Angler Hooks Limo
OMA, TX—Bob Faulkner said he knew he’d hooked something pretty big while fishing at Lake Texoma earlier this year. He was preparing to remove his boat from the water at a launch when his 27 1/2-foot boat suddenly stopped.

When the Pottsboro, Texas, angler used his anchor in an attempt to remove the submerged obstacle, he discovered a large piece of vinyl attached to it.

The fisherman contacted the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office, and after four tries, they reeled-in Faulkner’s catch--a Humvee stretch limousine that had earlier been reported stolen.

New Boat Stickers Don’t Stick
WILMINGTON, DE—There’s just one minor problem with the new permit sticker that licensed saltwater anglers in Delaware were required to place on their boats beginning January 1—it doesn’t stick to watercraft and quickly disintegrates in salt water after one day.

Delaware fisheries administrator Roy Miller says the complaints began pouring in soon after the first stickers were issued and anglers began trying to put them on their boats.

“It’s most unfortunate,” Miller told the Wilmington News-Journal. “It’s more criticism that we don’t need.”

As in other states, Delaware requires a freshwater fishing license, but only last year approved a license for saltwater fishing as well. With last year’s reauthorization of the Federal Fisheries Act (Magnuson-Stevens), lawmakers and fisheries folks recognized that the state could fail to qualify for some federal dollars without a method to accurately track the number of saltwater fishermen.

The potential loss of federal monies spurred the state into action, and a new license was hastily created--as was the boat sticker.

Edward Dwornik, who owns the company contracted to supply the stickers said he wasn’t aware there was a problem until the complaints began. He described the stickers’ apparent aversion to salt water and watercraft surfaces as “a material failure.”

Once new materials are thoroughly tested, new decals will be mailed to Delaware saltwater anglers, Dwornik said.
In the meantime, saltwater fishermen are being told to carry their sticker in case they need to present it for license verification.


Angler Endures Hairy Situation
CHESTERTON, IN—Call it a lousy day of fishing and a bad hair day rolled into one. A Lake Michigan angler’s disconcerting catch of a clump of what appeared to be human hair resulted in the dispatching of divers near the Port of Indiana. Nothing was found during their four-hour search.

The Indiana State Police forensic laboratory will be testing a clump of hair hooked by an angler near the warm water discharge of Mittal Steel USA’s Burns Harbor facility.

The clump—about the size of a “saucer” and brownish in color—appears to be human, DNR Conservation Officer Gene Davis told the Chesterton Tribune today, but at this point its origin is unknown. The hair, he noted, is not attached to any skin or other organic material and is simply loose in a clump.

Guides Protest Madison River Fees 
BOZEMAN, MT—Fishing guides and outfitters are protesting a new plan that requires payments for guiding clients on a popular portion of Montana’s Madison River.
The permits, approved by Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, cost $90, or 3 percent of a commercial guide’s gross revenues from river trips. The program is aimed at reducing and managing anglers and day use on heavily used stretches of the Madison.

At a recent public meeting held to discuss the fee program, dozens of outfitters and businesses owners spoke out against the plan.

But officials from FPW and the Bureau of Land Management defended the policy, insisting it is necessary to prevent over-crowding and ensure the health of the popular trout fishing river.

“This is to obtain compensation for commercial use of public resources,” said Tim Bozorth, a BLM field manager. ”If we leave this for a free-for-all, it may be taken out of our hands and end up in the (state) legislature.”


California Dodges A Bullet After Oil Spill
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—California anglers breathed a sigh of relief last November when a fishing closure was lifted in San Francisco bay in the wake of a massive oil spill. After a 900-foot cargo ship sideswiped a tower on the Bay Bridge, authorities instituted a recreational and commercial fishing ban that impacted everything from sturgeon to halibut to striped bass. The ban was lifted several weeks later after it was determined that the 58,000 gallons of fuel had only moderate impacts on fisheries. While thousands of ocean birds were oiled, the bay fisheries emerged largely unscathed. One conservationist said, “We were lucky.”

State-By-State Boating Infrastructure Grant Plans
Alabama: The Alabama Department of Environmental Management, in cooperation with the Huntsville/Madison County Marina and Port Authority, will receive nearly $345,000 and match that amount with more than $500,000 to construct nine slips for visiting boats and a fuel pier at the Ditto Landing Transient Boating Facilities.

Arkansas: The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, in cooperation with JAPB LLC, will receive $1 million and match that amount with more than $3 million to construct a dual purpose wave break and tie-up facility for up to 36 visiting boats in Little Rock.

California: The California Department of Boating and Waterways, in cooperation with the City of Stockton, will receive nearly $1.4 million and match that amount with nearly $1.4 million to construct new dockage for up to 46 visiting boats throughout the Stockton Marina. The proposed facilities will include dockside utilities and other amenities.

The California Department of Boating and Waterways, in cooperation with San Francisco Waterfront Partners, will receive more than $425,000 and match that amount with the same to construct dockage for 22 visiting boats as part of the larger rehabilitation project on San Francisco Piers 1½, 3 and 5.

Connecticut: The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, in cooperation with St. Clements Castle, will receive more than $1.8 million and match that amount with the same to construct dockage for 35 visiting boats at the Saint Clements Marina near Portland.

Florida: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in cooperation with the City of Jacksonville and other partners, will receive more than $600,000 and match that amount with more than $1 million to provide dockside utilities to 78 visiting boat slips at Metropolitan Marina Park.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in cooperation with Martin County, South Florida Water Management District, and other partners will receive $500,000 and match that amount with more than $10 million to conduct one-time dredging operations necessary to maintain access to a multitude of visiting boating facilities in the county.

Georgia: The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the City of Savannah, will receive $1 million and match that amount with more than $4.4 million to construct a 1,000 linear foot floating dock for visiting boats.

Maryland: The Maryland Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with Chestertown Marina, will receive more than $405,000 and match that amount with more than $225,000 to construct 25 slips for visiting boaters with dockside utilities.

Michigan: The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, will receive nearly $1 million and match that amount with more than $600,000 to construct 30 slips for visiting boats in the planned Peshawbestown Marina located in the Grand Traverse Bay. The proposed project will also include fuel and sewage pumpout stations, and restroom/shower/laundry facilities.

New York: The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, in cooperation with Port of Oswego Authority, will receive nearly $434,000 and match that amount with nearly $150,000 to rehabilitate and convert existing commercial wharf facilities into access for up to 40 recreational visiting boats. The proposed project will also include dockside utilities and restrooms/showers.

North Carolina: The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, in cooperation with the Town of Bellhaven, will receive more than $155,000 and match that amount with the same to construct approximately 900 linear feet of docking access for visiting boaters to provide access to the local community and safe harbor mooring.

Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, in cooperation with the Mellon Foundation, McCune Foundation, Heinz Endowment, NiSource and other partners will receive $1,350,000 and match that amount with nearly $5.3 million to construct dockage for up to 17 visiting boats at the South Shore Riverfront Park located in Pittsburgh.

Rhode Island: The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife, in cooperation with the City of Newport, will receive $713,000 and match that amount with more than $250,000 to construct a centralized "state of the art" facility for visiting boaters. The proposed project includes restrooms and other amenities for visiting boaters.

Texas: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, in cooperation with the City of Port Aransas and other partners, will receive more than $366,000 and match that amount with more than $200,000 to construct 16 slips for visiting boaters in the Port Aransas Municipal Harbor. The proposed visiting facilities are part of a larger marina renovation project that also includes providing dockside utilities, sewage pumpout facilities and other improvements.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, in cooperation with the City of Port Lavaca and other cooperators, will receive more than $660,000 and match that amount with more than $220,000 to construct 48 permanent slips for visiting boaters in the Nautical Landings Marina. The proposed facility expansion also includes construction of restroom, shower and laundry facilities for boaters, improved navigation aids, and other facility improvements.

Virginia: The Virginia Department of Health, in cooperation with the City of Norfolk and other partners, will receive nearly $340,000 and match that amount with nearly $350,000 to replace the existing deteriorating dock facilities at the Waterside Marina in Norfolk. The proposed project will also provide dockside electrical service to boaters.

The Virginia Department of Health, in cooperation with Poquoson Marina Associates LLC, will receive more than $300,000 and match that amount with the same to construct 20 slips for visiting boats. The proposed project will also remove deteriorating dock infrastructure.

Wisconsin: The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the City of Green Bay, will receive nearly $765,000 and match that amount with the same to construct facilities for visiting boaters along the Fox River.