Notice of Intent to Amend Regulations and Notice of Public Hearing

The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, pursuant to Sections 4-168(a) and 22a-6 of the General Statutes of Connecticut, hereby gives notice of his intention to adopt a new section 26-48a-4, and amend sections 26-112-43, 26-112-44, 26-112-45, 26-112-46, and 26-112-48 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies. These regulations will be adopted under authority of Sections 26-48a and 26-112 of the General Statutes.

The proposed amendments to the regulations will establish trout and Atlantic salmon stamps, and amend regulations concerning methods and gear types, fishing seasons for several waterbodies, harvest regulations for certain species (common carp, catfish and bullheads), Trout Management Areas, Wild Trout Management Areas, Atlantic Salmon “Broodstock Areas,” Trout Parks, and Trophy Carp Waters. Additionally special regulations for black bass at Trap Falls Reservoir will be removed and several technical changes are made.

These proposals are intended to provide an additional source of revenue for natural resource programs, provide additional recreational fishing opportunities, and enhance existing fishing opportunities. Below is a summary of the proposed changes:

Section 1. Establishes $5.00 trout stamp and $10 broodstock Atlantic salmon stamp ($12.00 for a combination stamp) to fish for trout and Atlantic Salmon.

Section 2. Establish definitions for “maximum length”, “Tenkara” fishing (and allow Tenkara fishing to be considered “flyfishing”) and “bubble floats”.

Section 3. Removes the closed season from Alexander Lake, shortens the closed season at Green Falls Reservoir and adds a closed season to Baldwins Pond.

Section 4. Establish statewide regulations for common carp (subsection (f)), removes catfish & bullhead from the list of panfish (subsection (j)) and establishes creel & length limits for catfish (new subsection (s)).

Section 5.

- Subsection (c). Establishes a short closed season on a small portion of the Farmington River Trout Management Area (TMA) located in the Riverton area and changes the Mill River TMA (Fairfield) from a seasonal TMA to year-round catch-and-release fishing.

- Subsection (g). Extends the Mill River Wild Trout Management Area downstream to the upper boundary of the Mill River TMA.

- Subsection (h). Updates period when the broodstock salmon gear restriction applies to fishing for all species in broodstock areas.

- Subsection (i). Adds Pasture Pond to the list of Trout Parks.

- New subsection (l). Establishes a new type of special management area, “Trophy Carp Waters” on several waterbodies, with regulations that differ from the statewide regulations established in Section 4.

Section 6. Eliminate special bass regulations for Trap Falls Reservoir as per request of Aquarion Water Company.

Additionally, there are several technical changes, most notably eliminating use of the term “charr” when referring to trout.

The proposed regulations, statement of purpose, a small business impact statement and a fiscal note indicating no additional expense to the state or municipal governments to implement these proposed regulations are posted and available for download (pdf) on the eRegulations system (https://eregulations.ct.gov).

Copies of the proposed regulations, statement of purpose, small business impact statement and fiscal note are also available for public inspection during normal business hours at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division, 6th Floor, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT, 06106-5127. These documents can also be obtained by contacting Bill Foreman at the above address, by phone at (860) 424-3474, or by email (deep.inland.fisheries@ct.gov).

One public hearing has been scheduled to obtain public comment to determine whether to adopt the proposed regulations or to adjust the measures. All interested persons are invited to express their views on the proposed regulations at the following public hearing:

Date: August 9, 2017
Time:6:30 pm
Location:Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Gina McCarthy Auditorium
79 Elm Street
Hartford, Connecticut 06106

Interested persons may also choose to present their views regarding the proposed regulations in writing during the public comment period. Written comments should be submitted no later than 4:30 PM on August 25, 2017. Based on public comment, the proposed regulations may be adjusted to meet the objective of the proposal. Comments may be submitted using one of the following methods:

- Online via the eRegulations system (https://eregulations.ct.gov) on the Secretary of State’s website. Go to “Open for Public comment”, select this regulation and follow instructions for submitting comments.

- By mail or delivery service to Bill Foreman at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Fisheries Division, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT, 06106-5127.

- By email to william.foreman@ct.gov.

- By fax to 860-424-4070 (attention: Bill Foreman).


The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to complying with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please contact us at (860) 418-5910 or deep.accommodations@ct.gov if you: have a disability and need a communication aid or service; have limited proficiency in English and may need information in another language; or if you wish to file an ADA or Title VI discrimination complaint. Any person needing a hearing accommodation may call the State of Connecticut relay number - 711. Requests for accommodations must be made at least two weeks prior to any agency hearing, program or event.


________________________________

Susan Whalen

Deputy Commissioner



Published on the Connecticut eRegulations system on the Secretary of State's website on July 20, 2017

Let me guess they are going to try to sell the trout stamp as a way to help the hatcheries but then they will either lower the money going to DEEP by the same amount or just take it!

Or...quit throwing money away on put-take fisheries and spend it more wisely developing/supplanting self-sustaining fisheries.

How many alewives/shad could be restored to how many river systems with all the money wasted on trout? What about dam removals? Fish ladder construction? What impact would all of that have on the sound as a fishery?

Plenty of places the private sector is not organized to make changes to enhance our fisheries and they'd rather throw money away on what amounts to state sponsored meals for a few fisherman. Outdoorsman's welfare programs need to end!

DEEP FISHERIES MISMANAGEMENT will not be solved by more money income. It would just be more money to MISMANAGE.

DEEP FISHERIES MANAGEMENT just needs to MANAGE the resources they already have. Once they prove they can be responsible MANAGEMENT, then us Outdoorsmen/women would be more willing to buy into and pay into increased fees if we see the benefit from their MANAGEMENT.

RIGHT NOW OUTDOORSPEOPLE DON'T TRUST THE ABILITIES OF DEEP MANAGEMENT....Fisheries, Hunting, etc...

Our hunting and fishing regulations in CT are more complicated than the Federal tax code.

I can see this happening on the Farmington no kill area. A fellow is fishing in the no kill area, DEEP officer comes up and ask for his trout stamp. The person reply I don't have one and say why would I need one, I am not keeping any fish. The fellow has a reg. fishing Lic. What would be the DEEP answer to that? They catch people with a load of under size stripe bass and can not get them prosecuted. If I am fishing in the Naugy and a DEEP ask me for my salmon stamp I would say I am not fishing for salmon but small mouth bass. What would be his answer to that?

They could conceivably require the trout stamp to fish in any stocked waters , just like all out closure to fishing outside of trout season .

Creel and length limits on channel cats , now that the state is stocking them . Go figure .

Trophy carp waters , well we do have good carp fishing and it is getting more popular . Think carp stamp within a few years...

Spade.

NAME the guy here who thinks collecting more coin for this will fix it, as opposed to better management. Name them....

Doesn't exist.

With the additional funds raised will they sponsor or expand new projects, or will they continue to deposit it to the general fund? Can't see how this would benefit the sportsman, anglers, the science, or even the DEEP? It would be a shame to see the people of CT hit with a new tax/cost that would affect them, result in continued impacts on the DEEP, and do nothing to solving the states mismanagement problems!

Proposed Regulations are Available for Your Comment

Occasionally, based on public suggestion or fisheries management considerations, regulations need to be updated or created. DEEP's Fisheries Division is currently proposing to make changes to the Inland sport fishing regulations and to establish trout and salmon stamps. These changes are intended to help provide additional recreational opportunities, enhance existing fishing opportunities, and to provide additional revenue to support recreational fishing.

DEEP's proposed changes to Inland Fisheries Regulations (effective 2018) are currently open for public comment until 4:30 pm on August 25, 2017. The proposed changes are available via Connecticut's "eRegulations system (https://eregulations.ct.gov) or by request from Deep.inland.fisheries@ct.gov or by phone at 860-424-3474.

We would like to hear from you, in favor or against, through one of the following methods.

1. Online via the Connecticut eRegulation system (preferred method)
2. By mail or delivery service to:
Bill Foreman
CT DEEP Fisheries Division
79 Elm Street
Hartford, CT 06106
3. By email to william.foreman@ct.gov
4. By Fax to 860-424-4070 (Attn. Bill Foreman)

In addition, a public hearing is scheduled for:

August 9, 2017 starting at 6:30 pm.
Gina McCarthy Auditorium
5th floor of DEEP Headquarters
79 Elm Street, Hartford.

All are invited to attend and provide verbal testimony or written testimony at that time.

The following is a simple summary of proposed regulations and is provided here for overview purposes only. Please refer to the published documents on the e-regulations system for official wording.

1. Establishes a trout stamp ($5), an Atlantic salmon stamp ($10) and combo ($12), required to a.) fish for trout in Trout Management Areas, Wild Trout Management Areas, Trout Parks, or Broodstock Areas or b.) keep (harvest) trout or kokanee (except from waters stocked at no expense to the state).

2. Establishes a definition for "maximum length", "Tenkara", and "bubble floats".

3. Changes the fishing season on Alexander Lake, Baldwin's Pond, and Green Falls Reservoir.

4. Establishes statewide regulation for Common Carp, removes catfish and bullhead from the list of "panfish".

5. Establishes daily creel and minimum length limits for catfish.

6. Establishes a new closed season on the West Branch Farmington River, in the Riverton area and changes the Mill River TMA (Fairfield) to be year round Catch and Release fishing.

7. The Mill River Wild Trout Management Area is extended to the upper boundary of the Mill River TMA (Merritt Parkway).

8. Pasture Pond (Quinebaug Trout Hatchery, Plainfield) is added to the list of Trout Parks.

9. Establishes "Trophy Carp Waters" on several waterbodies. In these waters the daily limit will be 1 fish under 26 inches. All Carp over 26 inches must be released.

10. Various minor technical changes to make existing regulations consistent or to provide clarity.

Those of us over 65 finally get a free license but have to buy everything else for hunting and fishing. These people are ridiculous.

I sent a comment to Bill Foreman via email. Said the item that has the most state-wide impact is the trout/salmon stamp issue.

--Salmon stamp will not go over well. The Fed's gave up on Ct. Atlantic Salmon, the state gave up too, very few returning wild salmon to milk for eggs, so why buy a stamp for a shot at a hatchery fish stocked in a few spots.

--Trout stamp would be ok if the state was going to increase stocking by going from 600k stocked trout to 800k stocked trout by adding 200k extra two year old trout to the stocking program. But you are going in reverse since 2018 is going to see only 300k trout stocked in fewer waters, in fewer numbers but we pay an extra five bucks, that will go into the General Fund and not to the hatcheries, to have a less satisfying experience? I don't think so. Fishermen will turn to the salt or go out of state and fish for trout.

I went to this website https://eregulations.ct.gov/eRegsPortal/ and you can comment on this new stamp. You have to go into the open comment section. It's a little tricky but you'll get there. Everyone is either flat out opposed or delusional as they don't mind a stamp if the money will go back into the trout program which I don't believe for a minute. Our fees are grabbed and used by whoever is in power and our new fees just make up for the stealing.

Steely, those are all good points to ask at the meeting.
Candlewood Lake is a classic example, 10,000 trout stocked a year with 175 scheduled bass tournaments. So do the bass guys need a trout stamp? Then there are the small class 1 wild trout streams where fishing is almost all trout related, so does anyone who fishes these need a trout stamp? Where do you draw the line between waters that are "must have trout stamp" to waters that are "must have trout stamp to keep a trout in possession"?

A stamp for less trout brilliant!

Bill, kokanee falls under the trout stamp. he salmon stamp is for atlantic salmon. The confusing part for me is rivers and streams are called Trout Management Areas and Wild trout Management Areas but lakes and ponds are called Trout Management Lakes. No mention of a stamp for the Trout Management Lakes. But the kicker is that you need a stamp to posess trout or kokanee.

Before I write my written response I did some research into what Rhode Island does. Heaven forbid if we implement this we don't follow an existing model.

BTW theirs is $5.50. Their regs are below which answers some questions. So it’s clear you would have to have a trout stamp to fish the catch and release part of the Farmington, etc. It’s only if you plan on keeping any in other waters. It' still going to be really hard to enforce. I can't see CT going back to having to display something - but otherwise how do you know. Look at our pheasant tags - now that they don't give you tags that's really a pheasant stamp. You wouldn't need one for Colebrook or Congamond under these rules.

RI Trout Conservation Stamp
1. A Trout Conservation Stamp is required of any person wishing to keep or possess a trout, salmon, or charr caught in Rhode Island waters or to fish in a “catch & release” or in a “fly fishing only” area.
2. A Trout Conservation Stamp can be obtained from any city or town clerk’s office or from authorized agents such as bait and tackle shops and some retail department stores.
3. The Trout Conservation Stamp must be worn so that it is visible and must be shown upon request.
4. The Trout Conservation Stamp expires on the last day of February annually.
5. A Trout Conservation Stamp is NOT required of the following:
1. Minors younger than fifteen (15) years of age.
2. Any resident over 65 years of age.
3. Any person with a 100% disability.
4. Landowners or members of their families when fishing from property on which they are actually domiciled.
5. Any person possessing trout taken from a lake or pond which shares a border with a neighboring state.
6. Any person possessing privately-owned trout caught in privately-owned ponds.

Pretty soon CT DEEP will be having us buy stamps to catch Searobins & Sandsharks!

I'd rather have a trout stamp than a stout tramp.

I don't think she's that frail.



Just sayin . . . . . .