MOUNTAIN HOME — Many proposed changes to fishing regulations on the White River and North Fork River below Bull Shoals and Norfork Dams may be available for public review in the next month.
The management plans for these fisheries are reviewed and modified periodically to ensure the resource retains its integrity while matching the needs and desires of the public. The proposed rule changes were condensed into as few as possible, according to Christy Graham, trout management program biologist for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. “We want everyone to be involved, but we also understand that a lot of changes all at once can lead to confusion,” Graham said. “So we’ve worked to address the public’s requests without making things overly complex.”
The results of the focus groups are published on the Trout Management Program’s page — https://www.agfc.com/en/fishing/sportfish/trout/. Proposals derived from those notes will be published for public comment through an online survey in the next month, and biologists hope to present them to the commission at its regularly scheduled October meeting.
“Once the proposals have been formally presented, there will be another 30-day comment window, and we will present all public comments before the commission votes on the proposals in November,” Graham said.