DWR Advises "Catch & Keep"

[WET1]

LINK TO ARTICLE

In the above linked article, DWR is asking anglers to keep more fish from several bodies of water.

Release in the grease.

This is really interesting about Pelican.  The new proposal is limiting the number of bluegill over 8" that can be taken, yet right now they are asking people to catch and KEEP more bluegill.  Mixed message??

Not really, there's lots of studies out there showing that over harvest of the larger bluegill stunts the overall growth. 

When there are not enough large bluegills in a lake, smaller bluegills may become stunted and reproduce less. Here are some reasons why:
When there are too many small bluegills, they compete with each other for food and grow more slowly. They may also eat the eggs and larvae of young bass, which can reduce the number of adult bass that prey on bluegills.
Large male bluegills occupy the best spawning sites in the center of colonies, while smaller males are relegated to the periphery, where they may be more vulnerable to predators. Large males are also more attractive to females and can suppress the gonad development of smaller males. When large males are removed from the population, smaller males may mature at a younger age and compete with each other for the best spawning sites.
Smaller males may reproduce less because they are less attractive to females and may be in sub-optimal spawning sites.
With bluegill density reduced by harvest, surviving fish should grow faster. But if high harvest selectively depletes larger male bluegills, smaller bluegills mature earlier, more energy goes to growing gonads, and growth rate slows.