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Indiana Department of Natural Resources shrinks fishing regulations brochure, puts more info onlineMay 09, 2010 (Herald-Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Many people are fishing for ways to save money, and that includes officials with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. People across Indiana will notice one of the DNR's ways of saving money: the 2010 Indiana Fishing Regulations. Instead of the glossy, 44-page, color magazine that contained the 2009 Indiana Fishing Guide, this year, there's a six-page green-and-white pamphlet that has the regulations, license information, bag limits and specific information about certain Indiana fish. "We took out a lot of feature stories and advertising," said Phil Bloom, director of communications for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Bloom said the streamlined product was the result of work between the DNR divisions of Fish and Wildlife, Law Enforcement and Communications. The goal was to lower the cost that last year was "in the neighborhood of $100,000" down to less than $20,000. "That's money they can save that can be used elsewhere," Bloom said of the Division of Fish and Wildlife. The 2010 pamphlet still has the basic rules and regulations anglers need to follow. For people who want more, including some features and more information about specific species and locations, Bloom said the agency is working to put more online, at www.in.gov/dnr. If you go the website's main page and click on "2010 fishing guide" under the Quick Links, you'll see a picture of a person on a boat. If you click on the photograph, you'll get the six-page document that is also available at many outdoor retail stores and bait shops throughout Indiana. Below that picture are links to more information, including bass regulations, license exemptions, Ohio River rules, information about reptiles and amphibians, Indiana size and bag limits and trout and salmon regulations. Bloom said the DNR also has added more information online at www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild. Some of that includes spring turkey dates, youth turkey hunt opportunities, turkey hunting safety and a safety video. The goal is to have more on hunting and trapping online instead of having such a large hunting and trapping guide, Bloom said. The online area would include sections on deer, turkey, small game, rabbit and squirrel, fishing and waterfowl. In the fishing area, there will be breakouts for general fishing, Lake Michigan fishing, trout and salmon and Ohio River fishing. Bloom expects more videos to be added to the DNR website in the future. "It's a challenge to commit full-bore to video, and it takes time and people," Bloom said, explaining why it will be a longer term process to get more online. Bloom said the DNR website will evolve over time, with the goal to "not have it static once it's there." Some of the advantages of putting more information online include being able to post emergency rule changes more quickly, Bloom said. "We don't have to wait a year to print it. We can make those changes almost immediately." Bloom said his department plans to always be looking for more to add online, such as information about ice fishing safety or other specific items to help Hoosiers. He plans to convert some of the material that was once used in the printed brochures to the online form. The advantage for people using the website is that they won't have to leaf through 44 pages to find their specific area of interest, Bloom said. "A person can go online and print out just a few pages instead of 44 pages or so." "The medium is there for us to do it and to do it in a more timely and efficient way." To see more of the Herald-Times or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/. Copyright (c) 2010, Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |