The following schedule is from the 72nd Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies which was held October 21-24, 2018 in Mobile, Alabama.
AUTHORS: Ken Weathers, Matthew Marshall – Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division
ABSTRACT: Providing quality angling opportunities at affordable prices in locations with few public water fishing areas has been a longstanding goal of the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (ADWFF) Public Fishing Lakes (PFL) Program. This program centers around small impoundments dispersed throughout the state that are intensively managed for largemouth bass, bluegill, shellcracker, crappie, and channel catfish by personnel of the Fisheries Section of the ADWFF. The day to day operation of the concessions and grounds maintenance is contracted to a Lake Manager in exchange for revenue associated with fishing and other related permits. For over 60 years, the Lake Manager model has been effective; however, as fishing trends and public recreational preferences changed, revenue at PFL’s declined. This problem has caused a reduction in Lake Manager retention and further depletes the limited funding required for necessary renovations and repairs to buildings and grounds where costs continue to rise. One solution for solving these problems is forming partnerships with local government entities. In the past, counties have been utilized in resurfacing access roads and parking lots at PFL’s, so seeking their assistance is not an entirely new concept. ADWFF has recently partnered with several municipalities through various contractual arrangements in order to operate five PFL’s. Although challenges exist with this new operational model, the benefits have outweighed the negatives giving optimism for the future.
