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NH goes for 1 at 28" and reduce smelt limit
CONCORD, N.H. -- As the start of the new year approaches, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department wants anglers and marine harvesters to be aware of several changes to rules and state laws that will take effect in 2015. These include the following changes to the rules for smelt, striped bass, white perch, haddock, and cod:
- The daily limit for smelt taken from coastal and estuarine waters is reduced from 10 to 4 quarts liquid measure of whole smelt. This applies to both recreational and commercial harvesters and was implemented in response to substantial decline in coastal smelt population observed in the winter and spring of 2014.
- The daily creel limit for striped bass has been reduced from two to one fish per day to comply with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Addendum IV to the Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan, which called for a 25% reduction in harvest. The minimum size remains at 28 inches.
- There is now a daily limit of 25 white perch taken from coastal and estuarine waters. This matches the white perch daily limit for inland waters that has been in place for several years; the limit now applies to marine waters, too.
- There have also been changes to the rules for the recreational harvest of haddock and cod that were put in place to match the rules in federal waters, which are ocean waters greater than three miles from shore. A daily limit of three haddock has been implemented, and there is now a closed season on the harvest of haddock from March 1 through April 30 and from September 1 through November 30. The minimum size limit is 21 inches. For cod, the size limit has increased from 19 to 21 inches, and the closed season in state waters is now September 1 through April 14. The bag limit for cod in state waters remains at nine fish at this time. In addition, there is a 13-inch minimum fillet size for both haddock and cod that are filleted at sea.
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