Park board OKs fishing ordinance

Portland Park Board is taking a stand against folks stealing fish from the pond at Hudson Family Park.

Board members agreed Tuesday to forward a catch-and-release fishing ordinance to Portland City Council.

According to a draft of the ordinance, park board allows visitors to fish from the water’s edge, but it doesn’t allow boats. All fishing must be catch-and-release, and fishing nets are not permitted.

“Catch and release is identified as returning the fish back to the water (and it is) caught without harm, keeping for consumption or moving to a different location,” the ordinance says.

Portland police will be contacted if someone is discovered taking fish from the pond or using a net to fish, per the ordinance. (From there, individuals would be cited with an ordinance violation through Portland City Court.) All ages are still welcome to fish recreationally in the pond without a state fishing permit.

Park board decided to look into creating the ordinance after hearing from park employee Matt Shauver about individuals netting 20 to 30 fish at a time at the park and leaving with them.

Park board president Brian Ison noted he looked online to find other communities with a catch-and-release ordinance, although he said he didn’t see anything specific. He pointed out signs have been put up at the park in both English and Spanish clarifying the rules.

He added that if the city left enforcement to Indiana Department of Natural Resources, anyone fishing without a license would be ticketed.

“I feel that this will help to address (this). The police department is not able to do anything without having an ordinance,” said Ison.

A decision on the ordinance moves next to city council, which meets at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 16.

Also Tuesday during a less than 15-minute meeting, park board members Shauna Runkle, Michael Brewster, Jennifer Weitzel, John McFarland and Ison:

•Canceled park board’s Nov. 7 meeting in recognition of Election Day. Park board will meet next at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 5.

•OK’d putting up signs prohibiting bicycles, skateboards and roller skates on the new pickleball courts at Milton Miller Park. Community member Steve Craig, who led Jay County Pickleball Players’ effort to raise $18,160 in donations for building two courts, noted construction work started today on the project. (It had been expected to start in August.) He requested signs to prevent bicycles, skateboards and roller skates from damaging the court’s surface.

•Heard the park board has requested each youth or adult program utilizing the parks share their needs. “What have you done to the parks this calendar year, and what are you looking at for next year?” explained Ison. He said so far he’s heard from Jay County Pee Wee Football, which he said has not indicated any needs for 2024. He set a deadline of Oct. 16 to hear from each organization so he can take the information to park board’s next meeting.

•Learned Ison will be attending city council’s meeting Oct. 16 to give an update on park board’s projects completed this year, discuss Portland Water Park — he noted the water park has a significant increase in funding in the 2024 budget — and talk about projects slated for 2024.

•Agreed to the $800 purchase and installation of two cameras from NuWave Technology at Portland Water Park.