U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt announced today a proposal for new and expanded hunting and fishing opportunities across the country. This proposed rule would be the largest expansion of hunting and fishing opportunities by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in history. It would create nearly 900 distinct new hunting and fishing opportunities. The proposal would bring the total expansion to 4 million acres nationwide.
It would bring the number of units in the Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System where the public may hunt to 399 and the number where fishing is permitted to 331.
The rule also proposes to formally open lands on nine units of the National Fish Hatchery System to hunting or sport fishing.
New proposed refuge opportunities include the opening of migratory bird hunting, upland game hunting, big game hunting, and sport fishing at Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge in Florida for the first time; the opening of Bamforth National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming to upland game and big game hunting for the first time; and opening sport fishing for the first time and expanding existing migratory bird, upland game and big game hunting to new acres at Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge in West Virginia.
Proposed expansions of refuge opportunities include the expansion of existing big game hunting to new acres at Willapa National Wildlife Refuge in Washington state and Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge in Texas; the expansion of season dates for existing pheasant hunting at San Luis National Wildlife Refuge in California; and the expansion of existing migratory bird hunting, upland game hunting, big game hunting and sport fishing to new acres at Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge in Minnesota.
Proposed changes at hatcheries include the formal opening of lands on Jordan River National Fish Hatchery in Michigan to migratory bird, upland game and big game hunting; the formal opening of lands on Berkshire National Fish Hatchery in Massachusetts to sport fishing; and the formal opening of lands at Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery in Washington state to migratory bird, upland game and big game hunting.
The Service will seek comments from the public on the proposed rule for 60 days, starting tomorrows.
The Department intends to finalize the proposed changes in time for the upcoming 2020-2021 hunting seasons.
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