New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that the time period that DEC will accept comments on proposed changes to freshwater fishing regulations has been extended. Comments will now be accepted through November 11, 2016.

DEC modifies freshwater sportfishing regulations approximately every two years as part of DEC’s commitment to enhance fishing opportunities and protect the State’s freshwater resources.  The regulations are developed after careful assessment of existing regulations and the desires of New York anglers. The new regulations will take effect April 1, 2017 and will be included in the 2017-18 Freshwater Fishing Regulations Guide.

The proposed regulations were first provided for informal public review on the DEC website in February 2016. The early feedback helped DEC determine which regulation changes to advance or eliminate.

A summary and the full text of the proposed regulations can be found on DEC’s website at www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/propregulations.html.

Comments on the proposed regulations should be sent by email to regulations.fish@dec.ny.gov or mailed to Gregory Kozlowski, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Bureau of Fisheries, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4753.