<em>Abstract.-</em>The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Family and Community Fishing Program was developed in 2002, and catchable channel catfish <em>Ictalurus punctatus</em>, hybrid striped bass <em>Morone saxatilis </em>x <em>M. chrysops</em>, and rainbow trout <em>Oncorhynchus mykiss </em>have been stocked into ponds and streams seasonally each subsequent year. One of the goals of the program has been to provide families and children with a convenient and excellent chance to catch fish. A toll-free stocking hotline (1-866-540-FISH) was initiated in January 2006 to inform anglers when and where fish had been stocked, so they could plan their fishing trips to program destinations accordingly. Hotline information was provided for 22 ponds during catfish season (April through November) and 17 ponds plus one stream during trout season (December through March). The hotline was generally updated within two hours after stocking, and consisted of information regarding immediate past stocking events as well as general fishing tips. Anglers placed 11,822 calls and spent 15,394 min of call-time on the hotline between January 2006 and May 2007. The number of calls peaked during catfish stocking season in June and was lowest during the September stocking off-season. On average, the hotline cost approximately $40 per month to operate and was four to six times less expensive than paying Commission personnel to answer stocking questions on the telephone. More than 36% of the hotline calls were placed outside of Commission business hours (0800-1630 hours), indicating that anglers were taking advantage of the 24-h information line. A toll-free hotline is a popular, inexpensive, and cost-effective means of supplying stocking information, allowing anglers to make informed decisions when choosing a day and location to fish at program locations.
By-catch in a recreational fishery: an unmonitored source of mortality.
