Committee raises blue catfish daily limit outside Santee system to 150, cites DNR monitoring

The House Agriculture Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 337 after hearing technical testimony from Department of Natural Resources staff and exchanges among members about population monitoring and commercial impacts.

Kyle Forrest introduced the bill, saying it "leaves the 25 blue catfish per day on the Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie and the upreaches of the Savannah River" while it "opens it up to 150 per day in any other waters of the state." Members asked whether the limit referred to per person or per boat; Forrest confirmed the limit is per person.

Ross, identified by committee members as the agency expert, described the history of the Santee restrictions and DNR’s hatchery work, saying the Santee system protection was extended statewide unintentionally and DNR now has greater monitoring capacity. Ross told the committee blue catfish were introduced in the mid-1960s and that DNR monitors condition ("plumpness") and population samples to guide future adjustments.

Some members proposed differentiating commercial and recreational limits; DNR advised a single limit to avoid confusion and conflict between user groups. Representative Ford proposed an amendment to allow 150 for commercial license holders while keeping recreational limits at 25, but after hearing new data he rescinded the amendment and members agreed to keep a single 150-person daily limit outside the Santee system to avoid legal and enforcement complexity.

Committee members emphasized ongoing monitoring: DNR staff said they will continue sampling and tracking condition metrics, and the committee advanced the bill so the House floor can consider the change.

The committee recorded a roll call in which the chair announced the bill passed out of committee (roll-call majority in favor; chair announced 16 yeas with 2 absent).