Conservation Congress Hearings for your round gamefish season hearing delegates

[btsmbass]

I am reposting this for Badgerbass:

This Monday April 9, 2012 at 7pm the conservation congress spring hearings take place throughout the state. There is an advisory question on the ballot asking if you are in favor of removing the closed season on game fish. I'm not sure about other species, but there is no biological reason for the state of Wisconsin to have a closed season on bass when it does. Please take the time to locate your nearest hearing location and vote to get rid of this useless law. All the information you need to find where the hearings are in your area is in the link below. Also question 16 on the questionnaire needs to be checked yes. Thanks. http://dnr.wi.gov/org/nrboard/congre...0FINAL40pg.pdf

[buggin95]

I followed your link. is every district having a meeting on Monday. I live in Dodge County and they are held at the Horicon Offoce. And awhile back I seen a post on here about this. So I contacted Rep. Jeff Fitzgarled and he got back to me and said nothing would get done till next year.

[btsmbass]

Yes every county in WI is having these hearings at 7pm this Mon.

This is more of a social type deal to gauge general acceptance. Since WI is so good at running a DNR socially versus scientifically this type of stuff goes on. The good news is if we fisherman unite and let the DNR know that we are responsible anglers that love and take care of our resources. This open season can be done. At this time there is very little if any true scientific evidence that closed seasons help gamefish populations. The northern zone used to have a closed season till sometime in June. It is now catch and release from May-June. That is when the large majority of bass spawns happen in that part of the state. There has been no impact whatsoever affecting those populations during this season.

When you attend these hearings please make sure you fill out a questionnaire and answer yes to question 16.

[btsmbass]

Please also note that in conjunction with question 16, there are questions on zones. Obviously if open season year round happens, there is no more need for mangement zones. Read all 70 something questions on the questionnaire. There may be suggestions for fisheries and hunting areas you use. Quite a bit of these require legislative action and or resolutions. All of which your word is very important. Hope all of those that can, will make it out tonight.

[sterling11]

Anybody attend this meeting last night? Would be nice to know how it all went.

[btsmbass]

I was there. In Racine Cty. I talked briefly with my local Rep. He is all on board with the removal of seasons and zones in WI for fishing as is the DNR Committee Chairman. After attending the hearing, you really see the flaws with how WI makes DNR laws. Too many Chiefs and not enough indians. On these proposals a fellow objected against open seasons due to access issues and "tradition". This is the kind of bullshit that WI has dealt with since allowing public opinion and state legislatures admit, vote, and allow DNR laws that should be scientifically based. Although this hearing will probably have little to do with the spring legislative votes next year. It sounds as though Gov Scott Walker, Lt Gov Rebecca Kleefisch, Rep Joel Kleefisch, Rep Scott Gunderson, Rep Robin Voss, and Sen Van Wanggaard are all on board for elimination of seasons and management zones.

What this does is allow our wardens to be more streamlined in their training, it allows distribution of management material to be more streamlined and in line with the entire state, it allows us not to worry so much what the regs are when we go from part A to part B of the state. It makes management material more concise and less prohibitive. More inviting to the tourist and others who would love to enjoy our great resources YEAR ROUND. It allows other business' that lost their ass on snowmobiling tourism this last winter to recoup costs in fishing tourism. This benefits, bait shops, hotels, resorts, boat rentals, gas stations, restaurants, marina's, and endless other companies that benefit from fisherman and the periphery business that is involved in fishing communities.

Even though the social hold in WI is still very real in the local communities, the Gov't just wants WI to be like other states. Have less regulation at the state level, and more scientifically proven management on the DNR level. That will ensure that social issues no longer drive the principles of the DNR.

[malachi1364]

I REALLLLLY HOPE this passes so there might be a new state record actually caught in the near future.

[sterling11]

It sounds like this could be promising in years to come. Hopefully sooner than later. In any open meetings there is going to be a devils advoacate but if this is based on strickly scientific information, just maybe the WI politician can get together and remove a closed fishing season and just make it a catch and release. Thanks for the info btsmbass

[btsmbass]

Here are the results from the Conservation Congress Hearings:http://dnr.wi.gov/org/nrboard/congre...y%20county.pdf

[sterling11]

The results look promising!