2014 TWRA Boating Officer of the Year Jeff Roberson was recognized by the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission at its meeting in Morristown. Shown, from left to right, are Colonel Darren Rider, Major Brian Ripley, Officer Jeff Roberson, Lieutenant Andy Collins, and Captain Willard Perryman.
The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission approved the 2015-16 late waterfowl hunting seasons and was presented the 2016-17 state’s fishing regulations proposals at its August meeting on Friday. In addition, the participants in Tennessee’s 2015 elk hunt were announced.
The actions came at the commission’s August meeting at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s Region IV headquarters in Morristown.
The statewide duck season will be similar to the 2014-15 season.
The statewide season opens the weekend after Thanksgiving (Nov. 28-29) for two days and resumes Dec. 5-Jan. 31, 2016. The Reelfoot Zone season opens Nov. 14-15 for two days and will resume Dec. 5-Jan. 31.
The third year of the three-year experimental sandhill crane season will be held this year. The sandhill season permit handheld drawing will be held Oct. 3 at the Birchwood Community Center. The sandhill crane season follows the statewide duck season with the exception of closing on Jan. 1, 2016.
A free permit is now required to participate in the Light Goose Conservation season held from Feb. 14-March 10, 2016. New methods and provisions will be listed on the TWRA website this winter as well as instructions on how to obtain free permits.
Tennessee and other states select their individual waterfowl seasons from within the federal frameworks that establish the earliest beginning and latest ending dates and the maximum season length and bag limits. According to the USFWS’s 2015 Waterfowl Population Status Report, population estimates for most species of ducks remained strong for this breeding season. The USFWS announced earlier that the cost of Federal Duck Stamp will increase from $15 to $25.
The waterfowl hunting frameworks are set using annual results of cooperative population surveys, banding programs and harvest surveys that produce the largest data set on any wildlife species group in the world. They guide the service’s waterfowl conservation programs and provide hunting opportunities while ensuring the long-term health of waterfowl populations.
The TWRA’s Fisheries Division presented proposed changes in the sport and commercial fishing regulations for 2016-17. Agency recommendations will be distributed for public comments early in the week of Aug. 24.
The TFWC will vote on the commercial fishing proclamations at its Sept. 17-18 meeting in Nashville. The sport fishing proclamations for 2016-17 will be discussed and voted on at the Oct. 15-16 meeting in Chattanooga.
The 2014 Boating Officer of the Year was introduced to the commission. Announced earlier, TWRA District 41’s Jeff Roberson is the Boating Officer of the Year. Part-time Boating Officer of the Year Allen Herald will be in attendance at a future TFWC meeting to receive his award.
The commission also passed the agency’s 2016-17 budget recommendations.