New law, handfishing in Missouri

[timsfly]

I just heard about this today, it sounds like a bad idea to me, but what do you think you can read about it here. http://www.missouritrout.com/news.html

[Steve Smith]

I think it is definitely bad when lawmakers instead of Conservationist make the laws that pertain to our parks and wildlife. Although I personally don't have a problem with hand fishing, nor have any interest in doing it, I think the people that are slated to protect our parks and wildlife should be the ones who propose the laws and limits

[Al Agnew]

Steve is right, this is a VERY bad idea! If the legislature can do this, what's to keep them from just making up ALL the game and fish regs? The handfishers are a vocal minority, but they ARE a MINORITY, and a small one. The legislature doesn't gave a rat's rear end about handfishing, they just want to grab power from MDC. PLEASE, write, phone, or fax the legislature and tell them you don't appreciate legislative meddling on issues that should be determined by good science and wildlife management professionals.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I don't believe that hand fishing offers any real threat, because I don't believe there are that many people who will stick their hand into the hole of an unknown occupant.

The legislature passing game laws is nothing short of ridiculous.

The MDC has always been one of the best in the country, not perfect, but one of the best. There seems to be a movement in recent times to drive it down, probably to the level that the 1/8th cent sales tax can be confiscated.

I wonder what effect petitions, by groups gathered behind one protest, the interference by the legislature, would have on that body?

[WebFreeman]

I've just email my state rep and senator politely telling them to stay out of wildlife management.

I live in Republic and Dan Clemens is my state senator and also the chairman of the committee which put forth this bill. I encourage everyone in Clemens district (district 20) to write. It just takes a minute to send an email (dan_clemens@senate.mo.gov).

Wayne brings up an interesting point regarding initiative petitions. This was designed to make sure the average Joe had a voice in government whether his representatives agreed or not. But in the last few years special interest groups with a lot of money have hijacked the process.

I was given the opportunity to solicit names at a rate of $2.50 a piece for a petition regarding cigarette tax, with 100% of the money going toward education on the effects of tobacco. While I like the idea of the money being earmarked for a good cause, the idea that this really is an initiative petition brought by "the people" is distorted. At $2.50 a signature, that's almost $350,000 to get the 136,996 to get it on the ballot, let alone the money for paid staff and advertising if it makes the ballot.

Being organized is one thing, as many conservation groups like TU and DU are. But as Al said, a vocal minority should not negatively impact the rest. Personally, I have nothing against noodling (as I told my legislators), but as others have said in the discussion, I do have a problem with untrained people practicing wildlife management.

[Steve Smith]

Well said Chestnut!! This is not much different than the sale of the Mark Twain forest. I read an email from our House Rep David Slater where Missouri would get $2.64 million and Oregon would get $260 million for rural schools for Missouri land. The article forwarded to me said there was widespread Republican opposition, but it will take more than just these folks. Our Legislators need to keep their hands off.

[Wayne SW/MO]

where Missouri would get $2.64 million and Oregon would get $260 million for rural schools for Missouri land.

Well that certainly puts a fly in the ointment. I lived in Oregon for 13 years and I can tell everyone that the amount of public land in that state dwarfs what Missouri has. If the reason for the sale is really to help out rural schools, and Oregon has even more issues with that problem then Missouri, it would make sense that they would sell Oregon land.

Why, thats got to be the question, but I suspect the answer won't meet any standards of making sense.