# Let the games begin...



## atrkyhntr (May 31, 2004)

I have sent the following out to see what kind of feedback we can get:
Hello,
Let me ask the following questions...
How does a fish qualify to become classified as a gamefish?
I belong to a club and we may be interested in trying to classify a certain non-gamefish in Ohio waters as a new listed gamefish which then may or may not qualify for possesion limits, slot limits and/or other protective measures. How would we go about that in a way that may garner support within the ODNR and the divisions there of?
thank you so very much,
Clyde J. Burrie Jr.

In hindsight I should have passed this around in the forums to see if it says what needs to be said and maybe re-worded...
I will in the future...
It is a start ... baby steps...


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## TheKing (Apr 15, 2004)

Looks like a good start. This website group is probably a strong tool to support it when you get it figured out as to exactly what to do. It will likely be a rubber ball bouncing for a while at first....from office-to-office until it lands at someones's desk that can define what action is needed.


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

Hey, its a start & it hard to start somewhere.


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## atrkyhntr (May 31, 2004)

*UPDATE*
I rec'd a reply:
Clyde:

From a legal standpoint, the "gamefish", "non-gamefish", and "forage
fish" classifications are primarily for commercial fishing purposes.
Gamefish cannot be harvested and sold by commercial fishermen. Certain
non-gamefish and forage fish species may be commercially harvested.
Today, those distinctions for commercial fishing purposes apply to a
very small handful of trap-netters and shore-seiners on Lake Erie.
Commercial fishing is prohibited everywhere else in Ohio.

To qualify for management regulations (length limits, bag limits, etc.),
it is not a matter of how a species is classified for commercial fishing
purposes. Channel catfish are a good example of this. Channel catfish
can be harvested commercially on Lake Erie, yet there are channel
catfish bag limit regulations in place for sport anglers throughout the
rest of Ohio. If a fish is popular with the angling public, and its
numbers are being negatively impacted by angling (overharvest, harvest
of young fish, etc.), then it is a candidate for special regulations -
irregardless of its status of gamefish, non-gamefish, forage fish, etc.

If you have a species of fish in mind that you think deserves special
regulations, send us an e-mail or letter explaining your position, and
we will consider it.
********************************************

Nobody placed their name on the end of that reply so it looks like I'll still need to find a good contact before some constructive diolog can be made...


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