South Dakota Game,
Fish and Parks News
Paddlefish tag
distribution hits small snag
PIERRE, S.D.—A glitch in mailing
procedures caused the Game, Fish and Parks Department to send
some paddlefish tags to the wrong recipients.
Jason Sorensen, a GFP fisheries
biologist in Chamberlain whose office handles the distribution
of paddlefish tags, said seven of the 1,400 paddlefish permits
had the wrong mailing labels attached. All seven people have
been contacted and arrangements have been made to get them the
correct tags.
“We think the problem was
limited to one batch of mailing labels,” Sorensen said. “But
people who get the tags should open their envelope now instead
of waiting until right before the season begins, just to be on
the safe side.”
If anymore anglers get the
wrong tags, they should contact the GFP Region 2 office in
Chamberlain at (605) 734-4530.
Paddlefish snagging season runs
Oct. 1 through Oct. 30 on the Missouri River below Gavins Point
Dam.
Big game licenses
available online
PIERRE, S.D.—Big game hunters should note that the online
application system for the 2006 East River deer, muzzleloader
deer, refuge deer, firearms antelope and Custer State Park
coyote is up and running.
Hunters can access the
applications by logging on to the Game, Fish and Parks Web site
at www.sdgfp.info and looking for the subheading titled
“Licenses and Reservations” which will lead them to the links
for the applications.
Paper applications should
arrive in regional GFP offices and local licensing agents by the
end of July.
The postmark deadline for
firearms antelope is Aug. 11 with an online application deadline
of 8 a.m. CDT Aug. 15.
The postmark deadline for the
various deer licenses is Sept. 1 with an online application
deadline of 8 a.m. CDT Sept. 5.
Custer State Park coyote
licenses are available throughout the season which ends on Dec.
31.
Kite Tubes Withdrawn
From Market
PIERRE-After a rash of injuries that included at least two
fatalities, Sportsstuff Inc. of Omaha, Neb., has recalled their
extreme sports Kite Tubes from the market.
Kite Tubes produced by
Sportsstuff are a 10-foot-wide circular, inflatable watercraft
designed to be towed behind a powerboat. A rider in the tube
becomes airborne by pulling on handles attached to the floor of
the tube.
The Consumer Product Safety
Commission had issued an alert on the product after there were a
rash of injuries associated with its use. These injuries
included a broken neck, punctured lung, chest and back injuries
and facial injuries. Although the exact cause of the injuries
had not been determined by the company, Sportsstuff Inc. has
recalled the product as an act of caution, according to a press
release from the National Association of State Boating Laws
Administrators.
“I felt that recalling the
tubes was the right call,” said Curt Robertson, South Dakota
Boat Safety Coordinator. “We have had only one non-injury
accident in South Dakota with the tubes but surrounding states
have had numerous injury accidents associated with this
product.”
The product being recalled has
a model number of 53-5000 printed near the tube valve. The
floor of the tube has black caution warning stripes and a skull
and crossbones appears on the product cover with the statement,
“Never kite higher than you are willing to fall.”
The tubes were imported and
sold through marine distributors, mail order catalogs and
various retailers from approximately October 2005 through June
2006 for a cost of $500 to $600.
Consumers should immediately
stop using the Kite Tubes, and contact Sportsstuff at (866)
831-5524 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CDT, Monday through Friday to
learn how to obtain free replacement products. Consumers can
also visit the firm’s Web site at
www.sportsstuff.com for more information.
