Fish Possession

[Ed Carlson]

Same in ND...kinda, if you caught it the fish counts against your daily creel and if you give it away to another licensed angler against his/her possession limit too. Fish donated to another person must be ID'ed with donors licensee info and date in transit and in the freezer/storage.

What is crazy is in ND you can have 500 pounds of whatever in your freezer and that is "OK". Once it is cleaned and in your main domicile freezer (home freezer) it is not considered part of any accumulating possession limit. By law you can shovel in fish every day as long as it is within the daily creel possession limit. But that is not to say you can legally run back out and hit the fish again, you can't.

A possession limit in ND is as is stated in the regs and in a 24 hour period no matter if you gave them away or not. You kept your limit, your all done keep'n for the day.

A lot of controversy about this dumb freezer law in ND. In my eye it lends itself to waist, because a lot of fish gets freezer burn and out in the trash it will go at a latter date. It promoted conspicuous consumption instead of Selective Harvest, a bad deal in my view!

[The Grebe]

Knoppers....Dude, what are you reading? How do you go from giving away a few fish, out of a legal catch, to being anti fishing? Thats a hell of a stretch and I for one, fail to see how on earth that weird connection was made?

There was nothing in my posts about stacking limits, or filling freezers, just about giving away afew fish fillets, out of a limit, to those that like fresh fish once in awhile and are unable to get them on their own.

Does'nt seem to me like I'am the one that is wound up here, just stating an opinion that in light of more serious issues, seems to be getting a little to much press for it's content? Lighten up a little, Grandma and Grandpa like fish to!

At any rate, lets all remember that next time we give our moms, or a neighbor a couple of fillets, a jar of pickled pike, a smoked Tullibee, or any other fish product, to make sure it is totally within the letter of the law, wrapped, dated, signed sealed and notarized!

[Shawnny B]

Wow , I didnt expect this to get such a responce thanks guys! Well some of my thoughts were answered but then again you guys here at FM brought more questions up, My father in law does have a license. And im not all about keeping over my limit, In fact I nomaly throw every thing back. The wife and inlaws usualy yell at me wondering how i can be out for so long and come home with nothing, I tell them that I just LOVE to be out there and that if i cant get a bite I go after the lil guys that I know will bite the lil sunnys sitting hidding in the rocks ect. But Please dont get all flustered and yelling at each other, Ive read the books, It was just a thought the other day when the Mother in law called asking for some fish. Again Thanks for all your replys Lots of different thoughts and opionions. Btw We will be out on Bald Eagle Lake out by Cigar island Sunday morning Iffing ya see an amigo and or a Blazer next to a tin can ..Swing in and say hi Im sure we will be there!

Shawnny B

[federline]

Shawnny B,

In response to your original question, there are two cases to consider:

1) If the people you give the fish to are licensed anglers, and they were with you when you caught them and were actually physically fishing with you as a legal party, you could give them fish BEFORE you leave for home (when you are entering the transport phase of possession), so long as each licensed person who was actually fishing stays under their limits - see the definition of party fishing above. Once transporting them, they now manage those fish as their own under their limits.

2) Any other case, licensed or not, those fish are YOURS until they are eaten or disposed of, no matter whose freezer they are in, and count against your possession limit. Make sure you label the fish as yours according to the fishing regs, and you can store them in anyone's freezer. But they are still in your possession until they cease to exist. Keep tabs on how many your friends and family have eaten.

Wow, don't know about the store-bought wallys. Can't see payin what they want for it to get my limit of CUB FOODS WALLEYE. Those wally's coulda come from anywhere, so leave 'em in the Cub Foods wrapping until you fry 'em and a guy should be OK. CO's manage walleye that come from MN lakes, not trucked over state lines.

[federline]

griz - yes, the regs on party fishing are the same for the 2004 season, but party fishing doesn't apply to spearing.

A lot of how daily and possession limits are enforced depends on whether you are party fishing or not and how agreeable your party members are to re-distributing the party catch among you all into legal limits for each person to count for individual possession.

From the reg booklet:

"A party is defined as a group of two or more persons:

1) angling from a single watercraft; or

2) if not in a watercraft, maintaining unaided visual and vocal contact

with each other. The total number of fish possessed by the party may

not exceed the combined limits of the numbers of the party. Each

party member may transport only an individual limit of fish."

Also from the booklet:

"Party fishing does not apply while spearing."