ND GNF PLOTS & Water in Livewell Regulation Changes

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Livewells Must be Drained Oct. 1

An administrative rules hearing on Sept. 14 has cleared the way for a regulation that prohibits anglers from transporting fish, including bait, away from a water body in a livewell containing water.

Greg Power, fisheries chief for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said this regulation is intended to help reduce the spread of aquatic nuisance species throughout North Dakota.

“This means beginning Oct. 1, anglers are required to drain water in livewells and baitwells prior to leaving a water body,” Power said.

Anglers have been encouraged to abide by this since April 1, Power said, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise. “We have been stressing this since early spring, and have mentioned several times this will likely be instituted in October,” he said.

One suggestion anglers might want to adopt is to transport fish in or on ice. “Many will clean their fish right at a cleaning station, or will make other arrangements if a station isn’t immediately nearby,” Power said. “Placing fish on ice is the logical way for those who wait to clean their fish at a campsite or until they get home.”

Anglers understand the importance of taking preventive measures to help minimize the presence of ANS in North Dakota, Power said, and have been supportive in the department’s recommendations. “They understand this issue, and the importance of keeping our waters free of any unwanted species,” he said.

Detailed ANS information and prevention regulations can be found by accessing the Game and Fish Department HSOforum at gf.nd.gov.

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PLOTS Rules Adopted

New regulations regarding North Dakota’s Private Land Open to Sportsmen acres will go into effect Oct. 1, following a hearing before the state legislature’s administrative rules committee Sept. 14.

The new rules clarify proper use of PLOTS acres, which are private lands open to public access for hunting via agreements between the landowner and North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

The new rules apply to leaving equipment and other materials on a PLOTS area overnight, and also define walk-in access as “an individual travelling by foot,” and specify that walk-in access is allowed only during legal hunting seasons or as otherwise signed. Activities besides hunting, and public access when a hunting season is not open, have not been provided for in the Game and Fish Department’s agreement; thus, they require written permission from the landowner.

This provision means that activities like riding horses for hunting purposes or for pleasure on PLOTS require written permission from the landowner. Permission from the landowner has always been required for motorized vehicle access such as for setting decoys in a field, unless specially designated on the PLOTS sign.

The new rules also address leaving equipment or other provisions in a PLOTS area. Kevin Kading, private lands section leader for the Game and Fish Department, said this means that tree stands or blinds, for example, cannot be left overnight without written permission from the landowner.

Other examples of items that must be removed daily include decoys, firearms and archery equipment, trail cameras, or any type of bait used to attract big game animals.

“Basically, whatever you bring in, you bring out, unless other arrangements have been made with the landowner,” Kading emphasized.