JACKSON — The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is proposing a package of changes to park fees, fishing and boating permits and hunting regulations and has opened a 30-day public comment period, officials said. The proposals were presented at the commission’s April meeting and would affect state parks, fisheries and wildlife management rules across Mississippi.
Proposed park changes would adjust age ranges for annual permits and boat launch fees, add ages 16 and older to daily fishing fees and lower the senior age classification from 65 to 62, the department said. The department also plans to rename “fishing permits” as “boating permits” to better align the name with current regulations.
Fisheries proposals include updated crappie limits at Lake Mary Crawford, Simpson County Lake and Horseshoe Lake, revised largemouth bass regulations at several public fishing lakes and revised bream limits at Simpson County Lake. Officials also proposed a no-harvest rule for walleye at Elvis Presley Lake and potential commercial changes such as reducing mesh-size requirements for hoop nets and prohibiting possession or transport of live catfish measuring 34 inches or larger.
Wildlife proposals would change turkey hunting rules, reducing the nonresident seasonal bag limit from three birds to two, limiting nonresident hunters to one bird before April 1 and restricting all hunters to one bird during Wildlife Management Area draw hunts. The department said the proposals reflect input from anglers and hunters and aim to align Mississippi’s rules with neighboring states while maintaining sustainable wildlife populations. The full proposals are available for review and comment on the department’s website for 30 days. This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge.
