Those boats are contract commercial anglers. The contract commercial fishing program in Iowa is managed through the DNR Fisheries Bureau and authorized in Iowa code. Commercial anglers bid for the ability to fish selected public lakes. The highest bid price by a qualified angler gets the contract to fish the lake. They must take all common carp, bigmouth buffalo, and freshwater drum that they catch. Depending on the time of year, these species have commercial value. Contracts are enacted for one year with the option for renewal for two additional years at the contracted price.
There are a number of restrictions on the contract. These include methods to reduce the chance of spreading invasive species, net size, water temperature and date restrictions, immediate release of other species, and others. The contractor must make a minimum of two net hauls from Labor Day to Memorial Day as long as water temperatures are below 70 degrees.
The commercial angler is required to notify my office prior to fishing a lake and to report any mortality of gamefish species. They also submit daily logs of the pounds of fish harvested and numbers of fish released. Their net size is quite large, so most gamefish are not caught. The anglers boats and equipment can be inspected at any time and we often observe operations to make sure all requirements are met.
The current program has been in operation since 1972. The objective of the program is to allow the utilization of these species, which may be detrimental in high numbers. The commercial harvest may have a limited, temporary positive impact on lake habitat and water quality, but these impacts are short-lived because common carp and buffalo can reproduce quickly and their populations recover.
We have been working on integrated methods that utilize the commercial program in an attempt to have longer term impacts, but this requires substantially more harvest (90% of the population) and reproduction control. We are making some progress, but this type of work is very difficult.
Mike Hawkins
District Fisheries Biologist
Fisheries Bureau, Conservation and Recreation Division
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
NW Regional Headquarters, 122 252nd Ave, Spirit Lake, IA 51360
Mobile: 712-330-1849
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