2015 Hackettstown Hatchery Stocking Summaries

[Eskimo]

Originally Posted by dakota560

Saw guys taking 40 to 50 fish a day the fish were so stacked up in deep holes. Would be a shame to see the fishery hurt that way if it is as you say primarily dependent on natural reproduction.

NJ Fish & Wildlife found out about the slaughter and reacted to it.
Apparently, catfish in Pennsylvania have no minimum size and a 50 fish limit. (Fifty!) For some reason, the regulations for catfish in the Delaware defaulted to the Pennsylvania code and not the NJ code with a 12 inch minimum and a five fish limit.

http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/05...chap61toc.html

After what happened last winter, they proposed a change to the NJ regulations for 2016.

PROPOSED REGULATION CHANGES FOR DELAWARE RIVER
Currently, New Jersey has no minimum size or creel limit for Channel Catfish on the Delaware River and Pennsylvania allows up to 50 to be harvested each day. The Council proposes a minimum size limit of 12 inches and a daily limit of 5 per day. These limits are consistent with current size and creel limits for Channel Catfish in all other fresh waters in New Jersey. The harsh winter of 2014-2015 resulted in extensive ice forming on the river from Trenton through the Delaware Water Gap. The extended ice cover and liberal regulations resulted in unprecedented numbers of Channel Catfish being harvested by anglers. The event emphasized the need for more stringent regulations.

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/news/...e_proposal.htm


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