Advisory Council on Game and Fish Minutes

ADVISORY COUNCIL ON WILDLIFE & FRESHWATER FISH MINUTES TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012 Richardson and Robbins Building Auditorium 89 Kings Highway, Dover, Delaware Phone 302-739-9912, FAX 302-739-6157

ADVISORY COUNCIL DIVISION OF FISH & WILDLIFE PUBLIC 1. Edward A. Montague, Chair 1. David E. Saveikis 17 Visitors 2. J. Richard Berry, Vice Chair 2. Ken Reynolds 3. Ted Palmer 3. John Clark 4. Charles H. Golt 4. Robert Hossler 5. Raymond F. Burris 5. Matt DiBona 6. Robert C. Nichols 6. Joe Rogerson 7. Neal Dukes 7. Sgt. Timothy Pritchett 8. Garrett Grier, Jr.

Taped micro-cassettes of this meeting are available for listening at the Richardson & Robbins Building in Dover. For further information contact the Wildlife Section at (302) 739-9912.

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Montague at 7:30 PM.

Agenda Item 1. Approval of Minutes (Chairman). blinds to get around the regulations and avoid the permitting process. The policy has been in place since A motion was made and voted unanimously to 1990 and the dimensions for duck blinds have not approve the April 24, 2012 minutes as written. changed. Mr. Holmes noted that the only significant change made was that the blind has to be camouflaged and has to have walls. He said that if it is desired that the Agenda Item 2. Update on Statewide Presence of policy be looked at further regarding blind dimensions he Snakehead Fish (Cathy Martin). was willing to do that. The foot bridge policy has been in place since 1990 and is set at 3 feet wide. People usually Cathy Martin updated the Council on snakehead want a wider walkway for a boat dock so this is a way to fish in Delaware waters. One fish has been caught on hook prevent circumvention of the existing policy. Wider and line since the last report to the Council. This fish was walkways to accommodate handicapped hunters in taken about ¼ to ½ mile downstream from where the wheelchairs are looked at on a case-by-case basis. Mr. previous two were taken in March. The shad crew sampled Holmes said that his agency would be willing to revisit with the electrofishing gear in that same area and did not duck blind dimensions if a different standard is necessary get any. None have been taken at Becks Pond in recent in order to accommodate more hunters per blind. Since electrofisher sampling but a resident there reported there may be some need to modify the policy regarding someone had caught and killed one and threw it up on the duck blind dimensions, Council members will talk to duck bank. This has not been substantiated. The Division plans hunters for input prior to the June meeting. Mr. Holmes to go back to Becks Pond in August to do more sampling. will attend that meeting to discuss this matter further.

Agenda Item 3. Review of Wetland Policy Regarding Agenda Item 4. Update on Turkey Harvest (Matt Exemption for Duck Blinds and Foot Bridge (Virgil DiBona). Holmes). Matt DiBona provided results of the 2012 spring Mr. Holmes with the DNREC Division of turkey season. A new state record of 615 turkeys was Water’s Wetlands and Subaqueous Lands Section noted harvested during the 25-day season, which ran from April that there was concern over the section’s duck blind 14 – May 12. This is the 8th consecutive year of record policy. He stated that the intention of the policy is not to turkey harvests, and since the season began in 1999; regulate duck blinds. There is an exemption in regulations annual reported harvest has increased more than 600%. and in the law that exempts duck blinds. The policy is The 2012 season was marked by the first reported harvest intended to actually clarify what a duck blind is. People of a turkey north of the C & D Canal, as well as the first have been coming up with “imposters” putting in boat turkey harvested on the Industrial Forests Wildlife Area. docks and walkways that they are claiming to be duck Harvest of turkeys on public land accounted for 11% of the total harvest; Redden State Forest and Blackiston Wildlife nontidal freshwater, we are about to release a start action Area were the two public areas with the highest reported notice to define method of take of snake head fish and harvest. Twenty-five percent of the reported harvest other invasive fish to allow bow and arrow and spears. We occurred on opening day and nearly 50% of the reported are also addressing some issues related to closing trout harvest occurred during the first week of the season. ponds right before trout season to protect stocked trout.

Agenda Item 5. Proposed Changes to Legal Trapping OTHER BUSINESS: Methods (Curt Burns). Rob Hossler, Division Program Manager for Mr. Burns noted that, in Delaware, it is illegal to Game Species, provided some information on the use or possess a body gripping trap that is over 5 inches. upcoming National Dove Survey. In late June, hunters He also pointed out that a body gripping trap is the best from across 40 states will receive questionnaires asking 25 trap to use to catch beaver which are a significant problem questions related to their dove hunting activities, in this state. He came to this meeting to see what needs to experiences and opinions, including questions related to be done to make it legal to use larger body gripping traps the use of nontoxic shot. Approximately, one out of every in Delaware. Mr. Burns noted that these traps are legal in three Delaware dove hunters will get a questionnaire Maryland and Pennsylvania. The Council and Division mailed to them. This survey has never been done before staff pointed out that since the traps are illegal in Delaware and the Division hopes all hunters who receive it, take the based on a statute and not a regulation, only the State time to complete and return it in the postage-paid envelope Legislature would be able to make any changes to the law. provided. Candidates for the survey will be those who Mr. Burns was encouraged to talk to his State Senator or indicated that they hunted doves in 2010 when they got State Representative about pursuing this matter. their 2011 HIP number. Results of the survey should be available by the end of the year. The Division was informed since the Council meeting that the U.S. Fish and Agenda Item 5. Director Update (David E. Saveikis). Wildlife Service is postponing the release of the National Dove Survey until the summer of 2013 pending further Director Saveikis noted that this day was a big review. day for DNREC and especially the Division of Fish and Wildlife. The Delaware Bayshore Initiative was launched AGENDA FOR THE 6/26/2012 ADVISORY today with an event at Slaughter Beach. The Delaware COUNCIL MEETING Bayshore Initiative is one of the top 100 outdoor initiatives under the President’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative. 1. Approval of Minutes (Chairman). We had the honor of having the Interior Department 2. Wetland Policy Regarding Exemption for Duck Secretary Ken Salazar here along with Governor Markell, Blinds and Boardwalks (Virgil Holmes). DNREC Secretary O’Mara, Senator Carper, Congressman 3. Possible Increase in Length of Canada Goose Carney and some local dignitaries. The goal of the Season (Rob Hossler). initiative is to promote conservation and ecotourism. There 4. Nutria Control Program (Joe Rogerson). are three primary objectives of the Bayshore Initiative 5. Prime Hook NWA CCP (Greg Moore). which are habitat restoration and protection, connecting 6. Director Update (David E. Saveikis). people with outdoor recreational opportunities and providing economic stimulus to Bayshore towns. There being no further business, a motion was made, The Director then provided the Council with a seconded and carried that the meeting be adjourned at 8:35 legislative update. One bill that we promoted passed which PM. was Senate Bill #168. The bill transfers the animal welfare program and the proceeds of the sale of the animal welfare Sincerely, license plates, from the Division to the Department of Agriculture. The prohibition of night vision technology for hunting has been assigned Senate Bill #228 and is on the Senate Natural Resource Committee agenda for next week. Two other key pieces of legislation are on hold right now – one to give us the authority in tidal waters to regulate Karen Kennedy invasive fin fish and the other involves revisions to the Recording Secretary scientific collection permit. On the regulations side, in