Commercial Fishing in Arkansas

[BigB]

going over the 540 bridge this week i noticed 100's of jugs on the river. they were marking gill nets apparently the g & f comm. opened up a section of the river for a special season on spoonbill. it showed pics in the paper (times record) of commercial fisherman (catfish assassins) pulling out flatheads, blues& spoonbills some of these fish were 50# plus. i am very angry about this! it is time to make a stand with our state to put an end to this. what can we do to stop this?

[TOPS]

Brian, pm Lindsey Lewis user name[ictalurus]. he will help you out. I think he point you in the right direction. The sad thing is we have nets all in the hotwater outlet here and I have not seen a person run them yet and I check often. In Louisians the spoonbills were protected because they were almost all caught out of the state.

Thanks for your concern!!

[BigB]

Verlon it will take alot more than me to change the laws. the sport of catfishing is getting more well known. maybe if all the arkansas brothers come together we as a group could get the laws changed

[flathunter]

If we dont do something to protect our favorite sportfish, it will soon be to late.

[BigB]

maybe all the states should stand up to um

[dinkbuster1]

in a way i kinda feel for the commercial fishermen taking heat from the "sportfishing" community, most of them have been doing this for generations and it is their way of life. im sure there are areas that can support both commercial and sportfishing but i do see commercial fishing as a dying trade now that catfishing is becoming popular. i along with the rest of the "catfishermen" welcome the death of commercial catfishing but there should be government programs and/or grants available to those that would like to pursue other occupations. one idea i heard that i thought would be great would be to move commercial fishermen into the "farm-raising" buisness. farm-raised channels are replacing the "river caught" fish that were once stocked into pay-lakes, and it might be possible to do the same with blues. i doubt flats could ever be "farm-raised".

[gooboy]

i believe that some folks overexagerate the effects the commercial fishing industry has on our catfish populations. i fish the red river in louisiana. i'd put our fisheries up against anyone's. i have done a lot of netting in the past, but have just about quit alltogether now. it's just done got to be to much work on a wore out body. been fishin the same stretch of water for the last 10 years and every year it just gets better. we have a lot of commercial guys fishing this area and they catch piles of fish. one thing everyone needs to remember is that they are a renewable resource. just because you don't do it, you shouldn't condone it. that would be like me saying that deer hunting needs to be banned because i don't do it. if the hunters and fishermen don't stick together, it's gona give all the anti's that much more ammunition to put a stop to all of it.

[TOPS]

I do not have anything against commercial fishermen,I had a couple as friends in Louisiana. The gripe I have is these nets are in a small fishing area. we stay hung up on these nets while trying to fish. We can still catch bait but catfishing is almost impossible. Prime winter time fishing shot to S--t.:mad: :mad:

[Mark J]

Although I primarily fish for sport and never commercially when the line gets drawn in the sand and I have to pick a side I'll be on the side of commercial fishermen.
When a man is working making an honest living within the bounds of the law you dont screw with his livelyhood.
This same thing has happened to many of an American farmer and still is.

[BIG-G]

Just one thing to say, At times I wonder who is mindin the laws.

[Dwednuts]

going over the 540 bridge this week i noticed 100's of jugs on the river. they were marking gill nets apparently the g & f comm. opened up a section of the river for a special season on spoonbill. it showed pics in the paper (times record) of commercial fisherman (catfish assassins) pulling out flatheads, blues& spoonbills some of these fish were 50# plus. i am very angry about this! it is time to make a stand with our state to put an end to this. what can we do to stop this?
Seems to me that your fish&game people need to keep a closer eye on these netters!!! These netters seem to be doing what they want with whatever they want. Gillnets are indescriminent killers, "THESE NETS SHOULD BE OUTLAWED, PERIOD". If they were only allowed to take spoonbill why were they taking blues and flatheads also???? That is where the problem is, IMO!!!

Personally I don't sympathize with the commercial fishermen and think that if they are supporting their families by destroying a great recource, they should find another job.
Has anyone ever thought of what these guys are doing with these fish they catch that are coming from waters that have DO NOT CONSUME ADVISORIES on them????????? And I really don't think they care who gets hurt in the long run , as long as they make their money. Family trade or not, it is going to have to stop sooner or later. They are working themselves right out of a job.

And before you crawl all over me for this, Keep in mind that my Great Grandfather, my Grandfather and his Sons were all commercial fishermen!!!!

Until they give the catfish the "Gamefish Status", This will continue!!!

[TOPS]

The nets are in the channel of the out let. Boat traffic are hindered, fishing the channel is at a stand still. Yea they are smart they know the fish will be in the outlet. The hot water draws them! I over looked the nets as long as the stayed in the river but in that small area has messed up some good fishing!! I have voiced my opinion and will leave it at that!!!:mad: :mad:

[Dwednuts]

Isn't there a law that says that they can impede boating traffic with their nets? If so contact the coastgaurd, that should take care of it. Because your local DNR people appearently aren't going to do anything, it is probebly to cold for them to get out of their trucks and into a boat to enforce the laws that they are supposed to be upholding. Just a thought!!!

[jtrew]

First things first! If F&G officials aren't enforcing current laws concerning netting, why bother passing new laws for them to ignore? When law enforcement people deliberately ignore certain people breaking the law, we need to see that those officials are fired or jailed. Now, I know one of the officials up in Verlon's area, and he's so honest that he would give his own mother a ticket if he caught her breaking the law.
Verlon, try calling the F&G about those unchecked nets, but bear in mind that they probably only need to be checked once per day. If the F&G ignores you, send the head of F&G an e-mail about it, with a copy to the governor's office. If that's ignored, send the same e-mail to all the local media, with copies to the head of the F&G and governor.

[TOPS]

Sam, Did you see all the nets at the outlet this weekend?:mad:

[ShilohRed]

Brian, pm Lindsey Lewis user name[ictalurus]. he will help you out. I think he point you in the right direction. The sad thing is we have nets all in the hotwater outlet here and I have not seen a person run them yet and I check often. In Louisians the spoonbills were protected because they were almost all caught out of the state.

Thanks for your concern!!

Most of the ones here check there nets around midnight. That may be the reason you don't see them.
Also they have the boats lit up with flood lights.
Pete

[three_rivers]

Arkansas has changed the rules on the mississippi to match tennessee's rules. That is on the mississippi only though. I'm sure mississippi will follow suit soon enough. One thing people could also do is push for it to be passed for the whole state. Arkansas doesn't sell non resident commercial license so we wouldn't have the problems that mississippi residents have of commercial guys fishing an area out. Mississippi residents need to go to the meetings they hold each year and speak their mind on what they want from their fisheries. Last time i checked mississippi's non resident license was 200 dollars. Thats a small price to pay for fishing a place like the big river and fishing it out. I as a resident would think that our resources would be worth alot more especially when they are leaving the state for 200 dollars but thats just me.

As for commercial fishing, its been goin on for hundreds of years. There is enough water for all of us to fish together. If the net is there we can still fish beside it. I've recently experienced the same thing out on the mississippi and fished everywhere else i could. Did i want to fish those spots? Yes But there was plenty of other places to fish. If anything else look at it as a challenge. The odds against will only make that trophy a more rewarding catch.

[flathunter]

J.W. I agree 100 percent on what you just said, in both post!

[jtrew]

As a youngster, I was lucky enough to be able to go down to the gulf coast once or twice a year to fish (mainly) for red snapper and grouper. Not only did we keep all we wanted to eat, but since there were fish market reps waiting on the docks for us when we returned, we kept and sold all we could. This practice continued at least into the late sixties, after I was in the Air Force, because my uncle and I brought in enough extra fish to pay for our trip. In 1969 I was transferred to Montana, and kind of lost track of saltwater fishing for a number of years. I can't begin to say how surprised I was that our harvests had depleted that 'inexhaustable' supply of red snapper and grouper to the point that it was hardly worth fishing for them any more. Also, while I didn't fish much for sea trout and redfish, I knew people who did, and the same thing happened to those fisheries...overharvest. We took and took and took, feeling that there was no end to the fish in that huge body of water. But there aren't fish everywhere; they're just in certain spots. And there's a finite limit to their number and the pressure they can handle. Fortunately, strict limits on these fish has resulted in these fisheries rebounding till there is good fishing for them again. Right now, Tennessee has a limit of two 15" stripers per day; Arkansas has a limit of 5 stripers of any size per day. Striper fishing on the Tennessee River is much better than on the Arkansas River, and the fish run larger. Maybe it's a coincidence, but it looks like limits make a difference.

[hoglaw]

If you want to know who's minding the laws, look on this board. I would suggest that someone contact a non-profit legal agency, such as the Sierra Club. Endangering fisheries is serious buisness, and we all have sufficient standing to raise a challenge in the courts. I am a law student, but I have way too much on my plate to do the research involved right now. My suggestions are as follows:

Contact the Sierra Club or a similar watchdog group
Contact your state representative
Contact game and fish
I know there is a statute on the books in Arkansas that makes it a crime to impede the legal access to fisheries, just can't remember exactly what it is or how it's worded. Any Arkansas Criminal Code/Traffic Manual will have it indexed under "Fishing."
I don't pretend to know what kind of an impact this sort of harvest has on the health of fisheries, I'm certainly not an expert. What I do know, however, is that evil exists in the world because good men let it. Start a petition, start calling representatives, call Blanche Lincoln. There are a lot of people who work to represent you, you just have to let them know how to do it.
Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

Paul>> Removed public e-mail to prevent spammers from turning loose e-mail harvesting spiders on the server to generate mailing list of active outdoorsmen to sell to online tackle shops.

[BIG JAKE]

If We Don't Protect The Big Cats, They Will Not Be Around Long.
How About A Limit On The Number Of Big Cats They Can Take During Spanning Season!

[fisherdude]

I don't have a big problem with the concept of commercial fishing, but I do find it annoying that they seem to take up the whole channel with their nets. I can hardlly get to my fishing spots some times for all the nets. It seems as if there should be some better guidelines on how they set up. I also think that there should be a something in the fishing regs to require that the larger cats be released. I seldom catch a really big one any more.

[shadow]

Simple solution: Just make the catfish a game fish, like J.W. said. Commercial fishermen could still catch all the rough fish they want and it would help to rid the waters of trash fish. Carp,Buffalo,Drum.etc can still be caught and sold to fish markets.

I dont know about you guys, but farm raised catfish taste better to me than those I catch in the lakes and rivers. We could do our part by releasing the fish we catch, but it makes no sense to release a fish only to have it caught and sold by a commercial fisherman.

[jerrydean]

I commercial fish on the Arkansas River and have since 1989. I don't do it for a living, but sell to friends, neighbors & guys at the office mostly. Every now & then to a fish market or store. I run trotlines and fish mid-March thru the end of September. Usually run 1000-1200 hooks at a time. I've fished the same 3 or 4 mile stretch since 1992 and the lowest caught in 1 year was 1993-approx. 7,500lbs, the most 2003 approx 16,000 lbs. Never a problem with that area overfished. Catfish is such an abundant and renewable product. I keep it in balance. Ya can't throw back every thing ya catch. They won't all grow to be 75lbs. They can't. Disease and overcrowding are the main reasons why. I get an occasional line cut, and every now and then one of my lines run, but i really don't have any problem with hobby fisherman. You shouldn't look at the commercial fisherman as a scurge, but as a freind. We keep the numbers in line so you can have a chance to catch a 100lb'er. And who else is gonna haul you & your boat back to the ramp if you break down on the water? Remember, me & you are the only 2 crazy enough to be out there when it's cold & rainy & the wind is blowing 40mph.:)

[rodpod]

First of all, I dont think the commercial fishermen should be able to sell fish that come out of waters with advisories. Wait till your wife is pregnant or you take your kids out to eat and they uknowingly eat a fillet of catfish that is full of mercury and pcb's. It could only cause cancer. Right? It's ok, some of you seem to think a commercial fishermans quality of life is more important than your families.

Second of all, theres commercial fishermen on this board. You might want to think twice of publicly showing where you're catching alot of fish. Because his means of making a living are more important than us being able to enjoy fishing. Sure we can go out there and find another spot while he is raping the river. Ask ol JW about this fall, all of a sudden theres gill nets across every wing dike/old dam in our stretch of river.

As far as the overpopulation of fish....BS....they survived there before commercial fishing. People such as mark twain claimed to see cats over 200 lbs in the rivers....Doesnt mean its true, but it might disprove your theory a little bit.

Commercial fishermen need to be regulated on the areas they can harvest fish. The amount of fish they take. And the methods of taking the fish. Are we supposed to just trust all of these commercial fishermen? What is stopping them from going out at midnight and running a telephone crank into the water to make a few extra bucks? Seems like in most states this job has no limits and no boundaries which will lead to a full rape and pillage of public waters.

And if we do get a few lawmakers to take action on the situation, guess who's going to put more money into their pocket? But im going to bet the lawmaker isnt going to eat a catfish dinner with his family if he knew where the stuff was coming from.

I really dont have much sympathy. Maybe you guys can convince me otherwise.

[jerrydean]

I'm not trying to convince ya, man. I'm just saying that on the Arkansas River, in Arkansas, commerical fishing is not affecting, size or otherwise, the 10 fish that you can catch in 1 day.

As for PCB's...my water i fish in is safe.

Don't know about you & ole JW's "stretch of the river", but it's not YOUR'S & OLE JW'S STRETCH OF THE RIVER. Could be mine also if I bought an Indiana Fishing License.

We have 200lb cat's also. You just have to fish where the can grow that big. That ain't Lake Michigan.

We are regulated. Pay about $800 a year...just for tags & license.

I trust YOU not to catch over 10, or your state limit. You don't know me, why lump me in with theives & rapist.

Oh, and pick up your liver tubs, backlashes & worm boxes...we're tired of cleaning up after you.:p

[Dwednuts]

You know I won't try to convince you to go to the "Dark Side" of catfishing, Brent!!!

I was sittin here wondering how these commercial guys think that they are helping the fisheries by keeping every fish they catch!!! It seems to me that the guy that spoke right before you did Brent (jerrydean) Is dissilusioned by his own propaganda. Who's to say that the fish that he takes aren't the ones that will grow to be 75 to 100lbs. Try to prove to me that they won't and I will back you up.

[jerrydean]

Who's to say that the fish that he takes aren't the ones that will grow to be 75 to 100lbs.

Or that the 115 Class 8 point you shot(not necessarily you) won't grow up to be a 215 Class B&C record.

It's the license holders choice. Until the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission says different, why should it bother you if I legally shoot that 8 point or keep more than 10 fish.:confused:

[Big Sam]

:crying: Well what gets me about the whole deal is when your running 35 miles an hour in the channel of the AR. river and your boat and motor comes to a sudden stop with no warning due to tangle nets with no markers and you spend 2 hours trying to get it cut out of the boat and motor. Now thats a ticker:mad: I believe all nets should be tagged and visible...that is a Safety issue..and safety should come first....Personaly commercial fishing doesn't bother me most of the fish I have seen taken are rough fish..and in AR. almost anyone can get a license for 25 dollars..Now the kicker...I dont believe nets should be allowed of any kind within a mile of a dam only rod and reel...Just my thoughts:)

[slimcat]

Let me tell you something , IF there were 200lb cats, they would be caught by YOU commercial fisherman. WHY, are these big fish so important to you. Because you can make more money on them selling them to that idjit up in OHio, which is a member I believe of the board, I believe. I am gonna start being tight lipped about where I catch my fish anymore. There are to many lurkers on this board that just want to know where they can go and catch the big fish and sell them. No offense to anyone of here but I believe in protecting these big cats. Just like Ole Rodpod stated!!!There is not anything wrong with commercial fishing, if its regulated.

[dinkbuster1]

i really have no problem with commercial fishing in waters where cats are overly abbundant. so long as there are limits on numbers and sizes. there is absolutely no need to be removing the larger fish unless your supplying ********, and even if the lake's are CPR those fish only make it for about a year or two at the most. i used to fish those "lakes" years ago and they used to tag the big fish they put in and many times i have seen recently stocked blues and flats wash up dead from starvation, lack of oxygen, and stress due to being caught so much. i am not anti-******* either. thankfully a lot of these places are moving to farm-raised cats due to wild fish being hard to get because of more restrictions on commercial fishing. these places are sometimes the only fishing opportunities in the more urban areas, and if it wasnt for them i no doubt would have been drawn into other "activities" that ruined the lives of a lot of the other teens i ran around with.

[slimcat]

Dinkbuster, I don't understand one thing, You say urban areas. Are you referring to Cincinnati, which is right on the Ohio river???And what about the greater Miami, the flathead lakes up there . Are people afraid to drive a little ways to fish. Heck sometimes I drive 2-3hours to fish with buddys in different areas. Cincinnati, I know, is right on the river. Whats the deal with all the ******** in Ohio anyways. I think its just one mans way to exploit a great resource in order to put dollars in his pockets. If I ever drive up there,which I am very tempted to do, and I see big cats laying around, They may need to call the sheriff, because I get pretty unruly when it comes to wasting big fish.

[jerrydean]

I think that we are singing out of 2 different hymn books on this commercial fishing thing. I know a couple dozen commerical fisherman that fish the Arkansas River & White River & don't know of a single one that keep catfish alive to sell to "pay to fish" lakes. I guess that it's a big problem up north, but i've never even heard of it down here.

[BIG JAKE]

no wonder i'm not catching any catfish near maumell park. who eats commercial catfish anyway?

[BIG JAKE]

catfish assassins is correct! make them farm catfish like every other type of overfished species.

[Dwednuts]

catfish assassins is correct! make them farm catfish like every other type of overfished species.
I couldn't agree more, man!!! These jerks have nothing invested in what they do besides gear and a license. Every other business has some investment in the end product, THEY DON"T!!!!

[jtrew]

As long as they are obeying all laws, commercial fishermen have every right to fish commercially. But, I think that they are much like the market hunters of 100 years ago. There were quite a few people earning their living by market hunting, but finally the time came when we realized that if we wanted to continue having those heavily hunted species in the future, laws would have to be passed to protect them; the result was bag limits and the end of market hunting. Perhaps the time has come for us to pass laws ending commercial fishing. Yes, it will put an end to the way that a number of people have always made their living; unfortunately, that happens, and in fact, has already happened more times than I could count. Some examples that come to mind are: tobacco growers prohibited or limited from growing their main money crop; dealers in cheap guns put out of business by federal laws; manufacturers and sellers of 'medicines' put out of business by the FDA; some cities have 'green river laws' prohibiting door to door salesmen. Don't get the wrong idea; I'm not knocking these laws, because there were good reasons for passing all of them. But, each one of them put people out of business; and some of them had been making their living that way all of their lives, too. So, is it fair to pass laws banning commercial fishing? Each person has the right to his or her own opinion on that, but don't neglect to consider the fact that if banning commercial fishing results in a robust catfishing industry, many more new jobs will be created than were lost.

[flathunter]

The laws need to be changed, no commercial fishing for catfish period...They need to be on the unemplyment line like I have been before, or find other jobs.

[NIMROD]

Brian, pm Lindsey Lewis user name[ictalurus]. he will help you out. I think he point you in the right direction. The sad thing is we have nets all in the hotwater outlet here and I have not seen a person run them yet and I check often. In Louisians the spoonbills were protected because they were almost all caught out of the state.

Thanks for your concern!!

Check with the district fisheries biologist. He is ''Bob Limbird '' in Russelville G&FC office. I think nets are not allowed in the water water discharge outlet area of Dardanelle.

[NIMROD]

I think that we are singing out of 2 different hymn books on this commercial fishing thing. I know a couple dozen commerical fisherman that fish the Arkansas River & White River & don't know of a single one that keep catfish alive to sell to "pay to fish" lakes. I guess that it's a big problem up north, but i've never even heard of it down here.
There is nothing wrong as long as we commercial fishermen follow the set guidelines. We do a service to a lot of areas by reducing rough fish which compete for space and feed with sport fishes.

[Dwednuts]

There is nothing wrong as long as we commercial fishermen follow the set guidelines. We do a service to a lot of areas by reducing rough fish which compete for space and feed with sport fishes.
We understand about rough fish but in our oppinion the Catfish is more valuable than any ten Bass. Do you consider the catfish a rough fish???

[NIMROD]

We understand about rough fish but in our oppinion the Catfish is more valuable than any ten Bass. Do you consider the catfish a rough fish???
No , but commercial tackle is not selective and most will not fish unless we can keep the cats. I target flatheads in the winter with gill nets. But usually catch 50 rough fish to each flathead. If the fish were over pressured here the fisheries would stop it.

[Dwednuts]

No , but commercial tackle is not selective and most will not fish unless we can keep the cats. I target flatheads in the winter with gill nets. But usually catch 50 rough fish to each flathead. If the fish were over pressured here the fisheries would stop it.
You say you target flatheads in the winter, isn't a flathead a catfish. I think that you guys won't stop until every last catfish in the river (that you have no investment in) is gone. Then you will have to break down and get a real job, isn't that scarey!!!

[Mark J]

JW, what part of commercial fishing isn't a job?
Is farming a job?
The man is making an honest living on the water you PLAY on.
I dont see a thing wrong with that at all.

You chose to farm for a living, he chose to fish for a living.
All I see here is what the founding fathers of this country invisioned working.

[Pastor E]

there is no sport at all in commerical fishing its hard work there are a lot better ways to make a living if there were no commerical fishing or hand grabbing the fish would get alot bigger a big cat over 8 or 9 lbs is not good to eat any way if there were more big cats you could make alot better living guideing catch and release all over 10 lbs if you love the sport

[jtrew]

I commercial fished part time for a couple of years, and it's definitely work, not play. Bust your hump from daylight till early afternoon catching bait and bringing in fish, then have to stand there for a few more hours cleaning them. Because the VA was paying me to go to school, I couldn't take a regular part time job; that's why I did the commercial fishing. Some of the hardest work I ever did.

[FishMan]

commerical fishing in public water is wrong. that water is kept up by taxpayers and anyone that says it is ok is wrong. It is wrong to make your living from the taxpayers. It is wrong, it's wrong. Do you understand, it's wrong. It's not right, it's wrong.

[FishMan]

Really, it is wrong. It's not right, it's wrong

[three_rivers]

I have mixed feelings on this subject simply because its a way of life. Commercial guys make a living doing what they love providing a life for families. They've been doing it for as long as many have been fishing the river.

Here is where it gets tricky though. People started raising fish on farms thus lowering the price which in turn equals more fish has to be taken to make a buck. It has made it hard for commercial guys to make a living and in turn makes it even worse on catfish populations. Then throw all of the sport fishing, which is growing at an astounding rate, with lines, rod and reels and you got a disaster in the making.

Someone mentioned fishing on the white river, heres my take on white river and i've been on it at least for the last 10 years. I'd say about 10 years ago i was fortunate enough to have a friend who had a couple nets out mainly to see what he could catch as he wasn't selling fish. We ran a net that produced a 86 pound blue! I've yet to hear of a fish that even comes close to that one and from my experiences of fishing the white it has become more and more challenging. The fishery has literally deteriorated! A 40 has become a true trophy on a river that should produce 70 to 100 pound fish. What happened??????

Some may argue its pollution. That in my mind would be hard to believe since the trout are thriving in white river. They are usually like "canaries in a coal mine" when it comes to pollution. That basically means they would be the first to die since catfish are resilient fish. So what happened??? Down around augusta last year there was a net or line every 200 yards for a couple miles upstream and downstream of town. Add all of that with the sport fisherman and thats more pressure than a fishery can handle!

Arkansas has the potential of pumping out record class fish! It is our duty as anglers to keep our fisheries the way we want them. Voice your opinion to the game and fish commission! Every voice will make a difference. We are the ones that have the authority to have it stopped. Us sport fisherman are the ones that bring all the revenue to the state and if we had slot limits it would only benefit if our fishery was set up like tenn. We need to turn our state back into a trophy fishery. I'll tell ya what ya do, go to tennessee and do some fishing come back to arkansas and see if theres a difference? Difference between daylight and dark........

[davesoutfishing]

really good post three thanks for sharing your thoughts on it last year me an the wife watched 3 comm, fishermen in one big boat fish gill nets allllllll day we was on the river at 6 am and never left till around 4 pm they stretched nets from the dam down about 200 yards 8 nets an ran them allday we seen alot of fish wasted that day mostly carp but still they came down to us dead from them idiots well it turns out they was catching sport fish and they all got nailed by the warden took everything they owned but that still wont make the fishing any better these guys hurt the fishing bad

[davesoutfishing]

Press release from IDNR

FORT MADISON, Iowa - Four men pleaded guilty on Oct. 18, to illegally collecting game fish from the Mississippi River in their commercial fishing nets, then offering the game fish for sale.

John Gilpin, 59, and James Gilpin, 33, both of Dallas City, Ill., Joseph Gilpin, 52, from Pella, Iowa and Reggie Brannon, 50, from Montrose, Iowa, received a one year suspension from taking any aquatic wildlife, and a three year suspension of their commercial fishing license. The plea agreement was reached with the Lee County Attorney's Office.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources conservation officer Jeff Harrison and Illinois conservation police officer Mike Shell were investigating the individuals on April 20. Harrison had set up in an area along the Mississippi River to witness the operation and Shell was hidden nearby in a boat.

Harrison witnessed the men remove walleyes and other game fish from their 1,200-foot seine used to harvest rough fish under a commercial fishing license. The game fish were moved to a different net, sunk, then collected later and offered for sale.

"We had so many people come up to us and say it's about time they got caught," Harrison said. "They were difficult to catch."

The Gilpins forfeited a 26-foot boat, 200 horsepower motor, cooler, winch, pump, miscellaneous fishing equipment and the rough fish they had caught. The fines totaled more than $3,000. The forfeited property totaled more than $30,000.

The Iowa DNR cited John Gilpin and three other individuals in 1991 with 2,600 counts of illegally collecting crappies, bluegills, walleye, catfish and bass at the Eddyville Sand Plant, a backwater of the Des Moines River. Gilpin pleaded guilty to 10 counts; paid a $1,000 fine and $10,000 in liquidated damages. The State seized the boat, motor, trailer and equipment.

For more information, contact Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Jeff Harrison at 319-470-0788.



good job to the IDNR we was out that day where they was doing all this

[rodpod]

JW, what part of commercial fishing isn't a job?
Is farming a job?
The man is making an honest living on the water you PLAY on.
I dont see a thing wrong with that at all.

You chose to farm for a living, he chose to fish for a living.
All I see here is what the founding fathers of this country invisioned working.

But JW isnt planting his corn in the median in your neighborhood. He isnt planting tobacco in the park where your kids play. I dont think you hear us complaining about commercial fishing in private lakes/ponds.

Heres an analogy. So if i got a dollar for everytime I kicked someone in the ass, dont you think that im going to stand out side of walmart and kick people in the ass repeatedly until people quit going to walmart? Then move to the next densely populated area. Pillage and Repeat. Sure ill be tired but ill have lots of money and people will have sore asses! Who cares about the sore asses, im making an "honest living."

[Arkie55]

Well, this is certinely an interesting post. Personally, I think it's time to close it off. Why? Bottom line is if the fishing community, commerical and sport, don't support one another and stand firm as a community we could all be in trouble.

Bottom line is this. Commerical fishing is legal. It's been a way of life especially in Arkansas for ever. I support commerical fishing but not lawless commerical fisherman. There is a commerical fisherman (thief) in our area that has been busted by G&F officers for keeping game fish (Walleye) and it cost him dearly. Now he's a thief in my opinion. He didn't follow rules and regulations. The section of river he fished is pretty well raped and pillaged but big fish are still caught in that section of river every year as well as above and below him. The other areas of the river where guys follow the rules the fishing is as good as it's ever been. As a matter of fact, except for seeing a commerical fisherman from time to time I usually don't even see any other folks on the river. Commerical fishing is a dieing business. There are fewer commerical fisherman today than there was 10 years ago. Why? Catfish farms are taking over the industry. Another thing. I trust our G&F to make the right decisions for our game and fish resources. I know a biologist or two and they work hard to make sure they do their best to manage the resource for ALL. We may not like all of what they do but they are the experts and they know what their doing so lets have a little faith in them and not worry about running out of big fish to catch. The big fish will be there. They always have been and they always will be. No one can catch the all. Just relax and let everyone have the sport they love, be it commerical fishing or sport fishing. This discussion needs to stop and stop now. Not healthy for us, our board, or our sport.

[solomon]

I agree with Terry.

[jtrew]

I definitely agree that as long as they are abiding by applicable laws, commercial fishermen have every right to fish commercially.

[catfishkatmando]

I think we should take a look at what the market hunters accomplished, or buffalo hunters as well. Guys got a right to legally make a living but common sense should dictate that you have to let the resource renew it's self .I don't think that very many self imployed commercial fishermen have the time or inclination to do this

[solomon]

That's what state biologists are for.

[three_rivers]

I agree commercial fishing is healthy for our rivers to a point. We are sport fisherman and i don't know about the rest of you guys but hooking into a big dog on my home waters is something i'd like to see in my lifetime. I'm not asking for stopping commercial fishing, just adding a slot limit. The revenue from sport fisherman would increase greatly and make home waters trophy potential. Look at the revenue its bringing to tenn. It is legal now for how long? Sport fisherman have the right to change that, all they have to do is voice their opinion. Its all of our waters. We have regulations on us sport fisherman why not a couple to go to commercial guys too? There is pics on agfc that say it all. How many people that care about their fishery like to see that done?

[bondman]

commerical fishing in public water is wrong. that water is kept up by taxpayers and anyone that says it is ok is wrong. It is wrong to make your living from the taxpayers. It is wrong, it's wrong. Do you understand, it's wrong. It's not right, it's wrong.

ok here is something to think about the men and woman of the armed forces they make their living from taxpayers like me and you, what about police officers and the men and woman who run this great country the list goes on and on.
think about this the next time your out in the boat and you get hit by one of those asian carp. the commercial fishermen have to deal with these fish every day. I for one would love to see a market for them that would remove them from my home waters but I have been told by the DNR that no matter what they are here to stay and they are harming the river systems MORE then commercial fishermen. there will come a time when none of us will beable to catch any fish thanks to these speices not the commercial fishermen. they will eventually eat the river to death then will we be?
I am thinking about commercial fishing starting very soon now. I know that almost all of the "brothers" here will slam me but you know what it dont matter to me. I will keep only what i have a market for and will release the rest. but I will go out of my way to do my part to stay within the laws and also do my part to mantain a fishery that I can enjoy for many years. I have been in contact with numerous people about the asian carp problem and have been told the same thing NO MATTER HOW MANY ARE TAKEN OUT OF THE RIVER THEY WILL ALWAYS BE HERE NOW who do we have to thank for this problem the catfish farmers that brought them here in the first place. just my two cents worth not much but mine anyway. enjoy the fishing before it is to late. Its only a matter of time before the asain carp are in every river system in America.
Bondman

[reel pleasure]

hmnnnnnnnnn
i thought police men patrol in the township/city where the taes are collected.Same holds true for the national guard,they work within the state the taxses are collected.

Commercial fishing on pubnlic waters seems wrong.Unless its a guide service or something of that nature,plus i thought it is illigeal to catch and seel fish in most states.

I got nothing against commercial fishermen,in fact its a pretty rough job.I have a bigger issue with the bueracraps who don't head the advice or recomendations of local fish and game.
There are limits and regulations set for both commercial and local/spoirt fishermen,for a reason.
Yes yes many times it seems or even is unfair,but there are people,offices,departmnents and divisions fighting for us.
I believe its about as balanced as its ever gonna get.
Like said earlier,its the folks who disregard the creel limits or rukles and regulations that need to be weeded out.Especially for commercial fishermen,there should be no second chance.

[ohiocattracker]

Like some other brothers have said if they are following the law doing there job then they have as much rights as we do.They pay taxes and there money for licenses i would say go for the same as ours does. I think if there is any blame its just the lack of governing and making sure they abide by the law but that happens with sport fisherman also we have even heard people here at BOC say they where with someone or knew someone busted for fishing without a licenses and thats worse than Comm fishing there braking the law IMO.Its like everything else a few bad apples ruins it for the group,well few bad comm fisherman ruin it for all of the good ones.I also think most would be just like a farmer they would take care in the way of using the resources for further down the road and future genarations.I believe if Comm fishing ever gets ban then it will not be long before you and i wont be able to fish at all with groups like PETA out there waiting to stop everything.I was rasied on a farm and have alot of family that still farm but there are alot of people who think farming posions the earth,creeks,streams,rivers and i know its alot better now than when i was a kid with the amout of sprays and things going into a feild now.Like years ago loggers out west losing jobs because of owls,well im sorry there have been speices go extinct in all are life times and there are new species still being discoverd so that owl shouldnt have made that kind of inpact JMO.If they aint braking the law i say live and let live or in this case fish and let fish

[jtrew]

I'm not a biologist who's studied these various species, so I'm certainly not going to jump up and say that I know the answer, but like any citizen, I have a right to ask the question. Arkansas, like other states, employs biologists who do study the various fish and wildlife, and make suggestions as to how best to keep those populations healthy and viable. Unfortunately, without somebody prodding them in the rear, they sometimes don't get around to studying a particular problem till it's too late, or almost too late. For example, Louisiana has traditionally been the largest turtle eating state in the country...by far. Commercial turtle fishermen caught so many alligator snapping turtles in Louisiana that the species almost died out there. Then commercial fishermen in nearby states began catching those turtles and hauling them to Louisiana for sale. How badly they ruined the alligator snapper populations in other states I don't know, but they're now endangered here in Arkansas, too. This same thing has happened to a number of saltwater species, and commercial fishermen for those species now have to abide by a quota. Yep, in some cases, this meant that this or that person could no longer make a living fishing for those species. For those who choose to gripe about that, I pose a question, "Just what do you think those same people would have done if they had been allowed to continue unlimited fishing and exterminate that species?" So, do I think that commercial catfishing should be stopped? I don't know, but I do think that the problem needs to be studied. And not just a quick look at the problem. I'm talking about studying catfish with the same attitude that would be used if they were considering commercial fishing for bass. Let's remember, too, that what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander...if the catfish population can support commercial fishing, I bet the bass population can support it too. Allow commercial fishing for bass, and you'd have F&G officials being tarred & feathered, hanged in effegy, and run out of town on a rail. Sorry, but it's just another fish, and if the population of that species allows it, deserves to be commercial fished just like catfish. Likewise, if bass continue to be viewed as being worth considerably more as a sport fishing resource than as a harvestable resource, I feel that catfish might possibly need to be put into that same category. I mean, just because 'bass' has four letters and 'catfish' has seven letters is no reason to say that catfish are trash fish.

[dixiedrifter]

My only beef with commercial fishing is with the type of equipment they use and how they operate.

Personally I think gill and trammel nets should be outlawed, period. They just catch too much and indescriminately. Plus when you get onto an area thats being commercially fished you can't even put a hook in the water without getting tangled up. On the other hand trotlines and hoop nets are OK.

There also needs to be size restrictions on catfish. Not so much that they can grow to be trophy fish, but simply because they are breeding stock. The more breeding stock is out there, the more catfish fry that will be produced which results in more catfish for everyone.

[8898dan]

I agree a lot with mr Trew. Id like to see what would happen if the game and fish legalized commercial bass fishing. Its kind of like hunting in our state. Nearly all big game animals were extinct in this state by the early 1900s because of COMMERCIAL hunting. Then, conservation minded folks got together, studied the situation, and came out with hunting laws, seasons, zones, bag limits, etc. Now we have enough deer for everyone, and the bear and elk are making a real good comeback. I beleive commercial fishing should be seriously looked at. I dont know that much about comm fishing but I'll bet if they broke it down more, like having diff. limits on diff. waters, etc. we would all benifit.

[FishMan]

If we want to know what could happen then we need only look at that river in or near canada I think it is the red river. biggest channel cats in the world I believe. it didn't get that way from commerical fishing. I bet that area up there takes in millions from those fish being there and will continue to do so.
commerical fishing would kill that entire area.
Just because something is allowed by law does not mean it is OK.making a living from public money provided by taxpayers is wrong and should not be called commerical fishing. it should be called what it is, (WELFARE).
The true meaning of commerical fishing should be just like anything else labled commercial. dig a hole and grow fish for your family and friends is called fish farming. if you want to make money at it then, DIG A BIGGER HOLE!

I could be wrong but I call it like I see it.

[jtrew]

Another place to look is at the Missouri River. According to all the reports I've seen, catfishing there has greatly improved since they banned commercial fishing. I can't help but wonder how many commercial fishermen have thought about making a living guiding for catfish if commercial fishing is outlawed, and catfishing improves. After all the time they've spent on the water learning the hotspots, it seems to me that they would generally be quite successful at it. Having hired an excellent guide myself, and having commercial fished for a couple of years, I'd definitely have to say that guiding is less work.