DNr changes tournament rules again

[swampbuck]

This is not good! these changes could have an effect on the size/age of the boat you could use in a tournament. the reg about weight of bass per gallons of water in livewell could limit "Big" bags for older/smaller boats with less livewell capacity.

Contact Mark Holsten the commissioner and make your voice heard!

DNR proposes new tournament rules

« Thread Started on Oct 6, 2007, 6:05am »

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The DNR without much input from tournament directors/anglers, have decided to open the tournament rules package and add to them them. Many of these have been part of the permits but were unenforceable. By inserting them into the currents rules statutes will now make them law.

I expect these new rules will be enforce sometime in 2008.

For comment, call and/or e-mail the commissioner at:

Mark Holsten, Commissioner

Phone: (651) 259-5555

[email protected]

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10/4/2007 Document 2

6212.2500 PERMIT CONDITIONS. Repeal

6212.2525 PERMITTED FISHING CONTESTS

Subpart. 1. Limitation on number of boats. Contest participation will be limited to not more than one boat for each ten acres of contest water.

Subpart 2. Equipment Requirements for Live Release.

A. The live-well and fish-holding equipment requirements under items B and C are mandatory for all live-release contests to minimize negative impacts to fish.

B. Boat live-wells and holding tanks shall:

(1) Have at least one gallon of water per pound of fish held; and

(2) Be equipped with a functional water pump or circulation system capable of maintaining dissolved oxygen at five parts per million or higher.

Subpart 3. Contest Denials. Permits may not be issued for the following.

A. Tagging or marking fish for special contest rewards.

B. Contests being proposed on waters managed for trout, except Lake Superior.

C. Contests that promote or allow fizzing (the act of inserting a needle into the fish’s gas bladder).

D. Contests were boat take-off procedures result in unsafe boating.

E. Contests where use of live bait may cause increased mortality.

F. Contests on waters where the commissioner determines the activity may compromise the fish management or research data being collected.

G. Contests that the commissioner determines will have excessive negative impact to fish and fish habitat.

H. Contests on opening days, holidays, and other high use periods that the commissioner determines result in unacceptable safety risks.

Subpart 4. Permit Conditions.

A. Conditions may be specified in the permit for the following areas for the purposes provided in 97C.081, subd. 4.

1. Seasonal and daily restrictions;

2. Geographical restrictions;

3. Fish handling procedures;

4. Daily and possession limits;

5. Types of equipment;

6. Contest length, or

7. Treatments to prevent the spread of diseases and invasive species.

B. The commissioner shall consider the following criteria when determining conditions to be included in the permit:

1. Whether the activity will advance knowledge, understanding, interpretation, or management of a fish species, fish community, or water body;

2. Impacts on other public uses, research efforts, educational events, or management activities;

3. Impacts to spawning fish or areas, rice beds, critical habitat, or to the fish community;

10/4/2007 Document2

4. Whether the activity is detrimental or helps achieve management objectives for the specific water body;

5. Whether contest activities during high use periods are anticipated to cause unacceptable safety risks; and

6. Whether contest activities during high use periods are anticipated to cause user conflicts.

Subpart 5. Restrictions on weigh-ins.

A. Permits will not be issued to release walleye, sauger, and their hybrids(Sander genus within the Percidae family) alive after a weigh-in from:

(1) Memorial Day to Labor Day for all inland and border waters located in and south of Traverse, Grant, Douglas, Todd, Morrison, Mille Lacs, Kanabec, and Pine counties, except Lake Mille Lacs.

(2) From June 14 to Labor Day for all other inland and border waters, including Lake Mille Lacs.

B. Permits will not be issued to release bass (Micropterus genus within the Centrarchidae family) alive after an off-site weigh-in during July and August for inland and border waters, except Canadian border waters.

C. Permits will not be issued to release northern pike (Esox lucius) and trout and salmon (Salomonidae family) alive after an off-site weigh-in.

D. Permits for fishing contests involving muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) and sturgeon (Acipenseridae family) will only be issued for formats using immediate release as defined in M.S. 97A.015, Subd.26C.

E. Notwithstanding items A-B, permits will not be issued to release fish alive after a weigh-in, except for immediate release at the location of where caught when water temperature or water quality conditions may lead to undue mortality of released fish.

F. Permits will not be issued to release fish alive after an off-site weigh-in when:

(1) 100 or more fish total will be weighed-in for the contest; or

(2) Fish will be held more than 2-1/2 hours from the time they leave the contest waters until they are returned to contest waters.

G. Permits will not be issued to conduct an off-site weigh-in if the contest organizer cannot prevent the spread of invasive species or pathogens to other waters from activities associated with the contest.

6212.2600 POSSESSION OF FISH.

For Text of Subps 1 – 2 see MR.

Subp. 3. Authority to hold and release fish. In contests where fish may be returned to the contest waters, the permittee may be authorized to hold healthy fish and release them immediately following weigh-in. Suitable release sites may be specified in the permit for the purposes provided in 97C.081, subd. 4. The commissioner shall consider the following criteria to determine when a specific release location should be included in the permit:

1. water or habitat quality at or near release sites would result in undue mortality of released fish;

2. barriers such as dams or channels that may limit natural fish movement or

10/4/2007 Document2

redistribution;

3. genetics of the contest fish and the fish population where they are being released;

4. preferred fish habitat, home range of the contest fish, or where the fish was caught is beyond what the fish species has been reported in the scientific literature to reasonably navigate;

5. release of the contest fish at another location would lead to localized depletion of fish stocks from contest waters were the contest fish were caught and removed; or

6. release of contest fish may result in the spread of diseases or invasive species.

Subp. 4 Gifting and donating fish

To prevent the waste of fish, the tournament organizer may be authorized in the permit to collect up to one limit of fish per contest participant for gifting to a non-profit organization or institution. The organizer must submit a plan for collection and distribution at the time of application. Distribution of donated fish by the organizer or group receiving the donated fish must be at no cost.

16212.2700 CONTEST OPERATION.

Subpart 1. Restriction on use of public accesses. No contest may preempt use of a boat ramp or parking spaces at public access to contest waters. The organizer must submit a parking plan at the time of application for approval. The plan must include provisions for

utilizing the parking sites, off-site parking, and location of weigh-ins.

Contests shall not use more than 50% of the parking spaces at state-owned sites unless authorized in the permit.

[EBass]

Um Can you repeat the part about the stuff where you talked about those um....things.

I'm confused

[mojoputter]

I have to go lay down after reading that...

[Black_Bay]

Where did you get this info?

[Lured_In]

Has there been any changes to the requirements for a tourney that requires a permit??? I.E. # of participants, prize money, etc? I have been running a small league in the SW Metro for the last 8 years, trying to avoid the hassles of permits by limiting size and cash awards..........but they are sure trying to make it hard for everyone.....

[bassrap]

No, there have not been any changes in the requirements for a permit.

For what it's worth, I received my first permit for 2008 and none of these specific changes were included.

[Lured_In]

Well that's good to hear, atleast for now they haven't anyway................the DNR has been at the accesses more frequently in the last 2 years and kept a close eye on weigh ins etc. Hopefully they will keep it the same and it won't hurt us little guys that just want to promote fishing, good natural resources, stewardship, competition, new friend's and most of all good times!

[bassNspear]

this is crazy!!!

[Scott M]

Come again? You know I don't speak Spanish. In English, please. What? You [PoorWordUsage]ed in the refrigerator? And you ate the whole... wheel of cheese?

[Ray Esboldt]

What! What tournament can you have with these rules? It seems to eliminate several walleye tournaments.

I guess 10 boat get-together events might be the wave of the future.

[bassNspear]

i think your right ray. Its crazy how there changing everything year after year.

[Cabela10]

Is this the "beginning of the end" for tournament fishing in Minnesota? What are the DNR trying to accomplish, I don't understand.

Atleast now I can save money on not buying a new bass boat here in Minnesota. I will begin my search out of state for a new home instead.

[st.crioxfishin]

Is this stuff really going to take affect next year or is this just something that will be pushed to the wayside in a couple months? How serious are they about enforcing these new regs? Is it a for sure deal already, or are we worrying about something that may not even happen? Its seems that most of the major tournament series in Minnesota would have to be banished if these new rules are enforced, which IMO would be unfortunate. I spose everyone has their own opinions on tournaments and their effects on fisheries..

[Cabela10]

The effects on lakes because of Tournaments. I would say the lakes down in the south are hit harder than the lakes up here in the north and I don't see a drop off in weights or number of bass caught during the tournaments in the south.

I don't understand why OUR DNR is doing this type stuff. We have a short season already and now they are throwing all this other stuff at us.

Why do we even need permits to begin with? The DNR wants to recoup the $160,000 annually that they say they spend on personal to look at these permits. Well I'm sorry, isn't this the DNR's job already? What does a typical day for a DNR official look like, the people that look at the tournament permits? Where does our fishing license fees go? Where does the license plate fees go that are meant for fishing or wildlife?

I'm confused on why they even think they need to recoup this $160,000.

Seems as though we need to do some selective catch and kill tournaments to show the DNR that we could go back to the old days when bass fishermen knew no better. It seems as though bass fishermen/tournament fishermen are helping the fisheries more than the DNR.

[the_mighty_kasey]

Welcome to little Russia, oops I mean Minnesota. The MN DNR is ridiculous with their regulations. Pretty soon we are going to need a permit to take a leak in the woods or to take a picture of the fish we catch.

[Black_Bay]

I'll ask again, Swampbuck were did you get this info? I'd like to see it for myself.

[bassrap]

Black Bay,

From the looks of it, the original post was copied from a web site managed by Joel Stokka. Joel runs a circuit up in Brainerd and has been very active in working with the DNR.

The information was sent out from the DNR to various individuals that they have worked with in the past. The post accurately reflects what was sent out. If you're looking for more than that, then you'll need to contact the DNR.

Rick