Saltwater Regulations that get ya

[HESBROS]

Page 51 of the 2009-2010 book. Also check out section "D".....I think many miss this one.

28.65. General. Except as provided in this article, fin fish may be taken only on hook and line or
by hand. Any number of hooks and lines may be used in all ocean waters and bays except:
(a) San Francisco and San Pablo bays between the Golden Gate Bridge and the west Carquinez
Bridge, where only one line with not more than three hooks may be used.
(b) On public piers, no person shall use more than two rods and lines, two hand lines, or two
nets, traps or other appliances used to take crabs.
(c) When rockfish (genus Sebastes) or lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) are aboard or in possession,
where only one line with not more than two hooks may be used pursuant to Sections
28.55 or 28.27, respectively.
(d) No gaff hook shall be used to take or assist in landing any finfish shorter than the minimum
size limit. For the purpose of this section a gaff hook is any hook with or without a handle used
to assist in landing fish or to take fish in such a manner that the fish does not take the hook voluntarily
in its mouth. No person shall take finfish from any boat or other floating device in ocean
waters without having a landing net in possession or available for immediate use to assist in
landing undersize fish of species having minimum size limits; the opening of any such landing
net shall be not less than eighteen inches in diameter.
(e) North of Point Conception (34°27’00” N. lat.), where only one rod and line may be used by each
angler fishing for salmon, or fishing from any boat or floating device with salmon on board.
(f) Mousetrap gear prohibited: It is unlawful to use, assist in using, or to possess aboard any
vessel, hook-and-line gear commonly termed “mouse traps” constructed of a hook(s) or lure(s),
attached to one end of a line that is attached to a float, or floats at the other end, and that when
fished, is not attached directly to a person or vessel. Possession of such gear aboard a vessel
shall be prima facie evidence that the gear is being used in violation of this regulation.
(g) North of Point Conception to Horse Mountain, Section 27.80(a)(3) applies to each

[flytyingreloader]

Many thanks, Hesbros!

[FISHNCHIPS]

bottom line is,every time you go fishing,you had better read the regs thoroughly or better yet,have your attorney go over them for you.
My fishing buddy and I discovered that we had been breaking the rules unknowingly for who knows how long.
We discovered that if you are trolling for salmon and you fish for rockfish of any kind on the way in,you have to use barbless hooks. Likewise,if you start your morning on rockfish and then troll for salmon,you cannot fish in water over 120 feet deep. I've only broken these rules about 50 times. In my opinion,these are silly regs that while intended to keep someone from bending other rules,will have no impact other than more frustration of the law abiding fisherman.
I was just reading the Oregon regs and you better just hire an attorney to accompany you to keep you out of trouble.

[Odium]

My fridge/freezer is getting pretty full on fish.

My parents manage an asian supermarket. I was thinking of just dropping extra fish I catch off at the market. Are there any rules or regs against this?

[Katnip]

actually no sport caught fish can be sold...didn't stop me.

[drifter57]

i believe the shrinkage would be as a result of rigor mortis, with the muscles tightening up due to the muscles inability to release b/c the lack of excess ATP, or the molecule that helps unlock the muscle chains. I could see the shrinkage happening due the muscle contraction as well as the back-bone being cartilaginous / flexible, and as a result can be susceptible to compression... anyhow.... i digress =)

[twopatch]

How about a net no less then 18"wide on all vessels on the ocean.

[HESBROS]

How about a net no less then 18"wide on all vessels on the ocean.

Thats a good one. As it also applies to float tubers and yakkers as well, not just power boats.

(d) No gaff hook shall be used to take or assist in landing any finfish shorter than the minimum size limit. For the purpose of this section a gaff hook is any hook with or without a handle used to assist in landing fish or to take fish in such a manner that the fish does not take the hook voluntarily in its mouth. No person shall take finfish from any boat or other floating device in ocean waters without having a landing net in possession or available for immediate use to assist inlanding undersize fish of species having minimum size limits; the opening of any such landing net shall be not less than eighteen inches in diameter.

[Liteweight]

Wanted to start a thread regarding Saltwater Regulations that are often over looked and maybe help save some of the newer saltwater fisher people some citations. I am not a pro, but I have read the regulations, and I have also seen some posts regarding citations for regfs that folks did not even know existed. If this is not going to be a bennefit, then just scrap it. Like I said, I am no saint, but I have learned that there are reg that exist that I did not know existed until I read about or knew someone that has been cited.

Eddie & Rich
"Hesbros"

THIS IS A GREAT IDEA...BUT WHY LIMIT IT TO JUST SALTWATER? So many of us fish both!
FNN ADMINISTRATOR: Maybe should start a section on this???

i know most of us know this one but alot of ppl need to pratice this rule. especialy when fishing unfamilar waters.
If you don't know what it is DON'T KEEP IT!!

i've released more fish than i can count just because i wasn't sure what it was or didn't know the regs on it, only to research it when i got home to find out that it was legal.
most important thing to remember is that its your own responsability to know the limits and regs of the fish your going after. so while your getting your tackle together take a break and look up the regs of a few of the fish commonly caught where you'll be fishing.

Something I live by...has anyone ever seen some of the fines attached to some of these violations? They can be VERY stiff. There was a story in the INYO/MONO Register(?) a few years back about a couple of overlimit poachers that were caught...3 years and $50,000 in fines (if my memory serves correctly). When I was a deckhand, I had many opportunities to chat with Wardens and they were happy to inform me of penalties for violations (I believe so that I could pass along to passengers). Another penalty for some violations is IMMEDIATE CONFISCATION ALL RODS AND REELS!!!

Has anyone ever bothered to measure their catches more than once? Meaning that the first measurement is made immediately after landing the fish and the final measurement made after the fish has died...you will notice that most of the time the fish will undergo shrinkage after it dies...depending on what type of fish, usually there will be about a 1/4'' to 1 1/2'' discrepancy from the two measurements.

from what i know, after a fish dies, the muscles tense up and it collapses the back bone of the fish, causing it to shrink in length. What does this mean? It means that your 22'' keeper halibut may not measure 22'' after you've had it sitting out for a while. In fact, i know someone who has been cited by the DFG for keeping a halibut that measured 21 1/2''. His fish was clearly over 22'' at the time landing it...but he couldn't convince the DFG officials that the shrinkage occured within the two to three hour fishing period that he was out in the water...he eventually cleared up the citation in court by providing information that proves that this occurence is possible and happens very often.

Now, i am by no means suggesting that you should all throw back your minimaly/barely-legal catch or in any way trying to impose any predisposition on C&R, because that topic has always led to heated meaningless debates. What i do suggest, is that if you have a minimaly-legal fish and you do decide to keep it...just be aware that this could happen. Maybe a quick photo of the fish immediatly after landing--with a measurment tape to indicate the lenght may not be a bad idea to avoid any possible trouble you may run into with the law for supposedly keeping an undersized fish.

From CLOSED jaw to tip of tail...



Im no Forensic MD, but from what I know all muscle tissue relaxes upon death....

Any shrinkage is probably from dehydration....
Which can be measurable on a hot day after several hrs...


.

Depending on whole fish or fillet and how long since it was killed.
Partial dehydration or rigor either or will cause a fillet or whole fish to become shorter. That's why deckhands will (or should) water down catch bags during a trip. Whenever I caught a fish and threw it in my bag (or when we moved) I always spilled some water from the bait tank on my bag, it also keeps your fish fresher.

My fridge/freezer is getting pretty full on fish.

My parents manage an asian supermarket. I was thinking of just dropping extra fish I catch off at the market. Are there any rules or regs against this?

You must posess a valid commercial license in order to sell any catch. That's why DFG will usually be down in Diego when the boats come in during the summer. I've seen guys get off the boat and people try to get them to sell their catch. During Tuna season there is a HIGH demand for Bluefin. Anyone have an idea of how much $ per lb. for a Bluefin in Japan? (give you a hint...3 figures, 4-5 for a whole fish in the Commercial market). I've also seen guys get ticketed when caught. They will usually ask if the Warden knows how much the ticket will be...I've actually seen a guy come to tears when informed.
Although because of lax enforement, FDA requires paper trail on all meat, poultry and fish sales (I may be para-phrasing, I'm not quite sure about this to some extent. I remember something about this when I managed a grocery store. Makes sense though if you think about it. Contamination, disease etc for FDA to track origin).

HESBRO: I also think there's a specific distance from shore where you can't clean your fish...I believe it's within 1 mile from shore.
LW

[smokehound]

Even with a commercial license, certain fish are off limits for sale, such as california corbina, yellowfin croaker, white seabass, all three species of Paralabrax (kelp bass and kin), actually i think all our croakers are off-limits. Dunno about california halibut. but I have a feeling they are protected in ca.