(TPWD Responds) Its Illegal to Dump or Bury Fish in the State of Texas

"My very CLEAR question to TPWD and their very CLEAR response. It is a violation of the law, EVEN BOW FISHING, to retain gar, buffalo, carp, etc. without the intent to consume or use as bait. It is not legal to kill them with the intent to bury them on your land. They even request that Operation Game Thief be called if this activity is witnessed.
Straight from the regulations department at TPWD.
"Oh, but a game warden told me it was OK" This does not change the law. Game Wardens do not make law, and they sometimes don't even know the law. Just because it's not enforced, does not mean it's legal. You're just breaking a law and getting away with it."

"Lawful Archery Equipment
Lawful archery equipment includes longbow, recurved bow, compound bow and crossbow
May be used to take NONGAME fish only.
Any fish that is edible or can be used for bait (includes all gar species, common carp and buffalo) may not be released back into the water after being taken with lawful archery equipment. See Waste of Fish."

"Waste of fish
It is unlawful to leave edible fish or bait fish taken from the public waters of the state to die without the intent to retain the fish for consumption or bait."

"Sec. 66.011. LEAVING FISH TO DIE. A person commits an offense if the person leaves edible fish or bait fish taken from the public waters of this state to die without the intent to retain the fish for consumption or bait."


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TPWD has two sets of rules.

The rules the general public must follow

Then the rules they get to follow.

who says Gar or carp are edible. This is exactly why people loath the government.

Texas law defines them as edible.

Common carp were originally introduced as a food fish throughout America. I've eaten carp a couple of times. Can't say that I prefer it, but it will do to make fish patties or 'crab cakes'.

what makes you think i dont have one?

How about you post a complete copy of the official TPWD response. What you posted, other than definitions from the handbook and one portion of a code doesn't prove any of that came directly from TPWD as a response to your question.

Nevermind Shark, job well done sir.

I agree, that if people are breaking the law then they should be fined. I'll argue on one of your gar threads instead.

He posted the email on the youtube video.

I don't click many youtube videos on the www. Thx, Zeek.

fwiw, I believe the code cited is poorly written and easily contested. I also believe it was added to keep people from throwing bow-shot fish back in the lake. How can the Warden prove "intent"?

The fish died. I didn't intend for it to.

you believe and TPWD knows...its the law follow it or change it.

I know that many of the laws in the TPWD code are very vague. How can intent be proven Sharkbait? Hey, I'm with you. I can't stand to see a pile of fish with holes in them next to the boat ramp.

Have you any proof that folks have been cited for this and the citation was upheld by the court/JP?

hmm i would think lack of ice on a boat would entail lack of intent to use as bait as well as the involvement of putting tractors on trailers to dispose of the fish

Now you're the one thinking or believing.

Again, Have you any proof that folks have been cited for this and the citation was upheld by the court/JP?

Just for the sake of argument...

What if a person takes a truckload of gar and carp and buries them in their corn field. They are being used to grow corn, which is then eaten. Is that legal according to the TPWD definition?

no using fish for fertilizer is not legal in the state of Texas

Using cleaned fish carcasses is definitely legal in the state of Texas. How about you provide complete information instead of cherry picking to support your argument? And to demonstrate to you how confusing the TPWD Code and definitions can be can be, here ya go.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0798.pdf

I'm going to say this thread will reach 5 pages before it's locked

I guess I'm a little confused as to the context of your post because I saw absolutely nothing confusing in that entire publication. Seemed pretty cut and dry to me.

Im fairly certain there is a difference in cleaned fish carcass as fertilizer if the retained meat is being used for food or bait vs uncleaned fish being dumped under the guise of fertilizer. According to Texas state law the latter is illegal!

quote the law that states that sir. because i stated laws that say its not.

I think it to be pretty easy to determine intent. If you dump a bunch of uncleaned fish anywhere, then you made no intent to retain them. If you went through the process of cleaning the fish and putting them in your cooler or freezer then you made an intent by processing them for consumption.

Again I don't see the wording of this law all that confusing.

The pictures depicted in the video shakbait posted if truly on the trinity river show illegal and wonton waste of Texas resources. There was obviously no intent to retain those fish for consumption or bait. They should be procecuted for that!

Just use them to bait your coyote trap.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but to my knowledge there are no fish in Texas fresh waters that are not edible. None of them will kill you if you eat them and people for thousands of years have eaten them. Just because it may be taboo in our culture by some to eat them does not make them unpalatable.

I don't loath the government for protecting species of animals, I commend them. It's been proven time and time again in the past that our resources need protection from the people because the people are incapable of managing it themselves as a whole population. With the ever growing population of the nation and the state of texas our resources need protection now more than ever so that our kids, grandchildren, great grandchildren and beyond can enjoy hunting and fishing just as we have.

And in the meantime, PETA is laughing their azz off at the fighting among fishermen over the meaning of a simple word.

That statement reeks with ignorance! As does PETA! 1+1=2

Just because some people view conservation of resources important does not mean we support or agree with peta!

LOL You just don't get it do you?
1. Where the hell did I say anyone agreed with or supported PETA?
2. The ignorance is all your's. Your mother must be proud.
3. PETA is pretty smart, a lot more so than you. They love it when fishermen and hunters argue and fight. Makes a much weaker opponent.

I'm not going to play your game! Cheers!

LOL Someone explain it to you?

have you ever heard of taking a carp you have caught, placing it is a tub of clean water and let it swim for a couple of days to get the silt out of it's system. Then filet and skin and cut into chunks and fry.

I have been told by an old timer in Yantis, please bring me some carp. They are great eating when "cured" in this manner.

Except she wants me to do the curing and cleaning.

Way back in the day I fertilized my organic garden every year with carp. Best fertilizer I ever used.
Good thing I don't do that anymore.

for anyone wanting to clear up the regulations themselves
Please contact

Ken F. Kurzawski
Regulations and Information Programs
TPWD - Inland Fisheries
4200 Smith School Road
Austin, TX 78744
512-389-4591 (o)
email - <inld@tpwd.texas.gov>

So what pound bow do you guys like for the really large alligator gar?

60-80 lbs brother !! Lol !!! shark bait I really admire your passion and perseverance but I stay waaaaay the hell away from your post but you catch some awesome fish bud keep it up !

Good question. There's 4 large dead ones on Facebook, I'd post the pic; but I'd hate to make guys cry. Guys who killed them say that they are yummy.

The backstrap taste like shrimp.

This is so true it sad, look up the poaching game warden in Delta county, its a travesty that guys still has a job 3 years later...

You're allowed 1 Alligator Gar a day, nothing wrong with eating them. But for those just out for the thrill of the kill, that's the problem. And the law is very clear.

"Waste of fish - It is unlawful to leave edible fish or bait fish taken from the public waters of the state to die without the intent to retain the fish for consumption or bait."

Taken from this page:
http://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoo...ing-regulations

I agree 100% ! I have no issue with anybody wanting to hunt or fish alligator gar. Those who are hunting them just to trash them or claim it's for fertilizer is what I have a problem with. it's unlawful .

You've obviously never tried gar or carp. It's a matter of preference. Many prefer gar or carp over striper and sand bass. I have eaten all of the above, and can't say I fall in to that category, but there are plenty that do. The protection of gar and carp is no less important that that of other game fish. They all make up the ecosystem and play a role. For the record, I have been bowfishing many times and taken my fair share of gar, carp, and buffalo in a legal manner. I have not always used the fish I have taken (not legal, I know), but have given them away to people that wanted them and needed the food. Let me tell you, they were more than appreciative.

SharkBaitTV, you make a clear and valid point, sir. You are not pushing for a stop to bowfishing, you are simply stating the law, which happens to be clear cut. Contrary to what others have said, TPWD is not "out to get" those who hunt and fish. Though I don't agree with everything they do, I know their intentions are generally for the best.

.


No, he is pushing to stop the killing of gar. You've only read one of his post.

SharkBaitTV, you make a clear and valid point, sir. You are not pushing for a stop to bowfishing, you are simply stating the law, which happens to be clear cut. Contrary to what others have said, TPWD is not "out to get" those who hunt and fish. Though I don't agree with everything they do, I know their intentions are generally for the best. [/quote]

Agreed. You stay after your noble cause SharkBaitTV. I don't remember the exact quote but I heard somewhere that any entity that does regulate itself dooms itself to be regulated by outsiders, something like that. Fisherman and hunters aren't fighting among themselves when they call out for and against unethical and or illegal means, methods, or take. They are protecting both their natural resources and their future rights.

I see these same arguments in Alaska regarding what size halibut that sportfishermen should keep, rockfish limits, etc. We can either conserve our natural resources now, or be without them later.

my end goal is getting alligator gar the game fish status they deserve nothing more nothing less.

Grind up said fish and sell for Chum.....

Elaborate for us, they have a special breeding season in certain locations and 1 per day limit in 99% of the state. Exactly how much more game status can they get? Are you saying they should be rod & reel only?

they should have a game fish status and the protection that comes with it.

Just my own .02 on the subject. I've been pushing for something similar for a loooong time and I personally would be in favor of Alligator Gar being treated the same as other game fish, so yes..no bow fishing for them. Based on my research on the subject for every "bad" bow fisherman, there is probably 100's of GOOD bow fisherman who obey the laws and harvest legally. The problem is, that 1 bad bow fisherman does a really crappy job of representing the sport because he will kill a ton of fish just for the thrill of it, throw em on the banks to die, hang them from trees, has zero respect for the spawning fish, etc, etc. Seen it with my own eyes way too often over the years. And so yes...for that reason alone, I would fully support fishing for Alligator Gar rod and reel only.

However...for Longnose Gar I would 100% support keeping that available for bow fishing!

Here's an honest question.. Or two..

Is it possible that maybe your posting videos of catching gar on the internet has led a lot of bowfishermen to your area, and they are killing fish because of your exposure?

I have not watched any of your videos. Are you also posting them on you tube?

Are you making money on the gar by posting videos of catching them on the net?

Are you not aware that regulations for the taking of gar are the strictest of any freshwater fish in Texas?

Are you not aware that TPWD does manage fisheries, for all Texans, and that if they thought they were low numbered or threatened they would reduce the limit or outlaw the taking of gar altogether?

If you were so concerned about the gar and preserving life is so important, according to your thingy at the bottom of your posts, wouldn't it be better if you quit catching them?

I mean catching and handling them can't be good for em..

It's not good for bass either, but you can keep five of them a day..

Gar have been here for eons and will probably be here after man is gone..

I don't believe in killing anything you are going to waste.. But predators need control.. Not saying they need control in your neighborhood.. I know nothing of the fish numbers in your river.. But evidently they are pretty good..

But they do need control in mine..

We shot the [censored] out of em on Tuesday.. You guys come and get you some..

What I learned in this thread, it is illegal to mount a fish.

Good point!

The main difference we're not accounting for is the age of the fish. A 10lb bass may only be 5-6 years old, a 200lb alligator gar may be 50-75 depending on the area and food availability. The impact of removing the gar vs. Bass is not comparable. Much slower to replace the gar. I would support making it illegal to bowfish for alligator gar. Although, I don't think it's wrong for someone to take their legal limit now under the current regulations. My thought is that I would like for the large, mature fish you be around for future generations to see and potentially catch. The correct action may be to enforce a slot of some sort, but that's just my .02

Hard to use a slot when you are shooting them..

Gar at Falcon grow to 100 pounds in as little as seven or eight years..

A mature gar can easily have 600,000 eggs in one fish..

We have not missed a single year class down here and they are freaking everywhere. .

But like I said, that's Falcon..

Also like I said, TPWD is managing them..

for the first part of your question, i am not responsible for anyone's actions but my own. if people want to follow me around and fish the same spots i fish that is on them. i can only minimize the landmarks shown in my videos and fish further and further from the beaten path where other simply cannot go.

i post to YouTube.

YouTube pays nothing for small channels i make nothing.

the regulations for gar(gator gar,longnose gar?) is absolutely not the strictest of any fish in freshwater.

i respect TPWD but they have also in many cases been guilty of mismanagement of species (look at the grass carp on lake Austin) also when a thousand fish are killed in a night and dumped in a hole i dont think TPWD is taking that harvest into account.

i am catching, tagging, and releasing alligator gar to bring awareness to the species while championing them as a sport fish
how does anyone know a species needs protection if they dont know it exists i have shown hundreds of people pictures of gar in Texas and they did not know what it was. i have shown millions through YouTube how amazing these fish actually are.

TPWD has tagged and released 6000 alligator gar in Texas using the same methods im using and i have improved on their methods while going way out of my way to insure they release healthy each and every time. every single fish on the planet can be sport fished, just because you have not spent the time to learn to target these fish catch and release on rod and reel doesn't mean others haven't.

people catch bass on treble hooks the same size i use for my gar.

agreed actually we (humans) will likely not wipe gar species out entirely but that does not mean they dont need protection, and they have been on the planet since the beginning of the Cretaceous period around 147 million years.

Gator Gar are a keystone species as well as a top level predator, they bring health and balance to the ecosystem. If they needed to be controlled why do we have the vibrant fishery's we have today, when gar species have managed the species in our waters for millions of years? not man
Alligator gars diet is around 80% roughfish, common carp, buffallo, gizzard shad, freshwater drum, talapia, perch ect. less than 15-20% of their diet is what people consider game fish.

thats the excuse you are using to kill them it doesn't make it the truth, its a justification that has no weight.
you are killing for fun just admit it.

not even close to being true a 6 foot gar is 20 years old.

We netted, sexed, aged, and did stomach contents on 396 gar from Falcon two years ago.. In the only modern gar study in recent history.. and we found MANY gar that weighed 100 pounds less than ten years old..

It is a well documented study done by TPWD here on Falcon.

Like I said this is Falcon.. I don't profess to be an expert on your water..

NO gar on falcon go to waste.. around here it is a highly prized delicacy..

Matter of fact we damn near had fist fights when we were giving them away!!

I'm not picking on you for your passion. I respect it.. As I share the same passion for bass..

But there is a very small contingent of folks that feel the same you do.. I know you are trying to change that..

But it is just my opinion that you are going about it in a way that most people find over the top..

P.s. I have caught lots on rod and reel and it is a blast..The only difference is that I eat em when we catch em!

"But it is just my opinion that you are going about it in a way that most people find over the top.."

How so? All he is doing from what I can see from all of his posts, videos, etc, is mainly trying to educate people about the following:

1) Alligator Gar is the largest fresh water fish in Texas.
2) Alligator Gar in the Trinity River IS suffering from loss of spawning habitat.
3) It's against the law to kill Alligator Gar if you do not plan on using it for food or bait.
4) He would like to see the rules changed to promote Alligator Gar as a game fish.

All he does is post facts. I don't see him making up anything to promote any hidden agenda. I don't see him personally attacking anyone publicly, etc. I hope he's not going through the same $%^& I went through years ago when I was pushing Alligator Gar as a game fish, I was getting personal threats, threats of finding me, following me to my fishing hole, killing all the fish where I fish to make a point, etc, etc. At the time my kids were around 7-10 years old. I was scared for them. I hope he's not going through the same bs.

Re: Falcon. Yah...that's an entirely different ecosystem for Gar. I think the limit per day is 5 now out there.

You guys don't get it. ShartBait is a guide. Claims to be one of only two catch and release guides for alligator gar. Thats why he's so hell bent on killing bowfishing. It's cutting into his business

Nobody cares. Go back to 2cool

I know I would support that. The guys that are bow fishing for table fare would still have plenty of fish to target, including the Longnose Gar (and it's delicious back straps btw) which is readily available and the population is doing very well.

And who cares if he's a commercial guide getting paid for Alligator Gar trips. Every bass, catfish, striper, etc, guide I've ever talked to is THE MOST concerned person about the health of their fishery.

Sounds like a jealous man.

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...fi#Post12282738


And a quote from that thread that is so true. Even I'll admit that Mr. Shark has me wanting to kill a few gar just to despise him. I have even received PM's about the guy from when he lived in Corpus Christi, it's not very flattering information either. The man needs to tread lightly on the forums before someone exposes the real Sharkbait.


"You have the hunting forum guys up in arms over your posts on that forum. I've received a few PM's with invites to hit the trinity with spot lights and bows just to post pics of big shot up gar on your threads. I'm not going to kill gar to pizz off some guy on a forum, but several others are planning to. So how is this crusade to save the gar helping them if you've got people mad enough to go kill the biggest ones they can find just because of your goofy posts?"

Exactly....When hunters and fishermen don't get together with good common sense management practices these "Cuddle The Creatures" organizations can take advantage of the opportunity to have their voice heard and we end with more ridiculous laws and restrictions. If we're not careful they will have us eating coyotes and armadillos if we shoot one.

my conscience is clear. do what you feel you need to do.

sounds like a man whos tired of people killing alligator gar on the low for money and pretending their catch and release.

If some people have their way to will be illegal to catch a fish.

Great quote that showcases the worst side of human behavior - destroy a valuable natural resource out of spite. Yes, that makes lots of sense.

Thankfully, long-lived fish like white sturgeon are starting to recover from such foolishness.

Kind of hard to check that link. When I clicked on it it showed Sharkbait had deleted some of his messages 20 minutes ago so I guess damage control has now been done

Problem is, his passion is hurting more than it's helping. If the guy would just try to convince people not to kill gar for various reasons it'd be one thing. Instead he's trying to take away a right of the people and I think we all disagree with any of our freedoms being taken away.


Yes Zeek, what you wrote is true; but rubbing people the wrong way will cause repercussions.

They have the same rights on the water that you do. You don't make the law, sir.

i edited the post to not fight with Mr. Dawson he has made posts that show hes cares about these fish's conservation and the majority of his current pictures show respect to the fish.

pretending your catch and release when you are not while working with bowfisherman like barfzilla is just about the lowest you can go
once again im not saying anything i cant prove and im sure he will threaten to sue me again.

Well that escalated quickly, and got off subject. I feel like we are all on the same team about wanting to preserve our natural resources for future generations, while still enjoying our right to hunt and fish to the fullest. If TPWD sees a need to adjust the current regulations on alligator gar fishing, they will. In the meantime, who wants to go bowfishing for an invasive species like carp (Asian, common, or grass)???

Nope its not off subject it's the same old [censored] . Give it a week or two same post same argument same people .

I know right, I take the bait every time! I guess I just need to realize that the man is .

Well you see, you missed that thread. It's what caused the original post here in this thread, it seems that some love carp as much as others love their gars. They won't be happy until bowfishing is banned and that's what they are after.

While we don't have a great history at conserving natural resources, killing some fish is FAR from the worst side of human behavior.

I am Guilty as well

There's a big difference between killing 'some' fish, and systematically exterminating a species. Seen any smalltooth sawfish on the Texas coast recently?

Were they all killed off because of bowfishing? If not, I'm not sure you have a valid point. We are talking about bowfishing eradicating the gar, carp, etc.


Or at least I think we are/were.

The means and method don't make any difference when a species is killed off.

I guess I'm gonna have to bow out of this one then. Lol. I got sucked in too.

Come back when gar make the threatened species list. Right now they are doing just fine, actually doing quite well at Choke & Falcon.

You yourself are a big supporter of TPWD, do you find them to being doing a bad job with the gar situation?

The buffalo did fine till there was only a few left.

Choke and Falcon are not the only gar habitats in Texas. Falcon has an exception to the statewide rule.

I do think TP&W is doing a good job, especially since it's only been a few years since they recognized they were becoming threatened. And since there was no previous studies anywhere to work from, it is a learning experience. Yes, they have/will make mistakes but that is how they learn.

Overfishing is overfishing, regardless of means. I don't have a problem with using a bow, net, or spear for taking fish. But I do have a problem with killing massive amounts of fish for no better purpose than to dump them as trash. Same kind of thing as bycatch in shrimp nets.

http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Atractosteus%20spatula

Oh, OK. So bowfisherman are systematically exterminating alligator gar. Got it.

You..know I've talked to a ton of carp anglers over the years. And can count the number of Carp anglers that truly want to eliminate all bow fishing on 1 hand. The only thing they (and I!) want to eliminate is/was the legality of killing as many carp, gar, etc, as you want to. And now days, the main thing rough anglers are trying to educate people about is, it's 100% ILLEGAL to kill fish if you have no intention of using them for food or bait.

This particular thread, be it carp, buffalo, gar, etc, is all about educating EVERYONE that is IS illegal to kill fish without the intention of using them for food or bait. And to make matters worse, even some game wardens "interpret" (or don't know or simply don't care) that law differently which adds to confusion. But the written law itself is 100% clear.

And let's be honest here, the over riding majority of bow fisherman DO support these laws because they respect the fishery and harvest fish for tablefare, etc. It's the few bow fisherman that have no respect for rough fish, don't eat fish, etc, that really get upset and are the loudest and throw out that "fake news" that everyone is trying to 100% eliminate bow fishing, which just...isn't...true at all.

I think most people agree with what you are saying. I think most people are in the middle of this arguement, with a few far left and a few far right. There is room for everyone, just stop the dump trailer loads of rough fish.

I wasn't going to get into this long argument but people are passionate on both sides of the argument.
It's overblown in my opinion as we have laws that are already in place to protect the resource, and the gar isn't forgotten by TPWD by any means.
It's the few slobs out there that need to be policed, and it's up to us sportsmen to turn them in when we see something that isn't right.
Other than that there is no reason to attack anyone for their sport and means of enjoying it as long as it's lawful.
Instead we should let the biologist determine if there is a problem or not and not get emotional and try to establish more restrictions on an already restricted resource.
Changing a classification won't make that much difference when it's only a handful of people that are doing the abuse, and thus punishing the majority for no reason other than feeling good about yourself.

Followed the link and found interesting but painfully incomplete information. Especially with respect to distribution.

At any rate, I've never supported wasting anything, OTOH, in the pursuit of fishery management objectives, I have found that there are many and varied ways to accomplish those objectives. Also that in one ecological system the objectives can be in direct opposition to those in another.

For me, if there is truly an overabundance of a species and it really needs to be reduced drastically, the means of doing so and the ultimate disposition of the fish really don't matter much to me.

An example is a fishery I managed in an old gravel quarry not far away back into the woods. We did a survey and found the very best possible fishery for buffalo fish I ever saw. I even shocked up a few big enough to sell live to some live fish collectors. But the species just dominated the ecosystem and try as I might I could not change the owners/user group from wanting to fish for bass to wanting to fish for buffalo fish.

Seeing as how what I thought to be a great plan (fishing for the big fish already there) was not met with much enthusiasm, I ended up having to hire a commercial netter (work I do as well, but this was too BIG a job for me) to get as many out as I could. They took over 50,000 pounds of buffalo fish, so many they oversaturated the local market's ability to absorb them and a lot were just thrown away. OH don't get all worked up...it was private water.

Point is, sometimes some fish needs to be took out, sometimes some fish needs to be put in, sometimes the fish just needs left alone. Each time is different.

I support protecting and enhancing fisheries for everybody, I see no big advantage in having a mediocre bass fishery instead of a great carp fishery where that is appropriate and possible. I also see no advantage in "banning" one fishing method over another, rather embracing and utilizing every opportunity to achieve objectives and goals, whatever they may be.

Look into the cited references in parenthesis and you should find the information to be quite complete.

OK, I'ma pickin' nits but....that link below is to the range map provided on the site on a watershed basis.

http://explorer.natureserve.org/imagerep...tosteus_spatula



Ain't a lotta this here talk above 'bout Falcon Lake havin' a few too many gator gars an' needin' to kill some of 'em off? 'Mongst other things...

Well, last time I checked, Falcon was on the Texas/Mexico border and that there map don't show the gator gar even makin' close to that far West. Neither do any of the printed texts. Lest I done missed somethin' important. Which I could have...

I done seen' 'em myse'f in rivers and lakes inna Hill Country, but I ain't never been to Falcon so perhaps all them folks above is mistakin' 'bout they fish species, but it sho' don't seem like it to me.

Its been a really loooooong time since I got outta school so maybe I jes' need some help finding the thing. But it seems to me the range map provided is either inaccurate or incomplete. Other than that I ran about the site some, it does better with other species.

That is a distribution map, not a range map.

What the heck is the difference? 1 per day is 1 per day.
I can't believe I responded at all to this since [censored] about it.

Murder Is Against the law-
Doesn't seem to slow it down much-

Some folks are gonna be/do what they are gonna do-

Well it seems some are not mature enough to admit bow fishing has it's place. Now that it has warmed up I am prepping my boat to do a little rough fish reduction with my bow. I do however eat the Buffalo and backstraps from gar but the carp go into a wood chipper to be frozen into blocks and used as chum. It is crazy to say that there are no good reasons to try to keep the carp populations at a reasonable level. There will never be a lake with zero carp that already has them. Carp both eat gamefish eggs and wreck their spawning areas by roiling up the water. As for the sainted Alligator gar it seems there are still plenty of them around. This gar is a voracious predator of game fish, if you have ever cleaned one you would know this. Would you rather have one fish that you "sportfishers" won't use other than for fun or the stringer full of gamefish the bigger gar eat every day? Many of you haven't noticed but there are many species of fish ( the Blue catfish for example) that are becoming a huge population of large predators that will have a negative effect on our baitfish populations. As soon as the baitfish reach a point they can't feed the large predator fish population you will see the problem. Not keeping the larger fish does not necessarily have a good effect on the overall fishery.