Conservation Advisory Board approves seasons, bag limits

By DAVID RAINER

In one of the more uneventful meetings of the past several years, the Alabama Conservation Advisory Board approved the 2007-2008 seasons and bag limits last weekend at the new 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center in Spanish Fort with only one change from the recommendations presented by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division.

Board member Dr. Wayne May asked the board to change the dove seasons in the north zone, moving the opening split two weeks later in September. May said the hot weather in early September is a deterrent to participation and can be dangerous for hunters and their retrievers.

May’s recommended the splits of Sept. 22 through Oct. 13, Oct. 27 through Nov. 18 and Dec. 15-29, which was approved by the board with a dissenting vote from Grant Lynch, who pointed out that the dove season in most of the surrounding states opened the first weekend in September.

In other action, Lynch reported a situation in Macon County where a landowner with a high fence had constructed an earthen ramp that abutted the high fence. There was feed on the inside of the fence to entice the deer to jump into the enclosure and then would not be able to exit the enclosure.

Lynch asked Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries to propose a new regulation at the May meeting that would prevent such activity.

As usual, the majority of public testimony centered on the dog deer hunting issues, mainly in Fayette County, but the board did not take any action.

Riley Boykin Smith, former Conservation Commissioner who is now president of the Alabama Wildlife Federation, took the opportunity to reiterate AWF’s support for legislation to increase hunting and fishing license fees.

“We all know that the license increase is direly needed,” Smith said. “Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries is going to be in very rough shape if it’s not passed. We understand how critical it is for this legislation to pass at this time. Revenue measures always meet some resistance in the Legislature. I’m asking the board to pass a resolution that the Conservation Advisory Board urges the Legislature to pass the bill in its current form and ask that no amendments be allowed to the legislation.

“The Alabama Wildlife Federation will use all its resources to help in any way we can to get this legislation passed.”

The board complied with his request by later passing a resolution that asked the Legislature to refrain from adding any amendments to the license increase bill and to ensure that the revenue is directed to the intended departments.

There was limited discussion about the three-buck limit proposed at the February meeting by Steve Guy of the Alabama Farmers Federation. Conservation Commissioner Barnett Lawley is in the process of appointing a committee to study the proposal and make a presentation to the board at its May 19th meeting at a site to be determined in north Alabama.

Don Knight of the Alabama Dog Hunters Association, who again called for all outdoorsmen to support the proposed license increases, said he is opposed to a mandated buck limit and it should be left up to the landowner or lease holder.

From the opposite viewpoint, Rick Yeager of the White Tail Adventures Hunting Club in Henry County said the buck limit is needed to improve the age of bucks in the state. Yeager said Alabama, which is known nationwide for its deer hunting, now ranks near the bottom in the number of bucks listed in both the Pope and Young (archery) and Boone and Crockett record books.

On the saltwater fishing front, Board member Ross Self expressed concern about the impact of commercial gill netting on the Spanish mackerel population. Because gill nets have been banned or severely limited in other Gulf Coast states, the majority of the Spanish caught commercially come from Alabama waters, Self said.

“There has been a marked decrease in the ability for recreational anglers, myself included, to catch Spanish mackerel,” Self said. “I started asking Marine Resources some questions about this and they have enlightened me somewhat on this. It kind of all ties back into when our neighbors, primarily Florida, banished net fishing. This has resulted in increased gill net pressure off the coast of Alabama.

“For that reason, I would like to make a motion that the Commissioner of Conservation investigate and study whether commercial overharvesting by gill netting is occurring in Alabama and authorize him to adopt regulations that may be required to prevent the same.”

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

In other action, the Conservation Advisory Board presented Jim Porter of Birmingham with a plaque of appreciation for his six years of service on the board, which ended at the Spanish Fort meeting. Porter will be replaced by Raymond Jones Jr. of Huntsville.

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