The board of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) recently decided not to impose limits on the size of fish that may be kept and weighed by anglers fishing in tournaments on lakes in the state, otherwise known as “slot limits.” Some are saying the decision has preserved the existence of fishing tournaments in Alabama, as well as the tourism dollars associated with them.
The Anniston Star reports that a contingent of people opposing the slot limits, including state officials, lawmakers, tournament pros, and others urged board members to reconsider its path during a three-hour meeting held in Montgomery last week. The group indicated that some tournament sponsors would likely pull out of tour stops or entirely skip Alabama when planning future events.
Before the meeting was over, the board agreed to suspend all size limits during fishing tournaments. Additionally, the board removed its regulation limiting the number of tournament events that can be held in the state during the summer to three. There is now no limit to the number of events that can be held in the state.
Before the meeting, state Sen. Keith Kelley proposed a bill that would have kept the existing fish-size limits in place and would have required a study to determine the best way to conserve and protect fish in the state’s lakes, saying that the only study on the books is outdated and doesn’t reflect the current status of fish populations. It would appear Kelley got far more from the board than he imagined.
“I appreciate that we now have reached a position that our communities can continue to host fishing tournaments and the major impact they have on tourism in our area,” Kelley said in the Anniston Star story. “I want to thank Representatives Robbins and Lipscomb, as well as all of the cities and counties that adopted the resolutions in support of our efforts.”
Slot limits have been a hot topic in Alabama in recent months. In November 2024, the Alabama Wildlife & Freshwater Fisheries Division proposed a plan to institute a 14- to 20-inch tournament-only slot limit for all six lakes on the Coosa River in response to research conducted by Auburn University that tracked bass mortality rates on the Neely Henry Reservoir over the past three years.
The DCNR paid for that research project to the tune of $843,000 “in response to persistent complaints from anglers about the declining quality of the black bass fisheries on Coosa River reservoirs.”
On Saturday, the commissioner of the Alabama DCNR Chris Blankenship posted the following statement on outdooralabama.com:
“After taking into consideration all of the fisheries data collected by our staff, various scientific studies and feedback from tournament and local fishermen as well as many city and county government entities, I have determined that the short-term economic impacts of a 14-20 inch slot limit outweigh the long-term benefits of a larger size structure of the bass population on the Coosa River reservoirs. At this time, no changes for the Coosa River fishery will be presented to the Conservation Advisory Board for consideration.
“However, ADCNR has shared with tournament organizers the Auburn University study findings as well as our staff concerns regarding extreme post-release mortality that occurs with tournaments in warm water months, detrimentally impacting the larger-size bass. We anticipate responsible tournament organizers will modify live weigh-in tournaments during the warm water months. We would also like to work with tournament organizers to limit live weigh-in tournaments during this period or otherwise modify the structure of these tournaments to improve bass survivability.
“ADCNR will continue to study the issue on the Coosa and talk with anglers, property owners, tournament organizers, city and county officials and state legislators to ensure the population of bass stays healthy and sustainable. We are committed to working together with all stakeholders to provide recreational and tournament anglers with access to this important resource.”
