The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board is inviting public comment on several proposed changes to state fishing regulations, including new regulations for panfish.

Here are some things you should know:

• Panfish are becoming increasingly popular with Vermont’s anglers, and we know that angler harvest has affected the size structure of some populations. The proposed rules are intended to prevent overfishing of panfish and maintain quality fishing opportunities for large sized panfish.

• The proposal includes a new Fish Seller’s Endorsement for anglers who want to sell panfish. This would be a free add-on to a regular Vermont fishing license. Endorsement holders will be required to report their fish sales so that biologists can better understand the commercial sale of fish in Vermont.

• One of our main reasons for proposing the rules related to panfish is to bring the panfish discussion to the forefront. Public participation, input, and support are integral to the rule making process, so we encourage all interested anglers to participate in the public comment period and/or attend one of the upcoming public hearings.

The proposed fish regulation changes can be read in their entirety on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife website under “Active Rulemaking”.

The public hearings will be held:

Monday, March 24 (6:30 - 9PM)

Vermont Supreme Court Building, conference room #110

111 State St., Montpelier VT

Tuesday, March 25 (6:30 - 9PM)

Town Educational Center, Library Room

169 Main Street, St. Albans VT

Thursday, March 27 (6:30 - 9PM)

Rutland High School, Lecture Hall

22 Stratton Rd., Rutland VT

Monday, March 31 (6:30 - 9PM)

Virtual – Microsoft Teams (by link, or by phone to 802-828-7667 with code 435865335#)

The department will accept public comment on proposed regulation changes through April 7, 2025, via email to ANR.FWPublicComment@vermont.gov

Fishing Regulation Proposals