State wildlife commissioners have postponed a decision on a controversial proposed fishing regulation that would place a daily limit on the number of fish that bow anglers could shoot.

After listening to public comment from anglers opposed to the change, commissioners this week voted to table the issue until additional studies could be done.

Currently, there is no daily limit on the number of native nongame fish that are legal for bow anglers to shoot. Native nongame fish in Oklahoma that are most targeted by bow anglers are gar, buffalo and carpsuckers.

But the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, concerned about the growing interest in bowfishing and overharvest of native nongame fish, wants to establish a statewide 10-fish aggregate bag limit for those species per day.

The daily limit would not apply to invasive species such as Asian carp which are common, grass, bighead and silver carp. State wildlife officials encourage the harvest of those fish because they are detrimental to native populations. It is also already illegal in Oklahoma for bow anglers to shoot game fish such as largemouth and smallmouth bass.

Bow anglers tell commissioners that change would kill bow fishing

Commissioners on Monday heard public comment from bow anglers who opposed the change. They claimed the rule would kill the sport.

Randy Woodward, of Coweta, who has won multiple bowfishing championships and is organizer of the Youth World Bowfishing Tournament in Oklahoma, said the proposed regulation would mean the end of bowfishing tournaments in the state.

“Y’all are going to kill this tournament for kids,” Woodward told commissioners. “I’m just begging you not to pass these limits.“

The 10-fish daily limit also would force bowfishing guides out of business because bow anglers would stop coming to Oklahoma with so few opportunities, Woodward said.

“They are not going to come here to shoot 20 fish or 10 fish or whatever is imposed,” he said.

Woodward was one of four people who spoke publicly at the meeting to oppose the proposed rule. He said state wildlife officials do not have the scientific data to support a daily limit.

Opponents argued that native nongame species are thriving in Oklahoma.

“These fish are everywhere,” said Peter Gregoire, president of the Bowfishing Association of America.

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Gregoire told commissioners that Oklahoma’s proposed daily limit would be the most restrictive in the country.

“Ten fish, it’s draconian,” he said. “We don’t have these limits in any other state, that I am aware of, on these types of species.”

Gregoire also argued against another proposed Wildlife Department regulation that makes bow anglers keep the fish they shoot instead of releasing them back into the water. Gregoire said the fish have a chance to survive if released.

Ken Cunningham, chief of fisheries for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, said studies show that arrowed fish have very little chance of surviving when released. The mortality rate is as high as 96%, he said,

“When you shoot a fish with a bow and arrow, it dies,” Cunningham said, “It doesn’t swim off. There is no survival.”

Bow anglers also questioned why there would be a proposed daily limit of 10 native nongame fish when other species such as crappie have a daily limit of 37.

Cunningham said each species has different life histories and must be managed differently. Native nongame fish have long life spans, he said

The rule changes are necessary to allow state fishery biologists to conduct the proper research on native nongame species to assess the population, Cunningham said.

He said there is a growing movement across the country to protect native nongame species that have historically been undermanaged. Those fish, although not popular with most traditional anglers, play an important part in the ecosystem.

Gregoire accused Oklahoma fishery officials of having a “vendetta” against bowfishing.

Cunningham said the Wildlife Department is just trying to find a balance of providing bowfishing opportunities while protecting fish from overharvest.

“The fisheries division is not out to shut down bow fishermen or bowfishing tournaments,” he said. “All we are trying to do is to make sure that these populations are managed in a sustainable way. We want people to bowfish. We want tournaments in Oklahoma. We are just trying to make sure that we can continue to have those tournaments and bowfishing in the state.”

State Wildlife Commissioner James Barwick said the rules committee has considered increasing the proposed daily bag limit to 20 and perhaps providing an exemption for tournaments to the bag limit.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma wildlife department puts pause on bowfishing chages