Conservation measures designed to provide long-term stability for Lake Erie's walleye and smallmouth bass populations have been approved by the Ohio Wildlife Council, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

" Over the past six months, we've attended meetings, held hearings and listened to what anglers had to say about the protection of Lake Erie's walleye and smallmouth bass populations," said Steven A. Gray, chief of the ODNR Division of Wildlife. "We believe we are taking the right steps to conserve this important fishery for future generations."

For walleye, the daily bag limit between March 1 and April 30 will be reduced from four fish to three. For all other times, the bag limit for walleye will remain at six fish per day. Other new walleye regulations include a year-round size limit of 15 inches and the elimination of treble hooks in the Maumee and Sandusky Bays during the March-April spawning runs.

State fisheries biologists say these approved regulations will help Ohio meet an anticipated 40 to 60 percent reduction in total allowable catches lakewide for walleye in 2004, set last March by the Lake Erie Committee of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.

To help boost smallmouth bass reproduction, a closed season was also approved for the months of May and most of June, when the popular sport fish are laying eggs and guarding nests. Anglers will be able to legally possess smallmouth bass beginning the third Saturday in June.

For additional news online, check out the ODNR Press Room
For Further Information Contact:
Roger Knight or Jeff Tyson, ODNR Division of Wildlife
(419) 625-8062
-or-
Jane Beathard, ODNR Media Relations
(614) 265-6860