Conservation
A federal court recently ruled against motions filed several years ago by a group of ranchers seeking continued grazing rights on land in New Mexico that has been used by their families for centuries ... Read More
About a dozen New Mexico Trout volunteers spent the last Saturday in October assisting US Forest Service personnel in constructing structures in the Rio Cebolla called "Beaver Dam Analogs." ... Read More
From the June 2017 newsletter The endangered Colorado Pikeminnow is showing signs of recovering its diminished population in the San Juan River basin. The lower reaches of the San Juan River provide habitat for this federally listed fish. Conservation of this fishery is a priority of the New Mexico Game and Fish Department, and staff spend a considerable amount of time monitoring, stocking, and enhancing habitat to ensuring the long-term persistence of this resource. Based on data gathered last year following the spring peak release from Navajo Dam, scientists said they have found evidence the Colorado pikeminnow is reproducing in ... Read More
by Noah Parker, reprinted with permission from https://loeflyfishing.com With the beginning of the new licensing period on April 1st, 2017, the new catch and release area on the Chama River below El Vado Dam was implemented and became a reality. The New Mexico Game and Fish Commission (NMDG&F) approved catch and release regulations on this section of the Chama River at its November 17, 2016 meeting in Grants. The new regulation, as written by NMDG&F staff, applies to a three-mile stretch of the river that starts 1.3 miles below the El Vado Dam. The first 1.3 mile section of the ... Read More
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is proposing new rules. Some of the changes are:
- Modifications to the Special Trout Water (STW) program including increasing designated waters by 52 miles, reducing the number of Special Trout Water classifications from over eleven to four, and removing some waters that no longer meet the STW designation.
- Lifting catch-and-release only designation at Brantley Lake
- Adding Alumni Pond, Corona Pond, Estancia Pond, Perch Lake, Rancho Grande Ponds, Roswell Kids Ponds, and Rio Grande below Elephant Butte as winter trout waters
Commission members Jim Dunlap of Farmington and James Wilcox of Carlsbad submitted resignation letters to Gov. Susana Martinez on 11 October, a day after commission Chairman Caleb Chandler of Clovis tendered his resignation. Dunlap wrote in his resignation letter that he had "great concern for lack of direction from the State Engineer and adherence to New Mexico State Statutes." The commission has also come under fire in recent years for open meetings violations. The resignations leave the commission with just four active members out of nine board positions, because there were previously two vacancies.The Interstate Stream Commission has broad powers ... Read More
By Ron Loehman, Conservation Chair Volunteers are needed to work with Santa Fe National Forest personnel to construct several beaver dam analogs (BDAs) on the Rio Cebolla meadows downstream of where the Cebolla flows under FR 376. The work area is approximately 10 miles north of Porter's Landing on FR 376. This is the first stage of a project to increase riparian wetland area, to improve water quality, and to benefit fish habitat on the Rio Cebolla. We will be applying techniques similar to those Bill Zeedyk taught at a NM Trout workshop in 2015, including post pounding, rock placement, ... Read More
The New Mexico Game & Fish Commission has proposed changes to the state fisheries regulations.. These include language changes and updates, as well as adding a new table on special trout waters. Read the documents: 19.31.4 NMAC Fisheries Rule
- Fisheries Rule Current Version
- Fisheries Rule Draft Proposed Changes
- Fisheries Rule Draft Proposed Final Version