Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2014 - 55

CURRENTS
Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission Meeting Held
At its quarterly business meeting held October 1 at the
Tom Ridge Environmental Center, the Pennsylvania Fish
& Boat Commission (PFBC) unveiled plans to expand its
popular Mentored Youth Fishing Day program across the
state in 2014.
Launched this past spring as a pilot program on the
Saturday preceding the regional opening day of trout season,
Mentored Youth Fishing Day was an immediate hit with
adult anglers and the kids in their lives. More than 3,700
adult anglers registered 5,110 kids for the fishing opportunity.
"This new program turned out to be very popular with
anglers and their friends and family," said PFBC Executive
Director John A. Arway. "We had a great turnout at every
location, and we received a lot of thanks from participants,
who said they were happy to have a special day to fish with
their children in advance of the opening day. We expect the
same level of enthusiasm and turnout when we expand it
statewide this spring."
For the 2014 fishing season, the first Mentored Youth
Fishing Day will be held on approximately 12 waters on
March 22, the Saturday before the regional opening day
of trout season in 18 southcentral and southeast counties.
The second one will be held on approximately 24 waters
on April 5, the weekend before the traditional statewide
opening day of trout season.
"We are still finalizing the exact number of waters and will
publicly announce the list in December before the holiday
season, sort of our gift to anglers," said PFBC Executive
Director John A. Arway.
A follow-up survey of participants found that 89 percent
of the registered youth fished that day; a majority of mentors
were family members; and more than 80 percent of the
mentors said they were satisfied with the experience. All
total, the kids and their mentors fished 7,727 hours and
reported releasing 4,405 trout and harvesting 1,183. Nearly
80 percent of the mentors said they usually fish the opening
day of trout season. However, more than 1/3 of respondents
said that they do not typically take youth out on opening day.
In other action, Commissioners:
* Adopted a change in its boating regulations intended to
provide additional safety to passengers when a motorboat
is operating at greater than slow, no-wake speeds. In
these instances, the regulation prohibits individuals from
riding outside the passenger carrying area or from riding
on bow decking, gunwales, transoms or motor covers.
The amendment becomes effective January 1, 2014.
"Waterways Conservation Officers are regularly called to
assist with incidents where an individual was standing or
sitting on the bow or transom and were thrown into the
water when the boat hit an unexpected wake or made a
sudden turn," said Corey Britcher, PFBC Director of Law
Enforcement. "It is simply unsafe to be at these spots when
a boat is underway."

PFBC website: www.fishandboat.com

* Approved a notice of proposed rulemaking, which restricts
the sale, introduction and transportation of all live crayfish
in Pennsylvania. As part of the proposal, licensed anglers
would be permitted to harvest up to 50 crayfish per day
for fishing and consumption as long as the heads are
removed behind the eyes upon capture. "The replacement
of native crayfish by introduced crayfish-like the
invasive rusty crayfish-represents a significant threat to
aquatic communities," said Dave Lieb, PFBC Invertebrate
Zoologist and Non-Game Biologist. "Exotic crayfish
populations grow quickly and have negative effects on
amphibians, mussels and fishes. Stringent regulations will
help prevent additional introductions of invasive crayfish."
* Approved a Non-Surface Use Oil and Gas Cooperative
Agreement with Abarta Oil and Gas Company for
the development of oil and natural gas at the PFBC's
Hereford Manor property in Franklin Township, Beaver
County. Abarta has offered PFBC a three-year primary
term, a $3,000 per acre up-front bonus payment of $1.34
million and a royalty rate of 18 percent. The bonus
payment and all royalties will be deposited into the Fish
Fund, where they will be used to fund efforts to revitalize
and repair Commonwealth-owned high-hazard dams
managed by PFBC.
* Approved a final rulemaking to reduce creel limits for
American Shad from six to three on the 2.9-mile section
of the Delaware River from the Commodore Barry
Bridge to the Delaware state line. The changes make the
Commonwealth regulations consistent with New Jersey
regulations. The three fish creel limit is already in effect
on the Delaware River upstream of the Commodore Barry
Bridge. The change goes into effect on January 1, 2014.
* Raised the size limit on tautog imported into Pennsylvania
from a 14-inch minimum to a 15-inch minimum. The
change makes the state regulations consistent with those in
New Jersey, which were recently changed.
* Proposed a change to the stocking policy for Class A
wild trout, which would permit stocking to continue
on certain Class A waters that meet specific conditions.
Currently, stocking is prohibited on all Class A waters,
which represent the best of the naturally reproducing
trout fisheries. The PFBC has identified nine waters which
meet Class A standards, but are currently stocked and
receive heavy angler use. The proposed policy amendment
would allow stream sections which are designated as Class
A after 2013 to remain eligible for fingerling stocking
or preseason-only stocking of adult trout by PFBC or
cooperative nurseries as long as certain conditions are
met. The stream section must have been stocked during
the year immediately prior to its Class A designation, and
angler use in the stream section must equal or exceed the
75th percentile, statewide, of angler use for the opening
weekend of trout season as documented by PFBC staff.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * January/February 2014

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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2014

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