Hunting and Fishing

State legislators, U.S. Coast Guard, boating organizations and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will recognize National Safe Boating Week (May 19-25) and the start of boating season by stressing the importance of wearing life jackets and following safe boating practices.

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.

With the recent discovery that the invasive aquatic alga known as didymo or “rock snot” has spread further down the Delaware River, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is reminding anglers and boaters that cleaning their gear is the easiest, most effective means of preventing the alga from spreading to other waters.

Biologists from Fisheries Management Area 5 conducted the first of three scheduled annual spring trap net surveys (next in 2014 and 2016) to assess fish size structure and abundance following our initial fry and fingerling re-stocking in 2008.

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.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) will hold their annual Open House at the Linesville State Fish Hatchery on Saturday, April 7, from 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

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.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is reminding anglers and boaters who use Franklin County's Letterkenny Reservoir that new rules prohibit not only the use of gas engines but also the possession of gas engines, even if they are not in use.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) will hold its 100th quarterly meeting on January 30-31 at its Harrisburg office.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is reminding anglers targeting walleye and yellow perch in Lake Erie that 2011 creel limits remain in effect until approximately mid-April, when the agency is expected to implement a new adaptive management plan and set the 2012 limits.

The Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited (PATU) will be accepting Trout in the Classroom (TIC) grant applications until February 24, 2012 for the 2012-2013 school year.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is reminding saltwater anglers that they can register with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for free beginning Jan. 1 through the PFBC's website.

The Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited is seeking posters to be displayed at the Keystone Coldwater Conference, which will be held Feb. 24-25 at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in State College, Pa.

The holiday shopping season is quickly approaching and that means it's time for anglers to get a jump on the 2012 sporting season. Anglers can purchase a 2012 license beginning December 1, which gives them a bonus month for free.