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Mo. conservation officials discuss catfish rules

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The Missouri Department of Conservation is holding several meetings to discuss regulations for blue catfish.

Anglers and conservation officials have been concerned about declining blue catfish catches from Truman Reservoir for two decades and more recently from the Lake of the Ozarks. Both lakes have at least adequate numbers of smaller blue catfish but heavy fishing for those 24 inches and larger is keeping sizes smaller. The two lakes are formed by separate dams on the Osage River.

Conservation officials are considering rules that would allow anglers to bring home 10 fish instead of the current five while establishing slot size limits to allow medium-sized fish to grow larger.

Meetings are scheduled Aug. 21 in Camdenton, Aug. 23 in Clinton and Aug. 25 in Warsaw.

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