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New Freshwater Fishing Regulations Take Effect This Fall
April 15th: DEC announced new freshwater fishing regulations that will be effective October 1, 2010. Some highlights of the changes: new brook trout limits in certain areas; new river herring limits (alewife and blueback herring) on the Delaware River and the West Branch Delaware River; new regulations for walleye on Burden Lake and Dunham Reservoir in Rensselaer County and Muskellunge Lake in Jefferson County; fishing seasonally prohibited on a section of the Oswegatchie River below the dam in Ogdensburg in St. Lawrence County to protect spawning walleye; fishing for, or possessing, river herring (alewife and blueback herring) on the Mohawk River in Saratoga County; also changes for Nassau and Suffolk County areas in Long Island and several counties in the Adirondacks. Full information on all changes is available at http://www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/34113.html . Always check the regulations for the specific water where you plan to fish for any changes. Commercial and Recreational Fishing for American Shad
March 17, 2010: DEC enacted new regulations that ban commercial and recreational fishing for American Shad in the Hudson River and the Marine and Coastal District of New York, effective today. The regulations also prohibit the sale, or offering for sale, of any American shad caught in New York State. New restrictions were imposed as well for American shad in the Delaware River by reducing the daily creel limit from six fish a day to three and prohibiting commercial shad fishing in the river. DEC states that the Hudson River shad stock has declined dramatically for more than a decade, and restrictions enacted in 2008 did not trigger a rebound. As a result, closing the fishery for now is the best way to try to prevent this historically important species from permanently vanishing from the Hudson River ecosystem. Regulations governing the shad fishing changes are published in the New York State Register at http://www.dos.state.ny.us/info/register/2010.html. Click on "March 17", then on "Rule Making Activities", and scroll down to page 4. Volunteers Sought to Observe River Herring March 8, 2010: Volunteers are needed to help log the timing of river herring spawning runs in Hudson River tributaries, and to record what streams the fish currently use. Monitoring will take place April 1st through May 31st. Information on volunteering, training and whom to contact is available at www.dec.ny.gov/animals/41545.html. Also, public information meetings will provide updates on New York’s populations of river herring and provide info on a coast-wide management plan for them. Results of these meetings will be used to develop a river herring management plan for New York State. Visit the DEC website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/40998.html for meeting information.
2009 Deer Harvest; Junior Big Game Hunters March 5, 2010: DEC’s annual deer hunting report states that hunters harvested approximately 222,800 deer in the 2009 season, about the same number as harvested statewide in 2008. The report also showed that nearly 16,000 14- and 15-year-olds signed up for the “Junior Big-Game License”. The 2009 deer take included more than 120,700 antlerless deer (adult females and fawns), 3% higher than in 2008. The buck take dropped in 2009 to just over 102,000 adult bucks, down 3.5% from 2008. Totals for bow and muzzleloader seasons were on par with the past few years. Differences were most noticeable in the Northern Zone, where the antlerless take was down by almost 8% and the buck take dropped 21% from 2008, returning to levels seen in 2005 and 2006. Southern Zone deer harvests were comparable to 2008, with overall buck take essentially unchanged and antlerless take only increasing about 4%. The 2009 deer harvest, broken down by county, town, and Wildlife Management Unit, with comparisons to previous years' deer harvests, is available at http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/42232.html on the DEC website.
2009 Bear Harvest Totals 2nd Highest in History March 1, 2010: Bear harvest numbers in 2009 were the second-highest ever recorded in New York State, exceeded only by 2003’s record total. Statewide, hunters took 1,487 black bears in 2009, a 15% increase over 2008. In 2003, 1,864 bears were harvested statewide. The Adirondack region saw 814 bears taken in 2009, a 40% increase over 2008. 494 bears were taken in the Southeastern bear area and 179 in the Central-Western bear area. Bowhunters are especially important in these areas, accounting for more than one-third of the bear take in the Southeastern area and almost 50% in the Central-Western bear hunting area. The 2009 bear harvests by county, town, and Wildlife Management Unit, with comparisons to previous years' bear harvests, are available at http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/42232.html . Historical bear harvest data is available at http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/42238.html .
Three “State of Lake Ontario” Meetings Scheduled February 23, 2010: Public meetings will be held to discuss the state of Lake Ontario and provide an opportunity for the public to talk with the scientists who study Lake Ontario fisheries. Biologists from DEC and the U.S. Geological Survey will provide updates on trout and salmon fisheries, forage fish populations, lake trout restoration efforts, warm water fish populations, and sea lamprey control. There will also be an update on the status of Lake Ontario Sportfishing Restoration Program projects that are funded by a natural resources damage settlement. Following the presentations, the public can ask questions and interact with the presenters. MEETINGS ARE SCHEDULED AS FOLLOWS: March 9, 2010 from 7 – 10 PM at Oswego County BOCES in Mexico, Oswego County. For information, contact Dan Bishop at DEC Cortland at 607-753-3095. March 10, 2010 from 7 – 10 PM at the Imaging Sciences Auditorium in the Chester F. Carlson Building (76) on the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) campus in Rochester, Monroe County. For information, contact Web Pearsall at DEC Avon at 585-226-5339. March 16, 2010 from 6:30 – 9:30 PM at Cornell Cooperative Extension, 4487 Lake Avenue in Lockport, Niagara County. For information, contact Paul McKeown at DEC Allegany at 716-372-0645 or Mike Wilkinson at DEC Buffalo at 716-851-7010.
Falconry and Wildlife Rehabilitator Exams Scheduled February 19, 2010: Written exams for New Yorkers interested in becoming a licensed Volunteer Wildlife Rehabilitator or a Falconry Apprentice will be given on April 16 from 10 AM to noon at DEC Regional offices across the state. Basic info on Wildlife Rehabilitator is available at http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/25027.html . Basic info for Falconry Apprentice is available at http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/28632.html . For further information on either exam, call DEC’s Special Licenses Unit at 518-402-8985, or email fwslu@gw.dec.state.ny.us . The deadline for registering to take either exam is April 2, 2010.
DEC Adopts 10-Year Management Plan for Ring-Necked Pheasants
February 2, 2010: A new plan that incorporates information gathered by DEC biologists and input provided by sportsmen and others has been adopted to guide DEC’s management actions for wild and state-propagated ring-necked pheasants for the next decade. The plan includes extending pheasant hunting seasons in most areas of the state to provide greater hunting opportunities; discontinuing the Young Pheasant Release Program after 2010, while continuing the Cooperative Day-old Pheasant Chick Program; increasing adult pheasant production from 25,000 to 30,000 birds annually beginning in 2011; establishing one or more pheasant hunting areas for people with disabilities; and various other provisions. Full details of the plan are available online at www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7071.html , or by calling 607-273-3763 to request a copy.
Deer Management Summary Available
January 19, 2010: DEC has compiled a summary of the deer management meetings and the public input that was received. Included are the priority topics identified by hunters and others; DEC's next steps; a summary of public input; and answers to questions asked frequently at meetings. To view the summary information, visit http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/57795.html .
DEC Accepting Applications for Pheasant Release Program
January 19, 2010: Applications are due by March 15th for NYS’s two pheasant programs. The Day-Old Pheasant Chick Program provides day-old chicks at no cost to participants who are able to provide a brooding facility, a covered outdoor rearing pen, and an adequate release site. Approved applicants will receive the day-old chicks in April, May, or June. The Young Pheasant Release Program distributes 7 to10 week old pheasants free-of-charge to cooperators in June, July, and August. Birds are released into temporary holding pens built by the cooperators, who also provide food and water for two weeks as the birds acclimate to the surrounding habitat. For further information, contact your nearest DEC Regional Office.
DEC Announces Changes to Baitfish Regulations January 6, 2010: Changes to baitfish regulations became effective today. Anglers are now allowed to legally possess and use certified disease-free bait fish for 10 days after purchase in certain western New York waters. The previous time limit was 7 days. The regulation change also allows use of two bait fish species in additional waters of the state where their use had been prohibited. Alewife may now be used in Hemlock Lake in Livingston County, Canadice Lake in Ontario County, and Waneta Lake in Schuyler County. Rainbow smelt are now allowed as bait in Hemlock Lake and Canadice Lake, as well as Honeoye Lake (Ontario County). These species were added to the acceptable list of bait fish species that can be used because reproducing populations of alewife and smelt currently exist in these lakes and their use as bait fish poses no biological threat to the waters’ fish communities. While DEC is expanding the list of waters where the use of alewife and rainbow smelt is permitted, their use is still subject to the statewide regulations pertaining to the use of bait fish, including the prohibition against the overland transport of uncertified bait fish. Information about these requirements can be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7917.html. Jackhammer Crackdown on Deer Poaching
December 8, 2009: A six-week-long crackdown on illegal deer hunting, from the Hudson Valley to the Canadian Border, netted 107 individuals charged with more than 250 offenses. The investigation, called “Operation Jackhammer,” was the largest coordinated anti-deer jacking initiative in New York State history, involving 100 Environmental Conservation Officers from the Hudson Valley, the Capital Region, the Catskills, and the Adirondacks. Approximately 40 guns were confiscated and 42 illegally-taken deer recovered. More details are available in the DEC press release at http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/60615.html . Enck Appointed to EPA November 5, 2009: Governor David A. Paterson announced today that Deputy Secretary for the Environment, Judith Enck, has been appointed to the Environmental Protection Agency as a Regional Administrator for Region 2, which includes New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Governor Paterson, in a press release, said: “I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Judith Enck for her appointment as Regional Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency. The Governor continued, “As Deputy Secretary, Judith has provided sound counsel on environmental issues facing our State and been a critical leader in our efforts to protect our natural environment.” He also noted, “I am forever grateful for Judith’s service to my Administration and am confident that she will continue to be an important advocate for the State of New York.” Ms. Enck issued the following statement: “I am happy and humbled to take on this new responsibility with the federal government. President Obama and EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson have set the bar high and I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with the talented staff at the EPA to protect our environment for future generations.”
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