Out of season fish caught PLEASE PUT IN OUTDOORS S, Hook goes deep what to do

I went to the HRSTA (Halton Region Salmon and Trout Association) annual meeting today. Great speakers at the meeting one from MNR spoke on fish stocking. Another speaker spoke on invasive fish.

We also had a Conservation Officer there and I posed the question. What does the law say about catching a fish that is out of season that will not survive when released due to taking the hook deep?

The answer was that you must release the fish......even though the fish will die and the meat will go to waste.

Yes I've thought on this a lot, I've always been like seems like such a waste, however I'm also a decent human which lead to my ignorance of the topic. So many human pieces of trash would catch out of season fish smack em around and say "oops doesn't look like it will make it!" Kind of like legally poaching I guess. At least this way makes poaching more black and white.

yeah might as well get rid of seasons if you could keep deep hooked fish. The way a lot of people are today (MEworld) every fish would be deep hooked. Then go the opposite way, deep hook a small in season fish and people will through it back knowing it will die. I have kept 8" walleye as it was deep hooked and 4" perch. They would have died so I kept them as part of my limit, I have seen people throw back perch soft water fishing that were big enough for me to keep. In fact I got net out and brought them home if they drifted close enough for me to reach with net.

Makes sense.

Though the Ontario Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary is no help on this:

In one place it states it is illegal to leave a dead fish in water (let's call this Rule A )

In other place it states it is illegal to keep any out of season fish (let's call this Rule B )

Now you happen to land an out of season fish, and the fish becomes dead. Now what?

If you keep this out of season fish, you break Rule B
If you throw this dead fish into water, you break Rule A

xiaolu, you are correct, but i'd always go with throwing it back, as you can argue that you are keeping with Rule B. If you keep it to go with Rule A, the CO can argue that you intentionally killed the fish just to keep it,

If you google it, most would say to cut the line and release the fish, hooks dissolve over time.

Agree.

My point is, the fishing regulations are law. And with any law, there shall be no contradiction nor any ambiguity. If there is any EXCEPTION to any clause in the law such EXCEPTION must be cleared specified in the law. Something like:

It is illegal to leave a dead fish in water EXCEPT/UNLESS IT IS AN OUT OF SEASON FISH.

That's probably the best answer.

The Conservation officer also said seagulls need to eat too...it will not go to waste.

Arnie

It is the right thing to do!

Keep the fish.......if you get inspected, you are in trouble!

Years ago on simcoe before they opened the herriing season back up I asked a C O on the lake one day what to do if I caught a herring & I couldnt get it to go back down the hole, and his response was put it in the hole & pack the hole full of snow to force it down then go drill another hole..

A good thought....thank you for adding it.

Arnie

Thanks for sharing that Fisherman...I never thought of that and that will be my method from here on........once again you are bang on. I am not sure if you realise but you are a huge value to this community with you consistently good remarks on some very difficult issues.

Arnie

Agree.

My point is, the fishing regulations are law. And with any law, there shall be no contradiction nor any ambiguity. If there is any EXCEPTION to any clause in the law such EXCEPTION must be cleared specified in the law. Something like:

It is illegal to leave a dead fish in water EXCEPT/UNLESS IT IS AN OUT OF SEASON FISH.

James we need to make you a CO. I swear you can probably quote the regs backwards.

Arnie

Thanks for sharing that Fisherman...I never thought of that and that will be my method from here on........once again you are bang on. I am not sure if you realise but you are a huge value to this community with you consistently good remarks on some very difficult issues.

Arnie

Thanks Arnie.