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Committee advances bill to raise blue catfish daily limit outside Santee River system
Summary
Senate Bill 337, sponsored by Sen. Rick Bach, was reported out of the Senate Fish, Game and Forestry committee after discussion of DNR data and a subcommittee amendment changing the proposed daily limit outside the Santee River system to 150.
The Senate Fish, Game and Forestry committee reported out Senate Bill 337, which would raise the daily take limit for blue catfish outside the Santee River system after committee staff presented the bill and lawmakers discussed data provided by the Department of Natural Resources.
Brian, a committee staff presenter, summarized the bill: "Senate bill 337 ... proposes to increase the daily take limit for blue catfish outside of the Santee River system, which includes Santee River, Lake Marion, and Lake Moultrie, from 25 to 75. The daily limit in the Santee River system will remain unchanged at 25. The subcommittee on February 20 adopted an amendment, which increases the blue catfish limit outside of the Santee River system to 150 per day." The presentation also noted the bill removes the restriction on possessing more than two blue catfish over 32 inches outside that river system.
Senator Rick Bach is listed in the record as the bill sponsor. Senator Florence praised the collaboration between staff, DNR and local constituents, saying, "This was a great example of collaboration because this bill came up last year ... DNR provided a person and one of our constituents compiled a tremendous amount of data on the blue catfish numbers in the Santee area to just to show that there was no need to limit that and it was affecting business." Ross Self of the Department of Natural Resources was specifically thanked by members for his work on the data.
After brief committee discussion, a member moved the bill and a second was recorded. The committee voted by voice and the chair reported, "The bill's reported out." No individual roll-call votes or counts were recorded in the transcript.
The bill as reported would leave the Santee River system daily limit at 25 while increasing the allowable daily take outside that system, per the subcommittee amendment.
