Iowa DNR proposes a ban on the transportation of live fish - KWWL.com

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is asking that fishers leave the job of stocking Iowa's public lakes to the DNR.

The DNR is working on a proposal to ban the transportation of live fish into public lakes, a problem they are seeing, especially in Southwest Iowa.

Some anglers have been known to fish at multiple lakes in one day and dump live fish back in a lake where they were not caught.  Often, these fish will take over their new homes, and the DNR eventually needs to restock the lake.

"If we have to go in and pull the lake down, kill off the fish, and restock it, you're taking five years while that lake enjoys no fishing at all," DNR Spokesman Joe Wilkinson said. "Anglers go elsewhere. The bait shops, the restaurants, and the other businesses around there, their business dry up as well."

The DNR is currently seeking input from the public on the regulations.

They will have a meeting on July 6 that will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the fourth floor west conference room, Wallace State Office Building, 502 E. Ninth St., in Des Moines.