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To: Wildlife, Fisheries and
Parks
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Senator(s) Suber
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
SENATE BILL NO. 2660
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 49-7-1, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 1
CLASSIFY AS GAME FISH FRESHWATER FISH IN THE CATFISH FAMILY TAKEN 2
IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER; TO AMEND SECTION 49-7-9.1, MISSISSIPPI 3
CODE OF 1972, TO CONFORM; TO DIRECT THE MISSISSIPPI COMMISSION ON 4
WILDLIFE, FISHERIES AND PARKS, ACTING BY AND THROUGH THE 5
MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE, FISHERIES AND PARKS TO 6
REGULATE THE TAKING OF SUCH CATFISH; TO REQUIRE ANY RULES OR 7
REGULATIONS PROMULGATED TO INCLUDE REASONABLE DAILY HARVEST AND 8
LENGTH LIMITS, AND TO PROHIBIT A PERSON FROM HARVESTING MORE THAN 9
ONE CATFISH GREATER THAN 34 INCHES IN LENGTH FROM THE MISSISSIPPI 10
RIVER PER DAY; TO PROVIDE THAT NOTHING IN THIS ACT SHALL HAVE ANY 11
APPLICATION TO OR IMPOSE ANY LIMITATIONS ON "FARM-RAISED CATFISH" 12
AS DEFINED IN SECTION 69-7-605; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 13
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 14
SECTION 1. Section 49-7-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 15
amended as follows: 16
49-7-1. For the purposes of this chapter, the following 17
definitions and interpretations shall govern unless otherwise 18
provided: 19
(a) The following wild animals are classed as game: 20
bear, white-tailed deer, rabbits and squirrels. 21
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(b) The following wild animals are classed as 22
fur-bearing animals: muskrats, opossums, otters, weasels, minks, 23
raccoons and bobcats. 24
(c) The following wild animals are classed as nuisance 25
animals: wild hogs, nutria, beaver, fox, skunks and coyote. 26
(d) All freshwater fish in the following families are 27
classed as game fish: Sunfish family (Centrarchidae) - including 28
largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), smallmouth bass 29
(Micropterus dolomieu), spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus), 30
white crappie (Pomoxis annularis), black crappie (Pomoxis 31
nigromaculatus), redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus), bluegill 32
(Lepomis macrochiris), warmouth (Lepomis gulosus), green sunfish 33
(Lepomis cyanellus), longear sunfish (Lepomis megalotis), 34
redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus) and shadow bass (Ambloplites 35
ariommus); Perch family (Percidae) - including walleye 36
(Stizostedion vitreum), sauger (Stizostedion canadense) and yellow 37
perch (Perca flavescens); Pike family (Esocidae) - including 38
redfin pickerel (Esox americanus americanus), grass pickerel (Esox 39
americanus vermiculatus), chain pickerel (Esox niger); Temperate 40
bass family (Moronidae) including - white bass (Morone chrysops), 41
yellow bass (Morone mississippiensis), striped bass (Morone 42
saxatilis) and hybrid striped bass (Morone chrysops x Morone 43
saxatilis and/or Morone saxatilis x Morone chrysops); in the 44
Catfish family (Ictaluridae), but only those taken in the 45
Mississippi River - including channel catfish (Ictalurus 46
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punctatus), blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus), flathead catfish 47
(Pylodictus olivaris), yellow bullhead (Ameiurus natalis), black 48
bullhead (Ameiurus melas), and brown bullhead (Ameiurus 49
nebulosus). 50
The following fish are classed as nongame gross fish: in the 51
Herring family (Clupeidae) - gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), 52
threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense); in the Catfish family 53
(Ictaluridae), but only those taken in waters other than the 54
Mississippi River - channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), blue 55
catfish (Ictalurus furcatus), flathead catfish (Pylodictus 56
olivaris), yellow bullhead (Ameiurus natalis), black bullhead 57
(Ameiurus melas), brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus); in the Gar 58
family - spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus), longnose gar 59
(Lepisosteus osseus), shortnose gar (Lepisosteus platostomus), 60
alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula); in the Eel family 61
(Anguillidae) - American eel (Anguilla rostrata); in the Bowfin 62
family (Amiidae) - bowfin (Amia calva); in the Paddlefish family 63
(Polyodontidae) - paddlefish (Polyodon spathula); in the Minnow 64
family (Cyprinidae) - common carp (Cyprinus carpio); in the Sucker 65
family (Catostomidae) - river carpsucker (Carpoides carpio), 66
quillback (Carpoides cyprinus), highfin carpsucker (Carpoides 67
velifer), spotted sucker (Minytrema melanops), blacktail redhorse 68
(Moxostoma poecilurum), smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus), 69
bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus), black buffalo (Ictiobus 70
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niger); in the Drum family (Sciaenidae) - freshwater drum 71
(Aplodinotus grunniens). 72
All fish native to Mississippi that are not classed as game 73
fish or nongame gross fish are classed as nongame fish. 74
All fish native to foreign countries and all fish native to 75
the United States but not native to Mississippi are classed as 76
nonnative fish. 77
(e) The following are classed as game birds: geese, 78
brant ducks, rails, coots, snipe, gallinules, moorhens, woodcock, 79
crow, mergansers, wild turkey, quail and doves. 80
All other species of wild resident or migratory birds are 81
classed as nongame birds. 82
(f) Closed season: the time during which birds, 83
animals or fish may not be taken. 84
(g) Open season: the time during which birds, animals 85
or fish may be lawfully taken. 86
(h) "Commission" means the Mississippi Commission on 87
Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. 88
(i) "Department" means the Mississippi Department of 89
Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. 90
(j) "Executive director" means the Executive Director 91
of the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. 92
SECTION 2. Section 49-7-9.1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 93
amended as follows: 94
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49-7-9.1. (1) (a) Any resident engaged in fishing for 95
commercial purposes and selling or peddling nongame gross fish at 96
retail or selling or shipping same at wholesale, as to markets, 97
dealers or canning plants, shall purchase a commercial fishing 98
license. 99
(b) A licensee must label each piece of commercial 100
fishing equipment with a waterproof or metal tag containing any 101
information required by the department. A piece of commercial 102
fishing equipment is defined as: One (1) each hoop or barrel net; 103
one thousand (1,000) feet or less of trotline; one thousand 104
(1,000) feet or less of snagline; three thousand (3,000) feet or 105
less of gill netting; or three thousand (3,000) feet or less of 106
trammel netting. Netting of over three thousand (3,000) feet is 107
prohibited. 108
(c) Upon the purchase of a commercial license for use 109
of hoop or barrel nets, the licensee is permitted to use lead nets 110
thirty-five (35) yards in length for each two (2) barrel nets 111
used, but not to exceed seven (7) lead nets. 112
(2) Each person taking nongame gross fish as defined in 113
Section 49-7-1, of any kind from the fresh waters of the state 114
shall be considered a producer and shall be entitled to sell his 115
own catch of nongame gross fish to anyone except as otherwise 116
provided by law or applicable regulations. 117
(3) Each resident buying or handling nongame gross fish 118
secured from commercial fishermen or others for the purpose of 119
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resale, whether handled on a commission basis or otherwise, and 120
each resident shipping nongame gross fish not his own catch out of 121
the State of Mississippi shall be considered a wholesale dealer 122
and shall purchase a commercial fishing license. Resident 123
wholesale dealers' licenses shall be issued only to persons who 124
have been bona fide residents of the State of Mississippi for at 125
least six (6) months. 126
(4) Each resident buying nongame gross fish from a licensed 127
wholesale dealer or licensed commercial fisherman for retail sale 128
to the consumer only on rural or urban routes shall purchase a 129
commercial fishing license to do so. 130
(5) Each resident engaged in the buying and selling of 131
nongame gross fish as a wholesale dealer's agent, whether on a 132
commission or salary basis, or otherwise, and not selling in the 133
open market, shall purchase a commercial fishing license and shall 134
be responsible for any illegal transaction ensuing between the 135
time he purchases the fish from the fisherman and the time the 136
fish are accepted by the wholesaler by whom he is employed. 137
(6) (a) Any resident using a wooden or plastic slat basket 138
shall purchase a slat basket license for each basket each year in 139
addition to a commercial fishing license. Slat baskets are 140
defined as commercial fishing devices used solely for the capture 141
of catfish in waters other than the Mississippi River and made 142
entirely of wood and/or plastic slats in a box-like or cylindrical 143
shape. Slat baskets shall not exceed six (6) feet in length nor 144
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exceed fifteen (15) inches in width and height or diameter, may 145
have no more than two (2) throats, and must have at least four (4) 146
slot openings at least one and one-fourth (1-1/4) by twenty-four 147
(24) inches evenly spaced around the sides of the catch area. The 148
one and one-fourth (1-1/4) inch wide slots or greater must begin 149
at the rear of the basket and run twenty-four (24) inches toward 150
the throat end of the basket. Slat baskets shall be placed at 151
least one hundred (100) yards apart and may not be used with any 152
form of leads, netting or guiding devices. 153
(b) Each slat basket shall have a waterproof or metal 154
tag attached to it containing any information required by the 155
department. Any other identification of the owner of the slat 156
basket shall meet any specifications required by the department. 157
Slat baskets may be fished statewide except where specifically 158
prohibited. 159
(c) Any violation of this subsection shall be a Class I 160
violation as prescribed in Section 49-7-141. 161
(7) It is unlawful for any person to offer for sale 162
undersized nongame gross fish. 163
(8) (a) The fee for a resident commercial fishing license 164
shall be Thirty Dollars ($30.00). 165
(b) The fee for a slat basket license shall be Thirty 166
Dollars ($30.00). 167
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ST: Catfish; classify those in the Mississippi
River as game fish and require certain daily
harvest and length limits for.
(9) Any person authorized to issue any license under this 168
section may collect and retain for issuing each license the 169
additional fee authorized under Section 49-7-17. 170
SECTION 3. (1) The Mississippi Commission on Wildlife, 171
Fisheries and Parks, acting by and through the Mississippi 172
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks shall regulate the 173
taking of catfish classed as game fish in Section 49-7-1(d). Any 174
rules or regulations promulgated shall include reasonable daily 175
harvest and length limits, and shall provide that a person may not 176
harvest more than one (1) catfish greater than thirty-four (34) 177
inches in length from the Mississippi River per day. 178
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section and any 179
other provision of law to the contrary, nothing in this act shall 180
have any application to or impose any limitations on "farm-raised 181
catfish" as defined in Section 69-7-605(f). 182
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from 183
and after July 1, 2026, and shall stand repealed on June 30, 2016. 184