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Sponsor seeks emergency rules to allow electrofishing and expand trot lines to reduce invasive blue catfish
Summary
Delegate Jacobs introduced HB 1249 to authorize DNR rulemaking for a pilot allowing electrofishing for blue catfish, expand trot line length limitations and relax some hook restrictions; sponsor argued the techniques target scaleless catfish selectively and could help reduce an invasive population harming native species and fisheries.
Delegate Jay Jacobs presented HB 1249 as an emergency bill that would direct the Department of Natural Resources to establish a pilot permitting program for electrofishing to target invasive blue catfish, authorize finfish trot lines up to 2,400 feet, permit an unrestricted number of hooks on trot lines and allow non‑corrodible hooks in specified circumstances.
Jacobs said electrofishing at low frequency can selectively affect scaleless species such as catfish while…
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