When South Dakota wildlife officials tried to give anglers the freedom to keep their prize catches of a unique fish, something surprising happened.
Many anglers said no thanks and convinced a state commission to reject the proposal.
The Game, Fish and Parks Commission's monthly meeting Thursday and Friday in Winner included consideration of a proposal that would have changed regulations protecting large, predatory freshwater fish known as muskellunge or muskies. The proposal would have changed the state's current catch-and-release requirement for muskies, which was put in place after muskie anglers advocated for it in 2018 to allow muskies to live longer and grow bigger.
The rule change would have allowed anglers to keep one of the fish per day, if the fish is at least 45 inches in length. Opponents feared the change would ultimately deplete the population of trophy-sized muskies.
Thousands of South Dakota habitat license plates do nothing for habitat, due to two-part process
Scott Vander Meulen, of Sioux Falls, pointed the commission to a petition signed by more than 650 people opposing the change, while noting the more than 50 people who submitted written comments on the matter were overwhelmingly against it.
"The opportunity to catch a trophy muskie already exists under current regulations," Vander Meulen said. "When a trophy fish is released, that fish can be caught again, allowing multiple anglers to experience that same opportunity. Once harvested, that opportunity is gone forever."
The South Dakota Wildlife Federation also testified against the change, with Executive Director Dana Rogers saying the group's members who fish for muskies were adamantly opposed.
According to the state Department of Game, Fish and Parks, the fish "are an ambush predator often found in vegetation or submerged trees," and they have a torpedo-like shape with a duckbill-shaped snout and sharp teeth. They feed on fish, insects, crustaceans, birds and small mammals.
Josh Karch, president of the Fargo-Moorhead chapter of Muskies Inc., submitted a letter opposing the change. He wrote that other states set the minimum harvest size for muskies at 50 inches.
"Anglers who wish to commemorate the capture of a trophy fish have excellent alternatives available, including high-quality replica mounts that preserve the memory of the catch without removing the fish from the population," Karch wrote.
Department fisheries biologist Brian Blackwell walked the commission through the science behind South Dakota's muskie program, which began in 1975 and now manages five stocked lake populations at roughly one muskie per 5 acres, while the fish are also found in several other lakes and the lower Missouri River. He said the program has struggled with low interest from anglers, and allowing anglers to keep a large fish could spur more interest.
Blackwell said relatively few muskies over 45 inches turn up in department sampling.
"The muskie anglers probably do to see some bigger fish than we're seeing," Blackwell said. "And perhaps partnering with them in the future would be a good thing to try to get our hands on some more information."
After hearing the public comment and the department's presentation, the commission voted to strip the muskie harvest provision out of a broader rule package, leaving the current muskie regulations unchanged.
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE