Jenny Gilbert

This administrative regulation establishes size limits, daily creel limits, and possession limits for sport fish that may be taken from Kentucky waters.

This administrative regulation is necessary to properly manage the sport fish populations of Kentucky.

KRS 150.025(1) authorizes the Department to promulgate administrative regulations to establish seasons for the taking of fish and wildlife, to regulate creel limits and methods of take, and to make these requirements apply to a limited area. KRS 150.470 authorizes the department to establish creel and size limits for fish.

This administrative regulation will assist in the effective administration of the statutes by limiting the number and size of fish that may be taken from Kentucky’s waters. This will ensure that Kentucky’s valuable sport fish populations are maintained at high levels.

This amendment will help standardize and simplify black bass regulation across the state by better grouping lakes into standardized regulation blocks. Thirty-two water bodies were standardized across six different regulation options including: statewide regulation, 12- to 15-inch slot limit for largemouth bass only, 12- to 15-inch slot limit for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, 15-inch size limit and 6-fish creel for largemouth bass, 15-inch size limit and 6-fish creel for largemouth and smallmouth bass, and a 15-inch size limit and 6 fish creel on three river watersheds. In addition, special trout regulations were removed from Poor Fork of the Cumberland River and Paintsville Lake Tailwater, Swift Camp Creek catch-and-release regulations were standardized with all other catch and release trout streams, a special size and creel regulation was placed on channel and blue catfish at Carr Creek Lake, and all four reservoirs containing muskie were standardized to a 40-inch size limit.

This amendment is necessary to protect the largemouth bass populations across the state and better standardize and simplify regulations. In addition, simplification of trout regulations and better protection of catfish at Carr Creek Lake and muskie at four reservoirs was needed.

See 1(c) above.

See 1(d) above.

All anglers fishing at the water bodies and for the species identified in 2(a) above will be affected.

Anglers will need to comply with the regulation changes identified in 2(a).

There will be no cost incurred by the anglers identified.

Anglers who fish at the water bodies and for the species identified in 2(a) above will benefit in the long run from a higher quality sport fishery, improved angling opportunities, and easier to understand regulations.

There will be no initial cost to implement this administrative regulation.

There will be no additional cost on a continuing basis.

The source of funding is the State Game and Fish Fund.

It will not be necessary to increase a fee or funding to implement this administrative regulation.

This administrative regulation does not establish any fees nor does it indirectly increase any fees.

Tiering was not applied because all individuals fishing in Kentucky must abide by the same requirements.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources' Di-visions of Fisheries and Law Enforcement will be impacted by this amendment.

KRS 150.025(1) authorizes the Department to promulgate administrative regulations to regulate bag, creel, and possession limits of game and fish. KRS 150.470 authorizes the department to promulgate creel and size limits for fish.

It is unknown if this administrative regulation could indirectly increase any fishing license sales during the first year.

There will be no direct revenue generated in subsequent years, and it is unknown if fishing license sales will be indirectly increased because of this amendment.

There will be no initial cost to implement this administrative regulation for the first year.

There will be no cost in subsequent years.