Gov. Tate Reeves’ shelter-in-place order, effective April 3, was designed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 as state health officials warned that Mississippi’s infection peak was coming.
By including a ban on boating and fishing on state-managed lakes, it caught thousands of boaters, fishermen and even lake managers by surprise. Irate anglers were quick to ask “WHY?” and at first blamed other entities. Calls jammed lines at the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District offices with questions.
“Why are ya’ll banning fishing? Are y’all crazy?”
It took the MDWFP and the PRVWSD — the latter manages Barnett Reservoir — hours to understand the order, despite it clearly including this part of Section F, line ii: “All places of amusement and recreation, whether indoors or outdoors, including but not limited to amusement parks and rides, museums, playgrounds, children’s party and play facilities, all parks including all beaches, lakes and reservoirs (but not including walking trails), movie theaters, bowling alleys, and social clubs shall be closed to the public.”
There was no wiggle room. The agencies closed their parks and lakes, wildlife management areas and offices.
Reeves said he doesn’t blame people for wanting and needing a break from the pressures of dealing with school and business closures, “and go fishing; I wish I could go, too. And if you have access to a pond or a stream, and fish by yourselves, and keep 6 feet apart, then by all means, fish.”
That didn’t sit well with the majority of fishermen, who depend on public waters.
Favoring the well-to-do?
“They can fish on private lakes, like rich folks on these big fancy subdivision lakes, but we can’t,” one poster wrote on a website related to fishing on Barnett Reservoir.
And, it didn’t help that golf, a sport that puts people in closer contact with others, was allowed.
“You’re telling me I can play golf, but I can’t fish; that’s kind of stupid isn’t it?” said Billy Perkins of Pearl. “I understand that this disease is bad, and I certainly don’t need to get infected with it at my age, but how would I be in more danger sitting in my 20-foot boat, 15 feet away from my partner, on a 33,000-acre lake without another soul within 50 or 100 yards, than I would be playing golf?”
His language was a lot more kind than most who objected.
“He’s just become a one-term governor; I hope he knows that,” said one poster on a Facebook page dedicated to bass fishing on Barnett.
“Let’s just all show up and storm the ramps and go fish; it’s not like they can arrest us all and give us citations,” said another on a crappie-fishing site.
“Both my sons are out of school due to this and are getting pretty tired of being shuttered in the house, and I can’t take them fishing, which is their and my favorite way to spend time together,” posted one father.
A food source
Paul Brown of Brandon talked more about the loss of a food source, which would reach beyond his home.
“April is the month when I put enough crappie in the freezer for my family, my extended family and a lot of friends in the church,” Brown said. “He’s taking food out of the mouths of a lot of people, which means we’ll be forced to go the grocery stores, where we’ll be in direct contact with a lot of people. We’re not just talking about lost recreation, but food; there’s families that count of fish this time of year.”
Fishing pressure relieved?
Some fishermen looked for a silver lining, and a few found them. One was Eddie Borne of Clinton, who chases bass on Barnett as often as he can.
“Don’t get me wrong; I’d love to be fishing,” Borne said. “But you know how much pressure this lake gets on a normal spring day, crappie and bass. It would have been worse in April, with most people not working and kids from K-school to college home with nothing to do.
“One thing that I was worried about was how hard this lake and its fish would have been hit in April. My gosh, there’d have been more fishing pressure than ever, and I don’t know if the lake could survive it. I’m all about fishing, but I’m thinking more about the long-term impacts that could have happened. I don’t know how long it would take the fishery to recover.”
Reservoir crowds spooked governor
So why the closure of state waters?
Crowded boats, loaded sandbars and overflowing parking lots at boat launches on Barnett Reservoir the last weekend of March led to Gov. Tate Reeves’ decision. Reeves said he and other state officials were disturbed after flying over the central Mississippi area, including the busy Barnett Reservoir.
With schools suspended and many businesses closed by municipal order, people were looking for outdoor recreation. The weather was warm, the sun bright and crappie were spawning. Every major ramp on the 33,000-acre lake was filled.
At the time, no statewide shelter-in-place order had been issued, but Reeves had been urging Mississippians to follow recommendations from the Center for Disease Control, mainly to keep 6 feet of distance between people and no gatherings of 10 or more people. When he saw they weren’t complying, he took steps to see that they would.
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