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Start planning your fishing adventures for the new year and be sure to review the updated 2022 Georgia Sport Fishing Regulations Guide, issued by the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division (WRD). “Whether you are brand new to fishing or an experienced angler, you can always find something of interest in the Sport Fishing Regulations Guide,” said Scott Robinson, Chief of the WRD Fisheries Management Section. “This publication is developed with the help of fisheries biologists and staff to ensure it has the most current and accurate information on regulations and new opportunities. Anglers can access it in multiple ways, including online, from our Outdoors GA app or in the printed copy.”

Anglers should note there was delayed production of a printed copy of the 2022 Georgia Sport Fishing Regulations guide due to paper accessibility and manufacturing issues. It is anticipated the print version will be available by the end of January. The guide can now be found online at www.eregulations.com/georgia/fishing/, or through the Outdoors GA app (free app for iPhone or Android users). If you need a printed copy sooner, a pdf of the publication will be available online (you can choose to print the full book or only the information you need).

The 2022 Georgia Sport Fishing Regulations Guide provides information such as a color fish identification chart for both freshwater and saltwater fish, license purchasing information, contact information for Wildlife Resources Division and Coastal Resources Division fisheries management offices and DNR Law Enforcement offices, trout stream listings, public fishing area information, state record fish listings, fishing regulations for Georgia and so much more.

What’s New for 2022? • Minnow trap use is now legal in freshwaters. • Waters Creek trout regulations have changed. • Largemouth bass regulations have changed on two Public Fishing Areas.

Check out the guide for more!

Fishermen are reminded that several changes to federal fishing regulations occured beginning January 1st as we rang in 2022. The first day of January begans a new fishing year for some species in the snapper grouper management complex. The South Atlantic regulation changes apply to federal waters ranging from 3 to 200 nautical miles offshore of N.C., S.C., Ga., and the east coast of Florida. See the Regulations Summary (bit.ly/SAFMC_regs2022) available from the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council for changes effective January 1, 2022. To keep up with federal regulations and changes throughout the year, download the Fish Rules App or the Fish Rules Commercial App.

Additional regulation information and other helpful resources are available from the Council's website at: safmc.net/regulations/.

Three individuals in the Lowcountry of South Carolina are facing fines and restitution in the form of community service work with the SCDNR sea turtle program after filming themselves digging up a loggerhead nest on Folly Beach this past summer. The incident occurred during the peak of South Carolina’s sea turtle nesting season in July.

In early September, SCDNR officers in Charleston County were provided with a copy of a “Snapchat” video that appeared to show two young men digging up a sea turtle nest marked with the highly visible orange tape and signage used by members of SCDNR’s Marine Turtle Conservation program staff and volunteers.

The video showed two individuals digging up – and later attempting to replace – eggs from the nest. One egg was smashed on the ground during the video, which was being filmed by a third individual. SCDNR Officer Freddie Earhart led the investigation into the source of the video. During the course of his investigation, Officer Earhart was able to identify and locate the three individuals involved. On Sept. 5, Officer Earhart and SCDNR Officer Courtney Angotti-Smith made contact with the three individuals, who were all under the age of 21 and were vacationing with family at the time of the incident. A meeting was set up with all three suspects and their parents, at which time the young men made voluntary statements confirming their involvement and that they were aware such actions were against the law.

The suspects admitted that some of the eggs were damaged and that they tried to rebury the eggs, which ultimately resulted in additional damage. SCDNR Marine Turtle Conservation program coordinator Michelle Pate, using data collected by the Folly Beach Turtle Watch team, was able to confirm that out of ninety eggs remaining in the nest, seventy-one did not hatch.

While they could have been charged for each egg disturbed, based on the cooperation of the suspects, five summons for unlawful taking of loggerhead turtle eggs were issued to the three suspects (two each for the individuals who dug up the eggs and one for the individual who filmed them). These charges can carry jail or fines of up to $2,000, as well as restitution. In addition, SCDNR will recommend that all of the individuals charged be required to dedicate community service time to working with SCDNR’s Marine Turtle Conservation program so they can learn first-hand about how much work goes into protecting sea turtles in South Carolina.

“Educating residents and visitors about how they can provide a positive outcome for sea turtles on our beaches is a never-ending endeavor,” said Pate. “Volunteers involved with conservation work in South Carolina have contributed countless hours to this task. Our volunteers engage with the coastal community daily during the season to share their excitement about the natural world and our impact sharing the beach with wildlife that need these beaches to survive. Education provides a pathway to inform and foster stewardship, and combined with boots-on-the-ground work, ensures the continued protection and successful recovery of sea turtle populations.”

The decades of research and hard work supported by Turtle Network volunteers in South Carolina’s coastal communities have paid off. Recent years have seen turtle nest numbers rebounding, though much remains to be done. It was a successful nesting year for South Carolina’s sea turtle population, with 5,649 nests laid in 2021. Because nesting exacts a high energy toll on the large reptiles, female sea turtles do not come ashore to lay eggs every year. This pattern results in nesting fluctuations from year to year – 2019 broke all records with 8,795 nests, but 2018 saw just 2,767 nests. Overall, sea turtle nest numbers across the Southeast have trended up over the past decade, making biologists across the region optimistic that these threatened reptiles are beginning to recover after several decades of conservation efforts.

“I applaud the work of our officers in conducting this investigation in a thorough and prompt way,” said Col. Chisolm Frampton, Deputy Director for SCDNR’s Law Enforcement Division. “Hopefully, giving these individuals a chance to make amends by working with the dedicated staff and volunteers who work with our turtle protection program as a part of the Community Service component of their punishment will make a lasting impression on them about the importance of this work and why all of us, as South Carolinians, need to support it.” BLACKBIRD CHARTER CO.

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