US EditionArkansas Game and Fish Limits Trout Catch Due to Hatchery Issues
The emergency order limits trout harvest to prevent further depletion after hatchery losses cut trout production by up to 80%, protecting fisheries vital to Arkansas's $500 million economy.
- On Thursday, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission approved an emergency order limiting harvest and imposing catch-and-release on White River, Norfork and other tailwaters, effective immediately for 120 days.
- Poor water quality from Lake Norfork and flood damage earlier this year at the Jim Hinkle Spring River State Fish Hatchery sharply reduced state hatchery capacity.
- Only about 300,000 trout are available now, down from a normal Norfork hatchery inventory of 3 million to 3.5 million, as Graham said, losses rose from 1,000 to tens of thousands daily.
- Anglers must follow reduced daily limits—two trout and one over 14 inches—and the commission will post signage and prioritize public education, estimating the fishery’s value near $300 million.
- Officials say mitigation purchases will start with 71,000 3-inch rainbow trout, funded by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission appropriation: $80,000, after warning 'The White River will see over a 50% loss' and planning to buy from Missouri hatcheries.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Jonesboro Sun
Stuttgart Daily LeaderCommission approves emergency order for trout tailwaters, limits temporarily curtailed
LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission approved an emergency order Oct. 16 that will temporarily cut back the daily trout possession limit in the state’s four most significant, economically important coldwater fisheries due to reduced production capacity…
Commission approves emergency order for trout tailwaters
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission approved an emergency order Oct. 16 that will temporarily cut back the daily trout possession limit in the state’s four most significant, economically important coldwater fisheries due to reduced production capacity at the Norfork…
AGFC issues emergency order reducing trout limits after hatchery losses
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) has approved an emergency order temporarily reducing trout limits in the state’s four major coldwater fisheries following significant production losses at the Norfork National Fish Hatchery.Poor water quality at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-operated hatchery, combined with April flooding that damaged the AGFC’s Jim Hinkle State Fish Hatchery on the Spring River, has led to the loss of millions o…
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