Per calendar day.

End of story
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Disclaimer - I am NOT advocating for this, just making a case based on the REG.If you're in a boat and and catch 2 bass and keep them. Then a buddy comes by and wants to bring home some fish, you give him your 2 fish. You no longer possess any bass. You catch 2 more and the same thing happens - say 4 more times.
I dont think you would get busted for "killing" 8 bass if you only possess 2.

Its how the law reads.

Key word "Posess" In either case I cut down fro 2 to 1 fish and it will curb alot of the poaching, make it not worth it.. You will see a difference..
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

There is really no way you can be this arrogant/ignorant. I must assume you are only trying get under peoples skin.

2 Per %$%$%$%$ing calendar day. You are allowed to possess 2 and only 2 per day. The moment you pass those fish along, you still have to wait got the day to end to posses another 2...

How hard is this to grasp people?????
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

correct. You "possessed" 2. You gave them away. You possessed 2 more. For the calendar day you possessed 4 fish.

I know what's right or wrong... All I'm saying is that you will not get fined unless you have more than 2 fish in your posession. Why are all those guys running double triple trips???? I'll leave it at that....
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I can steel all the gear off of your boat until I get caught as well.

A thief is a thief is a thief.

Anyone who keeps more than 2 fish is breaking the law. Weather or not they get caught is another story
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Apparently you don't know what's legal or illegal. Basically you're saying that because you won't get fined, it's ok to do. That shoots right to the core of the issue many people have with commercial fishermen.

It may be a slim chance you get *caught and fined* unless you have more than 2 fish, but keeping more than 2 fish per day is illegal, at least according to MA law - plain and simple. Straight out of the MA EPO's mouth.

When money is involved people tend to forget how to count or have a selective interpretation of the law - this goes for all areas of commerce - that's why all those guys are running double and triple trip days.

I disagree. Once again, please see my disclaimer above. Im not saying its right or wrong, its how the law reads and thats all that matters in court.

If I smoke 20 joints and get pulled over - I dont get arrested for "possesion".

The reg does not say catch or kill, it says possess. 12 guys on a boat - only one guy fishing, how many bass can that boat bring in dead. 24.
Its how many they possess. I agree with Nebe and JF but the law is not written that way. Its a slippery slope.

Where's Mike P when you need him???

i was thinking the same thing!

4 guys fishing a boat, 1 guy catches and kills 6 out of 8 fish... Boat is legal when they are stopped, 2 a man... Happens all the time...
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

It's rec guys running double trips that you are talking about and where did I say it's ok??? It's not like Alaska where you stop fishing once you kill the king u want to keep and immediately mark it on you're license... There are alot of technicalities.. I'm well aware of what's going on...No matter what you say your not getting busted unless you have more than your limit in POSSESSION..

Then those 4 guys go home for lunch, head out again for the evening bite and kill another 8 fish - illegal.

You seem to have an issue discerning between the legality of an action and how often it occurs. I take a leak in the parking lot before putting my waders on, do it all the time, I'm sure we all do - does that make it legal?

Mass and RI both say 2 fish/per day/per person. Go to there web page.

Now enforcing this is a different story. How can you prove who caught the fish once the boat comes in unless you saw them. I would say many charters fill the limit any way they can. As far as going out twice in the same day, once again if no one sees you your home free. I've seen it occur on party boats fishing for cod.

This is kind of like the Mass commercial license. Pay short money, catch 5 fish, take them home for friends or sell under the table. Unless someone is watching you all of the way you won't get caught. There are ways to use the law to cover illegal activities.

i guess it ain't cheating unless you get caught.......morales?

reg is posted above for RI.
It says "possess" 2 fish per day. There is a LOT of room for interpretation in the reg - hence the above banter.

Go out fishing in the evening, catch 2 fish before midnight and 2 more after, come back to the dock with 4 fish explain to the eps how you caught them on two different calander days...
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

...and if you attended RIMFC mtgs you would know that that is an issue that has/is being reviewed...check the Marine Council meeting minutes page; sticky issue that RIDEM Law Enforcement is still having legal council review.....

Your in possession of 4. Illegal
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

does the rule read possess 2 per day?
or possess 2 at a time cowhunter?

I think #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& hacked into cowhinters account :hihi:
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

lunchbreak is over

....and this is why a lot of this has been discussed for years by the RI Marine Fisheries Council...ever since they changed the rod and reel commercial quota to a general category so that the draggers could get in on the action...you should have been at the mtgs for that one.

Anyways, the laws are so convoluted, and have been so "massaged" that, RIDEM law enforcement have trouble understanding them; case in point, half of them do not know what the regs are for recreational baitfishing (menhaden, cast nets, gillnets etc.).

As Kenny and others have stated, it's a slippery slope when it comes to possession language....thru the years I have know several situations where people basically got a "slap on the wrist" because the law was fraught with errors and the judge would agree; in his mind, there were other more important "fish to fry" than questions of excess fish possession (I am in no way condoning this, but telling it like it is). Now when that same judge would try a case involving illegal shellfishing (polluted waters, etc), that DIRECTLY AFFECTED PEOPLE'S HEALTH...whole different story...Clammer can vouch for that...some guys lost boats, licenses ,etc and were even put in jail.

I was being sarcastic, although in some states, fisheries you can doc on your license, and it would be legal... The only stink I'm making is some people make a recreational issue, which is a huge problem, guys making multiple trips and killing multiple "legal" limits.. Some people want to take a clear recreational issue, problem, and blame it on commercials...
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Anyone who is killing bass on a regular basis is the problem.
The real problem however is the " everyone else is doing it, so why don't I " mentality.

Sad
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Saw a guy once at the BI ferry in the morning... couldnt wait to brag on all the fish he caught. He was there for a vacation with his family for 4 days, showed me 2 bass in a cooler, and fillets from 6 more fish in the same cooler. 2fish per day, and is now taking them home from his vacation. Now if he was stopped on the spot, He had 8 bass in his possession... the legality of it confused me... I think it would be tough to convict him of anything... Now my issue is with the guy who is at the ferry with 8, talking about how he was there all week, when he was there one night... there is a loophole in the specifics of the law... its too vague.

If you were judged by whats in your possession at the time you are stopped, then every guy ever coming home from Alaska would be handcuffed at the airport with their cooler

Holy crap !
Any of you guys actually work during the day ?

Ever since I started keeping 4 bass a day I don't have to work. ;)
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Just tail a couple of charter guys, find out where they stash their fish and rat them out. Otherwise they'll never caught. The DEM does not actually catch anyone doing anything unless it's spoon fed to them. Stake out the premier restaurants too - somehow they've slipped under the radar for the last forty years or so. Funny how they're so selective about who they catch and make such a big deal of it when they do.

?????....wow....then there are a lot of problems in the real world.....

yes... which is why the 2 fish a day at 28 needs to go out the window..

A dead fish, is a dead fish, is a dead fish - how it got dead is less important. Popularizing sport-fishing leads to more dead fish. Bringing a new person to the sport leads to more dead fish. Writing an article with good tips leads to more dead fish. Making and selling highly effective lures leads to more dead fish.
You don't see them floating all together like after a dragger discards by-catch, but they are just as gone.

:uhuh:

1 @ 36" is going to kill a lot of fish...

2 fish between 18-26", one of which can be over 36"..

A slot is the answer. We are NOT the majority of people fishing. While it's not that difficult for most of you guys to catch a 36" bass, the majority find that a BIG fish and MIGHT see one that size in a season. In turn this will making law breaking "poachers" out of people who wouldn't normally break the law. I know probably everyone in here is going to disagree with me and try and beat me with my words but realize this... Not everyone is a sharpie and not everyone can afford to go down to the fish market if they want to eat some fresh fish. :)

Think so? Come over to the mainland, and come to the Canal in May and June, and watch how many guys leave with two fish over 40" every goddamned day when the run is on.

Watch how many guys strap 2 40"+ fish to their bikes, ride up and down the Canal parading them, and then hit 3 shops for weigh ins and picture taking.

I see very few big fish being released on those plugging tides. And then only by the guys who have already kept two--and a few give away the smaller of the two they've already killed to keep a bigger one. :doh:

I could tell you the names of at least 10 guys who have kept over 30 fish over 20 lbs this season alone, if I wanted to burn them publicly--but the law says they're doing nothing wrong, so I won't.

Right on Right on Right on....a comm was fishing on a sat in my neck of the woods. A few nearby fishermen saw this guy stash 10+ bass in a hidden cooler and had a couple others in anther location. They called the EPO, he came out, went right to the anchored boat, spoke to the guy for less than a min, never asked for lic or anything then left. WTF???

The entire enforcement in MA is an utter joke. There are more guys taking fish on non comm days and keeping them until the next day then selling them under several lics's of people who did not fish. SHorts are being sold under the table direct to restaurants and no one is reporting squat. No one has a rec lic, no one is checking anything. As well as bogus buyers and there is a %$%$%$%$load of guys squeezing this fishery for everything they can as fast as they can "gotta get my share"...and then they say the recs are doing the damage.
Are there honest comm fishermen? Yes there are. But there are a lot (I would say MOST) are not.

How many people were checked last week in that pile of 250 boats off Orleans/ Chatham jigging bass? The wait to haul your boat was over 2 hours I heard. There should have been an EPO checking EVERY SINGLE FISHERMAN, (both on the water and at the dock)and the guys who spilt....should be run down and double checked.

GAMEFISH is the ONLY answer as it handles most of the enforcement with far fewer officers.

I am thinking next year I am going out with my cam corder next year and documenting some of this stuff. If you hang around the fleet you see all kinds of %$%$%$%$.

I hope all you people writing about how you feel on a internet fishing site are also writing letters to the powers to be

Just sayin' :smash:

OH VELLY NICE.
YOU BRINGY MORE TO BACK DOOR
KNOCK 4 TIMES HO HO