Outdoors

Families and friends visiting Pennsylvania’s popular outdoor spots this holiday weekend can enjoy a day of free fishing, thanks to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC).

The Senate Game and Fisheries Committee has announced that it will hold a public hearing on May 22 to discuss the ongoing problems with the Susquehanna River and the Fish and Boat Commission’s (PFBC) request to designate the river as a high priority impaired water.

Boating safety experts want to get something off their chest and onto yours – a life jacket. The importance of flotation devices and other watercraft safety tips are the focus of the 2012 National Safe Boating Week, May 19-25.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) and several partners are inviting the general public to an upcoming public forum on conservation issues, to be held May 23 at Lycoming College in Williamsport.

Please tune into your local Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) station at 7 p.m. tonight (5-2-12) to see Executive Director John Arway and Fisheries Management Chief Dave Miko discuss current issues affecting the Commission, fishing and boating, and aquatic resources.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is looking for individuals interested in a career as a waterways conservation officer.

Starting Saturday, May 5, Pennsylvania anglers will have a chance to fish for, and win, millions of dollars in cash and prizes in Cabela's "Wanna Fish for a Millions" contest.

As part of its quarterly business meeting held here April 11-12, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) presented several awards to staff and partners.

Following recent reports from anglers that some smallmouth bass caught in the Susquehanna River have had irregular black blotches, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission today confirmed that similar spots have been previously observed on fish from other waters in the state and that the spots do not appear to harm the fish.

Biologists from the Area 4 Fisheries Management Office evaluated the Sylvan Lake walleye stocking program on March 22, 2012. The purpose of the evaluation was to determine if the fingerling stockings produced an adult walleye population that met the criteria outlined in the PFBC’s new management plan for inland walleye fisheries.

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) Executive Director John Arway formally presented the agency's 2011 Annual Report to the House Game and Fisheries Committee today. In his remarks, Mr. Arway reiterated that one of the agency's top goals in its five-year strategic plan is to identify alternative funding sources in order to sustain the agency.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will hold its quarterly business meeting on April 11-12 at The Conference Center at Shippensburg University, 500 Newburg Road, Shippensburg, Pa.

State officials today released an updated list of fish consumption advisories that adds three new advisories, increases the restrictions on one advisory and eases or lifts four other advisories.

Anglers from 18 southeastern counties are gearing up for the March 31 opening of trout, which marks the unofficial start of the 2012 fishing season.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) has launched a new web page which lists streams that have been sampled by the PFBC and cooperating partners as part of its statewide initiative to document waterways supporting naturally reproducing wild trout.

Fish and Boat Commission Executive Director John Arway will be among the guests tomorrow night on the live TV call-in show "Call the Doctor."

The BoatUS Foundation's Teens Afloat Program helps keep teens safe on the water by offering discounted vest-style life jackets - at just $5 - to non-profit summer camps, schools, or any local non-profit organization providing on-the-water educational programming for teens.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is stocking adult trout in a variety of lakes and streams that are open to public angling throughout Pennsylvania in 2012 and has posted "where" and "when" those fish will be released at www.fishandboat.com.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission opened its 100th quarterly business meeting today with several awards presented to staff and partners.