HB 39

KWA's Policy Director, Nick Hart, testified to the House Natural Resources and Energy Committing regarding Senate Bill 39, which raises significant concerns for the long-term health of Kentucky fisheries by declaring F1 largemouth bass not invasive and limiting Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) authority to regulate stocking F1 bass and fish in private lakes and ponds. KWA fully respects private property rights, but for years, KDFWR biologists have cautioned against the use of F1 bass due to concerns about the impacts on native bass populations. The desire for F1 bass lead KDFWR to develop its Thoroughbred Bass Program a hackery and stocking program designed to breed and provide genetically superior and KY-native bass as a high quality alternative to F1. 
 
SB 39 also sets a troubling precedent by shifting fisheries management decisions away from scientific expertise and into statute. Decisions about what species should be stocked and where, require ongoing evaluation, technical knowledge, and adaptability. These are the kinds of decisions that should be made by the KDFWR Commission and guided by department biologists, not fixed through legislation. Effective fishery management depends on science-based decision-making that can respond to changing conditions. Removing that flexibility risks unintended ecological consequences and undermines the systems in place to protect Kentucky’s native fisheries and waterways.
 
KWA’s testimony led to House Amendments 1 and 4 which were adopted into the bill, ensuring that private lakes and ponds with unrestricted stocking are not connected to other public waters, and that KDFWR still maintained authority to limit stocking of private lakes and ponds in the 100 year flood plan.