TWRA committee amends paddlefish rules: half 6-inch/half 7-inch nets this year, full 7-inch required by 2026-27

The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission fisheries committee on Feb. 20 amended Commercial Take of Fish and Turtle Proclamation 25-01 to phase in a 7-inch square-mesh requirement for paddlefish nets and to change the Kentucky Lake paddlefish season end date from April 7 to March 31. The committee voted to refer the amended proclamation to the full commission for final action.

Chief Jason Haniger, chief of fisheries for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, told the committee the changes respond to biological and gear-impact data: “We are managing for sustainability of the paddlefish fishery. We went through a downturn. The fishermen's experienced that.” He said the mesh-size increase is intended to reduce bycatch and mortality of sublegal and male paddlefish in what the agency has converted into an all‑female, gravid‑female harvest fishery.

The amended proposal also shortens the Kentucky Lake paddlefish season to close March 31, based on a 10‑year analysis the agency presented showing Kentucky Lake waters typically warm about a week earlier than other waters, which led to nonviable eggs and post‑season mortalities that caviar producers and the Citizen Fish Advisory Committee flagged.

Commissioner Bill Cox moved the amendment to subsection l of Proclamation 25‑01 to allow, for the coming season, that up to half a permitted fisherman’s sets may use 6‑inch mesh while the remaining sets must be 7‑inch, with the regulation becoming all 7‑inch by the 2026–27 season; Commissioner Brad Box seconded the motion. The fisheries committee voice vote passed; commissioners present said “aye” and no opposition was raised, and the committee forwarded the amended proclamation to the full commission for consideration the next day.

Chief Haniger acknowledged the economic impact on commercial netters and described an agency mitigation measure: “We spent about $40,800 in purchasing 7‑inch nets. We expect about 34 permitted anglers to need those nets… It’ll provide them with about a hundred and 5 pounds of netting that will tie out anywhere from 12 to 14 nets depending on how it's tied out.” The agency said the purchase is intended to help permitted anglers transition to the larger mesh.

Commercial fishermen who addressed the committee urged more time and argued the change would be costly. “These nets are not cheap. They run … from anywhere from $300 to $400 a piece,” said Ricky Scott, a commercial fisherman. Scott and other speakers said many permit holders maintain large inventories of 6‑inch nets—some testifying they keep dozens or hundreds of nets in reserve to cover wear, different water conditions and lost or damaged gear. Larry Overstreet and Benson Kinsey, both commercial fishermen, asked for a longer phase‑in period so operators could use existing gear and recover costs.

Colonel Dale Grama, colonel of the Law Enforcement Division, said enforcement officers will apply whatever mesh‑size and seasonal parameters the commission adopts: “That’s what the officers will work. So if it's set at a certain date and then runs out to another date for those mesh sizes, they'll work that however it's set up.”

The committee directed agency staff to make the amendment language change and present the amended proclamation to the full commission the following day. The agency also recorded that it will provide the purchased 7‑inch nets to permit holders identified as needing them and that it will continue monitoring mortality, recruitment and enforcement outcomes.

Votes at a glance: Fisheries committee — motion to amend Proclamation 25‑01 and refer to full commission: adopted by voice vote; no recorded roll‑call tallies were entered in the committee minutes.

Next steps: The full Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider the amended Proclamation 25‑01 at its plenary session the following day; Chief Haniger said staff will bring the finalized rule language and implementation details, including distribution of agency‑purchased nets and enforcement guidance.