp or from such water to the final

destination. All of the changes took effect Jan. 1, 2003

Earlier this year, the Department held informal town hall meetings in

Pryor and Miami to solicit angler input concerning the emergency rules. In

addition, a pair of public meetings will be hosted by Wildlife Department

personnel in northeast Oklahoma to discuss the rules and the status of

paddlefish populations. The meetings will be held Jan. 13 at the Miami

Civic Center banquet room (129 5th St.) and Jan. 14 at the Tulsa

Technology Center Alliance building auditorium (801 East 91st St.). Both

meetings begin at 7p.m. For more details call (405) 521-3721.