Commission Approves Rules at January Meeting

NASHVILLE --- The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to approve Rules Governing the Commercial Use of Wildlife, Rules and Regulations for Fish Farming, Catch-Out Operations, Bait Dealers, and for Rules Governing Equipment Required on Vessels and Navigation. The approvals came at a one-day meeting at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency's Ray Bell Building.

Changes included the addition of striped bass, crappie, and walleye and their hybrids to the list of species that can be imported into Tennessee and sold in markets and groceries. These species cannot be harvested from the waters of Tennessee and sold but may be commercially harvested outside of Tennessee or reared on commercial fish farm.

Other changes included an update in taxonomic names of fish species allowed to be used in fish farming due to a recent change by the American Fisheries Society as well as the addition of a regulation that prohibits the import of wild caught catfish 34 inches and over to be used in fish farming and catch-out operations.

For Equipment Required on Vessels and Navigation, amendments were made to existing rules that capture the new personal flotation device (PFD) labeling and the new fire extinguishers labeling from manufacturers. All fire extinguishers and PFDs with old labeling will still be accepted if they are in good condition.

In other items, a policy was approved to establish the criteria and process for naming wildlife management areas, lakes, fishing areas, boat ramps, access areas, and other assets under the jurisdiction of the TWRA or on TWRA property. The purpose of the policy is to establish consistent principles, guidelines, and standards for honorific or monetary naming of assets made by the Commission.

Commission Chairman Jimmy Granbery also appointed committees to nominate the 2025-26 Commission officers and to select a recipient for the annual Legacy Award. Both committees will report back to the full Commission with their decisions at the February 20-21 Commission meeting in Nashville.

---TWRA---