Wappappello to have minimum on crappie

Wappappello to have minimum on crappie

The Missouri Department of Conservation will implement a 9-inch minimum length limit on crappie at Lake Wappapello, effective March 1.

Currently, there is no minimum length limit for crappie. Anglers will still be limited to 30 fish a day.

"The new 9-inch minimum length will protect the smaller crappie and allow more fish to grow bigger," said Mark Boone, fisheries management biologist for the Department of Conservation.

A recent three-year creel survey conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers found that two-thirds of the white crappie harvested at the lake are under 9 inches long. MDC also conducted a crappie exploitation/tagging study in 2003-04 that found the harvest was sufficient to warrant the new regulations.

Scarborough to give raptors demonstration

Rusty Scarborough will give a demonstration on Birds of Prey on Saturday at the Missouri Department of Conservation Nature Center in Cape Girardeau County Park.

Scarborough, from the Delta Rivers Nature Center in Arkansas, will lead a demonstration with live raptors.

Sessions are scheduled for 10 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 3 p.m.

The presentations are open to the public at no cost. Registration is requested by calling (573) 290-5218.

-- From staff reports