DNR To Hold Public Meetings On Inland Fishing Regulation Changes For 2006

---

Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Secretary C. Ronald Franks today announced a series of public meetings to discuss and hear comments on proposed regulations being considered for inland fisheries for 2006.

Public meetings to discuss the proposed inland fishing regulation changes for 2006 will be held at the following locations and times on the designated dates:

• April 25 at Greenbrier State Park Visitor’s Center, Route 40, Washington County at 7p.m.
   
• April 26 at Frostburg State University, Cordt’s Physical Education Center, Leake Room, Frostburg, Allegany County at 7p.m.
   
• April 27 at Patapsco Valley State Park, Hollofield Headquarters, Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, Howard County at 7p.m.
   
• May 3 at the Visitor’s Center of Cedarville Natural Resource Area, Cedarville, Prince George’s County at 7p.m.
   
• May 5 at the Natural Resources Police Eastern Region Office, Area 2, Route 309 and 404, Hillsboro, Queen Anne’s County at 7p.m.

The following changes are being proposed for the Inland Fisheries Division for the years 2006.

• Amend closure dates for Put-and-Take Trout Fishing Areas for 2006 and 2007:
   

  Closure	2006	2007
  0	No closure	No closure
  1	March 5 to March 25	March 11 to March 31
  2	March 19 to March 25	March 25 to March 31
  3	April 9 to April 15	April 15 to April 21
  4	April 16 to April 22	April 22 to April 28

   

• Modify the description of Fishing Creek Put-and-Take Trout Fishing Area in Frederick County to reflect that the left fork, or Fishing Creek mainstem above the confluence of the two branches, is the only area on the Put-and-Take list. The right fork, Little Fishing Creek, is managed under statewide regulations of two trout-per-day.
   
• Proposal to change Salisbury Park Pond in Salisbury to Beaverdam Creek below Schumaker Pond (also referred to as Salisbury Park Pond) downstream to the bridge crossing at Memorial Plaza Road.
   
• Modify Beaver Creek management in Washington County. Action on this area involves the expansion of the Catch and Return Trout Fishing Area, Flies Only, upstream to the north side of Interstate 70. This will modify the Put-and-Take Trout Fishing Area to the area from Beaver Creek Road downstream to the confluence with Antietam Creek. The mainstem of Beaver Creek upstream of the north side of U.S. Route 70 will be managed under statewide regulations of two trout-per-day or as a regular Put-and-Take Trout Fishing Area with a limit of five trout-per-day.
   
• Expand the Put-and-Take Trout Fishing Area on Middle Creek in Frederick County from its confluence with Spruce Run downstream to the lower boundary of Doubs Park south of Route 40.
   
• Add a section of the Patuxent River (Montgomery and Howard Counties) below Brighton Dam downstream to Mink Hollow Road, and the Hawlings River (Montgomery County) from Brighton Dam Road downstream to the Patuxent River to the list of Catch and Return Trout Fishing areas restricted to the use of artificial flies. Alternative management scenarios for these two areas will also be discussed.
   
• Include all ponds in Myrtle Grove Wildlife Management Area in Charles County on the list of Put-and-Take Trout Fishing areas.
   
• Remove Principio Creek in Cecil County from the list of Put-and-Take Trout Fishing Areas.
   
• Add a regulation to prohibit the culling of trout while fishing.
   
• Add the Snowy Creek mainstem in Garrett County to the list of Put-and-Take Trout Fishing Areas.
   
• Remove Brownsville Pond from the list of Put-and-Take Trout Fishing Areas and shift the trout from that area to Brunswick Pond, which will be managed as a two trout-per-day area.
   
• On the Gunpowder Falls from Corbett Road downstream approximately 1.6 miles, remove that section from the Put-and-Take Trout Fishing Areas list. The area is remote, has not been stocked, and will revert to two trout-per-day management in order to protect existing wild trout populations.
   
• Additionally, the Inland Fisheries Division invites the public to attend to engage in a discussion of restrictions on fish and other organisms that can be used as live bait. Bait restrictions are being considered for the future to protect the fish resources of the State from damage by introduced and invasive species.

DNR Inland Fisheries Division management activities are supported by the Sportfish Restoration Program (Dingell-Johnson/Wallop-Breaux) funds, and by fees from the sale of freshwater fishing licenses and trout stamps.

All interested parties are invited to attend and give their views. Sign Language interpreters and other appropriate accommodations for individuals with disabilities will be provided upon request. One-week advance notice for is requested and appreciated.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 446,000 acres of public lands and 18,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 11 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov