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FARMINGTON, NM — Funding for a proposed warm-water fish hatchery and adding Leandro Creek to the list of catch-and-release trout waters are among the topics to be addressed by the State Game Commission when it meets here Oct. 15.
The meeting begins at 9 a.m. at the San Juan College Computer Science Lecture Room (7103). The college is at 4601 College Blvd. in Farmington.
Leandro Creek is a recently-restored Rio Grande cutthroat trout stream found on both the Carson National Forest and Vermejo Park Ranch. In the summer of 1998, crews from the Department of Game and Fish removed exotic trout from Leandro, and it’s been stocked with 100 adult Rio Grande cutthroat trout. An additional 1,000 to 1,500 fingerlings are scheduled for stocking in late September. A fish barrier should prevent non-native trout from re-establishing themselves in Leandro, and the catch-and-release regulation will allow the stocked fish the opportunity to rebuild their population.
The Commission also will be asked to increase the daily bag limit for white bass-striped bass hybrids to 25 fish. Also being considered is a special regulation closing fishing for black bass at Elephant Butte Reservoir April 1-May 15. The closure is intended to protect the fish during the spawning season when they are on their nests and vulnerable to angling pressure. It’s hoped that by protecting the spawning fish more fry will be recruited into the black bass population.
A proposed warm-water hatchery would cost approximately $5 million to build, and an eight-month feasibility study conducted for the Department determined that Santa Rosa would be the best place to construct one. The hatchery would need to produce walleye, channel catfish and largemouth bass annually. In addition, one of the following species could be produced annually: smallmouth bass, spotted bass, black crappie, white crappie, striped bass or tiger muskies.
The Fisheries Division also will present an update on whirling disease in the Raton area, the Quemado Lake goldfish problem, the status of the state’s six cold-water hatcheries, and the San Juan River Management Plan.
Agenda items are subject to change up to 24 hours prior to the scheduled meeting date and time as deemed necessary by the commission’s chairman. To inquire about agenda changes, please contact the Office of the Director at (505) 827-7899.
The Commission’s next regularly-scheduled meeting is Nov. 18 in Roswell.
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish will provide reasonable notice — either by legal notice or news media — of all meetings of a quorum of the State Game Commission to discuss or adopt any proposed regulation, rule or resolution, or at which formal action will occur.
Public documents — including agenda, proposed regulations, action items and minutes — can be provided in various accessible forms by writing the Office of the Director, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, PO Box 25112, Santa Fe, NM 87504, at least 24 hours before a meeting.
In addition, the Department of Game and Fish will schedule public meetings and operate facilities that are accessible to physically-impaired persons. If you have a disability and need a reader, amplifier, qualified sign-language interpreter, or any other form of auxiliary service to attend the meeting, call Shirley Baker at (505) 827-7904, TDD 827-7822, or write to the address above.
Uploaded: 9/22/1999
Uploaded: 9/22/1999