October 2022 • Nebraskaland 31
isolated population was between
Fort Randall and Gavins Point dams.
Because of this event, harvesting of
paddlefish above Gavins Point was
prohibited in 1987, and the regulation
is still in effect to this day.
The reach below Gavins Point Dam
remained open to fishing, however, as
these mobile paddlefish populations
were more resilient. Still, management
actions had to be implemented
to protect this fishery from
exploitation. It has been an ongoing
two-state effort.
Management
Since the closure of Gavins Point
Dam and the inception of the fishery,
the Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission and the South Dakota
Department of Game, Fish and Parks
have jointly managed paddlefish. Over
the next 30 years, daily bag limits and
possession limits were adjusted, and
the season length reduced.
In 1957, a two-fish limit and four-
fish possession limit was applied, and
in 1970, the limit was reduced to one
fish and one in possession. The season
length went from year-round to 212
days in 1974, to 151 days in 1983,
and then to 30 days in 1987. Despite
these management actions, anglers
continued to harvest thousands of fish
annually, and the fish they harvested
were getting smaller and younger,
suggesting the fishery was not self-
sustaining. Consequently, a public
meeting hosted by Nebraska and South
Dakota biologists prior to the 1989
season informed anglers of declining
harvest. Anglers, in turn, supported
more restrictive management actions
and agreed that the fishery needed
to be managed to protect this unique
fishing opportunity.
As a result of that public meeting, a
derby fishery season was established
prior to the 1989 season. It imposed
a 1,600-paddlefish-harvest quota or
30-day-maximum, whichever came
first, and no harvest outside of the
snagging season. The harvest quota
was based on a 5 percent take of the
estimated population below Gavins
Point Dam. Eager anglers rushed
to the water, and the harvest quota
An angler holding a paddlefish rigging. JENNY NGUYEN-WHEATLEY, NEBRASKALAND
