Quote:
Originally Posted by Rockport24
they link to the law that Ross posted here, but here is the write-up from the Mass DMF site, not that it specifically singles out charter captains cleaning fish for clients:
Bass must be kept whole, with head, tail and body intact - no mutilation permitted (other than evisceration). The discard of dead, legal size striped bass is prohibited. To prohibit the practice of high-grading, recreational fishermen may not retain legal-sized striped bass and release said fish in favor of another larger legal-sized striped bass captured subsequently. It shall be unlawful to keep striped bass alive in the water by attaching a line or chain to the fish or placing the fish in a live well or holding car. Striped bass are measured from the tip of the snout or jaw (mouth closed) to the farthest extremity of the tail. Note: Permitted party/charter vessel operators may fillet striped bass for their customers. See 322 CMR 6.07 (4)(g) for details.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PRBuzz
I had an EPO watch me fillet a 30" on the boat while docked and his only comments were: 1) did I know it was required to bring the fish in whole (not clear from his comment whether this includes bleeding and gutting), and 2) it was illegal to dump the carcass back into the water (inferred at the dock).
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Seems pretty clear to me. The bass must be transported with the head and tail intact to your place of domicile, where you can then fillet it. The fillets in your freezer are not "striped bass" within the meaning of the possession law. It is illegal to possess more than two intact striped bass at any one time--the law says nothing about how many fillets you can have in your refrigerator or freezer.