Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - March/April 2020 - 58

CURRENTS
January Commission Meeting Held

During the January 28 formal meeting, the Pennsylvania Fish
& Boat Commission (PFBC) approved the removal of a longstanding regulation that requires anglers to display their fishing
licenses on an outer garment while fishing.
Under the amendment to Section 63.2 (PA Title 58), the outer
garment display requirement will be replaced with a general
possession requirement, which would require only that an angler
carry the license on their person while fishing and present the
license to a PFBC law enforcement officer upon request.
Anglers who still wish to display their fishing license on an
outer garment may continue to do so. Additionally, customers
are reminded that when they purchase a fishing license online
through The Outdoor Shop (www.pa.wildlifelicense.com) an
electronic version of their fishing license is issued and may be
saved and reprinted at no cost. Anglers should note that the
regulation change is not immediate and will take effect upon
publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
In other action:
* The Board voted to amend the section of the Pennsylvania
Code related to the enforcement of Motorboat Noise
Control (Title 58, Chapter 119). Under the proposal,
which was approved by the Boating Advisory Board, the
regulation will become less subjective and more enforceable
through a more highly defined set of standards. The
amendment will go into effect upon publication in the
Pennsylvania Bulletin.
* Commissioners adopted changes to the seasons, sizes, and
creel limits within Lake Erie, its tributaries, and Presque Isle
Bay including peninsula waters, Erie County. To maintain
regulatory consistency and simplicity, Lake Erie, Lake
tributaries, Presque Isle Bay, and peninsular water Walleye
seasonal opening days were scheduled to coincide with
Commonwealth Inland Waters. The amendment will go
into effect upon publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
* The Board approved the publication of a notice of
proposed rulemaking containing an amendment to
regulations regarding the importation of Tautog into

the Commonwealth. Currently, Tautog, also known as
Tog or Blackfish, which are a popular coastal Atlantic
Ocean recreational marine species, are prohibited from
being imported, sold, offered for sale, or purchased in
Pennsylvania when measuring less than 15 inches. The
proposed amendment adds an additional requirement
that all Tautog possessed for commercial purposes or sold
in Pennsylvania should be properly tagged with a serial
numbered metal band on the gill cover, as approved by the
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Pennsylvania
is an important marketplace of commercial seafood
including Tautog, and this regulation change will provide
PFBC Waterways Conservation Officers with the authority
to inspect for and enforce Tautog tagging regulations and
advance Tautog conservation along the Atlantic Coast.
If adopted on final rulemaking at a future meeting, the
amendment will go into effect upon publication in the
Pennsylvania Bulletin.
* In other action, Commissioners approved the designation
of 36 stream sections to the list of Class A wild trout
streams. The board also approved the addition of 49 new
waters to the Commission's list of wild trout streams and a
revision to the section limits of one water. These additions
and revisions will go into effect upon the publication of a
second notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
* Pertaining to real estate matters, Commissioners authorized
the disposition of an approximately 1.4-acre property
located in Chapman Township, Clinton County, known
as the Hyner Access to the Pennsylvania Department of
Transportation (PennDOT). Within three years, PennDOT
will transfer property ownership to Chapman Township,
which will incorporate the access road into its existing
public road system.
* The Board approved a resolution urging Congress for the
Reauthorization of Collection Fees to the Abandoned Mine
Land Reclamation Fund. The language in this Resolution is
identical to that contained in Senate Resolution 191.

Protect Your Favorite Fishing Spot
Participate in Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful's PICK UP PENNSYLVANIA

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * March/April 2020

Register at www.gacofpa.org. Questions can be answered by
Michelle Dunn, PICK UP PENNSYLVANIA Program Coordinator,
at 1-877-772-3673 ext. 113 or mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.
Registered events can also win cash for a nonprofit or charity
by entering the PICK UP PENNSYLVANIA Video Contest. Visit
www.gacofpa.org/video-contest for more information.
photo-courtesy of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful invites Pennsylvania anglers to
participate in PICK UP PENNSYLVANIA, supporting the Great
American Cleanup from March 1 through May 31. You can help
by picking up any litter encountered while fishing or organizing a
cleanup of larger items that have been dumped into the water or
along the creek. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful partners with the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection, and Keep America
Beautiful to provide free trash bags, gloves, and safety vests
to registered participants, as supplies last. The Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection and Pennsylvania
Waste Industries Association sponsors free or reduced cost
disposal from April 1 through April 30. During this time,
registered cleanups are eligible to take their trash to participating
landfills free of charge or for a reduced rate.

www.fishandboat.com

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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - March/April 2020

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