Board Adopts Idle Speed Zones, Catfish Limit
By DAVID RAINER
Idle speed zones for boaters and anglers, a bag limit of one for large catfish and more restrictions on dog deer hunting were among the items approved last weekend by the Alabama Conservation Advisory Board (CAB) at its meeting in Eufaula.
The idle speed zones regulation was pushed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Marine Police Division that would be applicable to all state waters.
The regulation reads:
“No person shall operate any ‘vessel’ (as defined by in §33-5-3, Code of Alabama 1975) or tow a person or persons on water skis, an aquaplane, a surfboard, or and similar device on the ‘waters of this state’ (as defined by in §33-5-3, Code of Alabama 1975) at a speed greater than idle speed within 100 feet of any vessel which is moored, anchored, or adrift outside normal traffic channels, or any wharf, dock, pier, piling, bridge structure or abutment, person in the water, or shoreline adjacent to a full-time or part-time residence, public park, public beach, public swimming area, marina, restaurant, or other public use area. This subsection shall not be interpreted to prohibit any person from initiating or terminating water skiing from any wharf, dock, or pier owned by such person or used by such person with the permission of the owner of said wharf, dock, or pier nor shall it be interpreted to prohibit the immediate return of a tow vessel to a downed water skier. The above restriction shall not apply to ocean-going ships during transit or during docking or undocking maneuvers, or to the operation of vessels on the Intercoastal (sic) Waterway.”
Board Member Raymond Jones Jr. of Huntsville introduced a measure to limit the number of large catfish taken in Alabama, especially the Tennessee River system, where large catfish have been captured and transported live across state lines to pay-to-fish ponds as brood stock.
Jones’ proposal, which passed unanimously, would make it illegal to possess more than one catfish over 34 inches in total length taken from Alabama public waters. No blue or flathead over 34 inches total length may be transported live beyond the boundaries of the state unless permitted in writing by Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Despite the announcement that a committee is being formed by Dan Moultrie, advisory board chairman, to study a statewide permitting system for dog deer hunting, certain areas in three counties were added to the list of areas where dog deer hunting is banned.
Board Member Johnny Johnson of Tuscaloosa introduced a proposal to ban dog deer hunting in a portion of Perry County. Board Member George Harbin of Gadsden proposed a ban on dog deer hunting in Fayette County with the exception of the area east of Highway 43 and south of Highway 18 to the Walker County line . Board Member Louis Coles of Enterprise made a motion to ban dog deer hunting north of Highway 10 in Crenshaw County. All three proposals passed unanimously.
An emergency regulation enacted by Conservation Commissioner Barnett Lawley regarding the practice of chumming for sharks along the Alabama Gulf Coast was affirmed with a few changes to the wording of the regulation.
The new regulation reads:
“It shall be unlawful within three hundred feet of the shoreline, or on a public pier, or on a private pier where an unsafe condition is created, on or in waters of Alabama under the jurisdiction of the Marine Resources Division as provided by Rule 220-2-.42, to fish for or target sharks or any species by those methods commonly known as ‘chumming’ or ‘bloodbaiting.’
“For purposes of this regulation, ‘chumming’ shall be defined as the throwing of bait or fish parts into the water to attract fish.
“For purposes of this regulation, ‘bloodbaiting’ shall be defined as the use of blood, chemical or synthetic attractants, fish parts, chicken parts or other animal parts to attract fish or sharks.
“It shall be unlawful, on or adjacent to the waters of Alabama under the jurisdiction of the Marine Resources Division as provided by Rule 220-2-.42, for any person to surf fish for sharks, bow fish for sharks, or fish for or target sharks by any other means from any pier or beach in such a manner that presents an unsafe condition to any beach goers, sun bathers, swimmers, or any other person.”
The board also approved a change in the 2009 spring turkey season dates. In order to accommodate a later weekend for the special youth hunts, regular turkey season will open a day later than usual on Monday, March 16. If the season had opened on Sunday, the 15th, the youth weekend would have been pushed to the weekend of March 7-8. Now the youth hunts will be March 14-15.
During public testimony before the board action, the two sides involved in the gill-net fishing issue on the Alabama Coast made pleas before the board.
The commercial fishing industry again asked for a change in mesh sizes to allow the commercial netters to target the economically viable species.
Meanwhile, the Coastal Conservation Association asked the board to add Spanish mackerel and pompano to the list of designated game fish species, which would prohibit the two species from being captured in gill nets.
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