Ohio Wildlife Council Voted on Fishery Management Changes
New Lake Erie Walleye and Yellow Perch Regulation will take effect May 1
COLUMBUS, OH – The Ohio Wildlife Council has approved changes that will affect Lake Erie walleye and yellow perch, crappies in 44 inland lakes, and Ohio River catfish according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife.
The change to the timing of when bag limits are set for Lake Erie walleye and yellow perch was passed. New bag limits will become effective on May 1 instead of March 1. Changing this effective date allows for the walleye and yellow perch quotas set by the Lake Erie Committee to be considered prior to setting the bag limits.
The Lake Erie Committee comprises fishery managers from Michigan, New York, Ohio, Ontario and Pennsylvania. The committee’s work is facilitated by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, a Canadian and U.S. agency on the Great Lakes. Each year the committee sets the total allowable catch for walleye and yellow perch from Lake Erie. Total allowable catch represents the number of fish that can be caught by sport and commercial fishers without putting the stocks at risk. From the total allowable catch for the lake, individual state quotas are calculated.
Adding 38 lakes to the current list of six lakes that have 9-inch minimum size limits on crappies was also approved. A bag limit of 30 crappies on all lakes with 9-inch size limits was also passed, which now equal 44 lakes across the state. Alum Creek, Caesar Creek, Deer Creek, Delaware, Seneca and Tappan Lakes have had the 9-inch minimum regulations for years.
The 38 new reservoirs are Acton (Butler and Preble counties), Atwood (Carroll and Tuscarawas counties), Berlin (Stark, Mahoning, and Portage counties), Buckeye (Fairfield, Licking, and Perry counties), C.J. Brown (Clark County), Clear Fork (Morrow and Richland counties), Clendening (Harrison County), Dillon (Muskingum County), East Fork (Clermont County), Ferguson (Allen County), Grand Lake St. Marys (Auglaize and Mercer counties), Griggs (Franklin County), Hargus (Pickaway County), Hoover (Delaware and Franklin counties), Indian (Logan County), Kiser (Champaign County), Knox (Knox County), Loramie (Auglaize and Shelby counties), Milton (Mahoning County), Leesville (Carroll County), Madison (Madison County), Mosquito (Trumbull County), Nimisila (Summit County), O’Shaughnessy (Delaware County), Portage Lakes: East, Long, North, Turkeyfoot, and West (Summit County), Paint Creek (Highland and Ross counties), Piedmont (Belmont, Guernsey, and Harrison counties), Pleasant Hill (Ashland and Richland counties), Rocky Fork (Highland County), Rush Creek (Fairfield and Perry counties), Salt Fork (Guernsey County), Springfield (Summit County), Veterans Memorial (Hancock County) and West Branch (Portage County).
An extension of the statewide catfish regulations to the Ohio River was passed. Ohio River anglers will be allowed only one channel catfish 28 inches or longer with no limit for channel catfish under 28 inches. In addition, only one flathead and one blue catfish 35 inches or longer may be possessed with no limit for flathead and blue catfish under 35 inches.
Input was sought at six public open houses at various locations across the state and a central statewide hearing. Information recorded at these open houses along with comments from the state hearing was forwarded to the division’s central office in Columbus, where proposed rule changes were considered.
