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IDNR Report

The Natural Resources Commission (NRC) has given preliminary adoption rule changes governing fishing tournament licenses/permits, trapping wild animals, and registering to be an organ donor through the DNR’s license system.

The proposed changes are summarized as follows:

Fishing tournament licensing (312 IAC 5-3.5-1)

The proposed amendment removes the reference to the Division of Law Enforcement for the administration of licenses for fishing tournaments since the Division of State Parks issues fishing tournament permits/licenses for state park & reservoir properties, and the Division of Fish & Wildlife issues permits for the three public freshwater lakes listed in the rule (Syracuse, Wawasee, and Sylvan). There are no changes to the lakes or requirements for the permits.

Trapping wild animals (312 IAC 9-3-18) & Nuisance wild animal control permit (312 IAC 9-10-11)

The change in these rules is to simply remove the requirement that body-gripping traps be completely covered by water. Only enough water to cover the opening of the trap by 50% will be required. The 330 Conibear (body-gripping trap) is used primarily for beaver and otter trapping in Indiana. This type of trap is one of the most effective methods for removing beavers from an area, and it is listed as a humane and effective trap in the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Best Management Practices for trapping beavers and otters. Beavers can create a dam in a waterway, causing flooding to adjacent properties, and beavers may need to be removed as quickly and efficiently as possible. Therefore, this method is one of the most common used for both nuisance trapping situations as well as during the beaver trapping season. Because of its size, the administrative rule in 312 IAC 9-3-18(f) currently requires that the 330 Conibear trap be completely submerged in water. The same requirements are in the nuisance wild animal control permit rule in 312 IAC 9-10-11 for nuisance wildlife control operators. A 330 Conibear typically measures 10” x 10”. Due to the size of the trap and how it is typically set, it would be difficult for a dog to be caught in a 330 that is halfway submerged, so moving from fully submerged to halfway submerged should not change pet safety considerations. Allowing these traps to not be completely submerged would allow for more flexibility in dealing with beaver conflicts. The beaver and river otter seasons run concurrently, so this change should also not substantially increase river otter harvest incidental take. Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania require this size of body-gripping trap to be fully submerged; however, Wisconsin, Michigan and Kentucky allow this size of body-grip trap to only be half-submerged in water.

Organ Donation (312 IAC 9-10-28):

This new rule is required by law in IC 14-22-11-20 to specify that a person may become an organ donor at the time of purchase of a fishing, hunting, or trapping license online and have that designation on the license. Senate Enrolled Act 288 passed in 2020, requiring the DNR to provide this option for customers to register as an organ donor when purchasing a license. This rule specifies that only residents of Indiana who purchase a license through our online license system (not at a retailer) can register to become an organ donor, and the person must be at least 18 years old. It also provides an option for a person to remove their status as an organ donor in our license system by submission of a signed affidavit.

Public comments can be submitted to the NRC Rulemaking Docket. Click on “Comment on this Rule” next to the “Fish & Wildlife and Law Enforcement Miscellaneous Rule Amendments."

Comments on the proposed changes can also be mailed to:

Natural Resources Commission
Indiana Government Center North
100 North Senate Avenue, Room N103
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2200

The public hearing and deadline for public comments have not been scheduled yet. Once the public comment period has ended and a public hearing has been conducted, the NRC will vote on final adoption of any rule changes.  Please note that these proposed changes will not be in effect in 2021.