Changes Coming To New York State Crappie and Sunfish Regulations
October 27, 2021 the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced several planned changes to regulations to improve New York state’s Sunfish and Crappie fishing. The proposal includes changes to daily catch limits, size limits, and special regulations for select bodies of water throughout New York State in an effort to improve fishing opportunities for larger fish.
“To ensure quality sunfish and crappie fishing, DEC is proposing regulatory changes to benefit anglers in search of a good catch while continuing the restoration of the state’s natural resources,” New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said. “New York is home to a wide variety of fishing opportunities and our goal is to increase these opportunities for anglers while bolstering local economies.”
Earlier in 2021 the NYS DEC released a Sunfish and Crappie Management Plan in which the new proposed regulations were derived from comments of a draft of the plan. The New York State DEC issued a statement in their press release which stated “The use of social media to quickly draw attention to high quality fishing opportunities and the widespread use of electronic fish finders and other devices to improve fishing efficiency have amplified concerns about overharvest.”
The proposals include:
- Reducing the sunfish statewide daily harvest limit from 50 to 25;
- Increasing the crappie statewide minimum size limit from nine to 10 inches; and
- Implementing an eight-inch minimum size limit and a daily harvest limit of 15 for sunfish in the following waters chosen for their potential to grow larger sunfish: Blydenburgh Lake (Suffolk County, DEC Region 1); Lake Welch (Rockland County, Region 3); Canadarago and Goodyear lakes (Otsego County, Region 4); Saratoga Lake (Saratoga County, Region 5); Sixtown Pond and Red Lake (Jefferson County, Region 6); Cazenovia Lake (Madison County, Region 7); Otisco Lake (Onondaga County, Region 7); Honeoye Lake (Ontario County, Region 8); and Silver Lake (Wyoming County, Region 9).
The regulatory proposals are available on DEC’s website for review and public comment. Comments on the proposals should be submitted via e-mail to [email protected] or via mail to the Inland Fisheries Section, NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4753, with the subject line “Sunfish and Crappie Regulations.” Comments will be accepted through Dec. 26, 2021.
Last Updated on November 18, 2021 by Fish HV Contributors
