Village sets policy for overfished pond

Fishing season is heating up with the weather, but don't expect to go home with your catch from Elm Grove Village Park this summer.

Concerned about the dwindling fish population, the village board has approved a new catch-and-release policy for the park's pond. Village officials insist this was a temporary solution to what is a cyclical problem.

"We probably have to be at catch and release for a couple years to let the (fish) population stabilize," said Village Manager Dave DeAngelis.

The state Department of Natural Resources stocks the pond, but there are costs to the village to constantly supplement the fish population.

Now, the stock has become precariously low, village officials say, and overfishing had become a problem with people taking dozens of fish at a time. Signs have been posted to remind park users of the new policy, in which fishing is legal all year.

Children under 12 will still be able to catch and keep up to three fish a day. But violators will be ticketed $50 for the first offense, with an escalating scale for additional offenses.

No specific time table was set for revisiting the policy once the fish population has recovered.