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I caught a mess of lake trout pups and brought them home as we have been encouraged to do. But I didn't want to mess (see what I did there) with them so we found someone who wanted them and I gave them away to a nice family that needed them. A BFT friend PMed me concerned that I had revealed doing something illegal. I don't think so. The nice lady and some of her kids came to my house and picked them up. Now if we had all been out at the lake together and she asked for some fish it would have been illegal for me to donate them to her there. Do I have this right?
I copied this from the Fishing Guide Book:
Donating
Utah Code § 23-20-9
The following are the only places where
you may donate or give protected aquatic
wildlife or its parts to another person:
•The permanent residence of the donor
•The permanent residence of the recipient
•A meat locker
•A storage plant
•A meat-processing facility
You may not donate fish in the field.
A written statement of donation must
be kept with the protected aquatic wildlife
or parts that includes all of the following
information:
•The number and species of protected
aquatic wildlife or parts donated
•The date of donation
•The license or permit number of the
donor
•The signature of the donor
I'll admit that I didn't get all of the donation slip filled out right but I'll get it perfect now that I've re-educated myself. I hope this helps somebody else out too. 99.99% of us want to do the right thing but sometimes just don't know.
Any comments, questions, concerns?
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You did the right thing even if illegal.Great job,great catch.
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If you fill out the paperwork you will probably join the .0000001% that do so.
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You did the honorable thing that is a win for the lake and a win for the recipient. Thanks for the info on properly donating fish.
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Maybe the key terms here are "donate or give". You didn't donate the fish, you gave them to a friend. No paperwork needed. Seems dumb to have to in that situation. Also seems like that part is back from when we had a freezer limit.
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[quote Jedidiah[size 5]]Maybe the key terms here are "donate or give". You didn't donate the fish, you gave them to a friend. No paperwork needed.[/size] Seems dumb to have to in that situation. Also seems like that part is back from when we had a freezer limit.[/quote][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]No disrespect intended or implied Jedidiah, but that is 100% false. Little or no chance you would ever be cited for an illegal 'donation' inside a private residence, but it would still be illegal to do so without the REQUIRED paperwork no matter what you choose to call it (donation or give). A judge isn't going to care if you think the law is dumb or stupid - which this one clearly is IMHO. [/size][/#800000][/font]
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Bob Hicks, from Utah
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"Free men do not ask permission to bear arms."
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Thank you, sir. I appreciate that. [  ]
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No offense taken dubob, and you can offend me any time anyway. If I haven't said it before I appreciate the knowledge that comes from your experience very much, as I'm sure everyone else does.
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[#0000ff]I think the origin of the current regulations goes back to the early days...when whole families lined the banks of streams and lakes on the opening of the annual trout season. There would always be one member of the family who caught most of the fish. And it was common for guys who didn't want to stop fishing after getting their limit to start giving away fish as they caught them...either to family members or any other anglers nearby. Justifiably, DWR had a problem with someone catching a bunch of their hatchery pets and handing them off to someone else.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In recent times I have seen it go both ways when a DWR officer encounters "gifting" fish. Many times they will simply issue a warning and a reminder to the offender(s) that it is not allowed in the regulations. But I have seen someone on Utah Lake get a citation for giving away WHITE BASS...for which there is no limit.
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[#0000ff]On the other hand, I was fishing with a DWR biologist...on an unnamed water for an unnamed species...and at the end of the day the DWR guy gave me a few of his fish to add to my take. Actually left me with an over-limit. And it was "on the water"...with no paperwork.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have always had reservations about the strictness of the rules...as they are written. I don't believe in wasting fish and I do believe in sharing. But I also do not believe that someone sharing their catch with other members of their family...or even just a fishing partner...should be cause for a citation...even without the paperwork...which nobody will ever see.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But, like all of the regulations, they are law until changed and we need to do our best to comply.
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[quote TubeDude][#0000ff] But, like all of the regulations, they are law until changed and we need to do our best to comply.
[/#0000ff] [/quote][size 4][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Amen Brother Pat; Amen![/#][/font][/size] [  ]
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Bob Hicks, from Utah
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I try to uphold the law, generally......
But, icefishing at Pelican once, a DWR offiicer actually came up to me and tossed her two fish into my bucket, saying she was just there to check conditions and grab a quick report.
So I let her. Fishing was hard that day anyway.
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Those DWR agents can be quite generous. 13 years ago when I first became stationed here in Utah my house commander and I were out riding the back roads checking out the nature scene. We had driven about 1 mile towards Monte after the Causey turn-off when I noticed a deer laying in the ditch. I backed up rolled the window down and she just looked at me. I explained to the wife that something is definitely not right with that deer; maybe it had been hit by a car. So, I decided to press on with our journey letting my wife know if we see a state patrol or game warden that we would try to flag them down and let them know what we had witnessed. What are the chances? Not two miles up the road I noticed a green truck with numerous antennas protruding out the roof. I rolled my window down and "low and behold" a game warden. I explained the situation, drove back to the locale and the deer was still laying in the ditch, head up and eyes wide open. So the game warden walks down to the deer and she jumped up but her hind leg from the knee joint was nearly ripped off. Appeared to have maybe been caught in a fence. The game warden then proceeded to dispatch the animal. I then asked so what do you do with them? Thinking probably donate to a shelter etc. He said, "do you want it?" Sure, but I do not have a knife with me to field dress it. He said, "no problem I have one in the truck" and he field dressed it for me. He filled out a slip, and we tossed it in the back of my truck. That night I hung it in a tree in my back yard and the next day cut it up and froze it as I was watching the Packers beat up on another team. The second part of this story was several individuals who worked for me went deer hunting that week and shot nothing. That was my welcome to Utah. I realize this has nothing to do with fishing but read the whole donation incident and decided to chime in.
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[#0000FF]A good story...and illustrates that most of our DWR folks are pretty decent. But I am aware of another incident that could have been handled differently. A trusted friend was on his way to Mammoth/Huntington...up on the skyline. He came upon a badly injured deer flopping beside the road. A quick inspection revealed some major injuries...ones that the deer would surely not survive. He humanely dispatched the suffering doe with his pistol...just as a DWR officer drove up.
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[#0000FF]You guessed it. Citation. Plus confiscation of both his gun and his fishing gear...so he did not get to go fishing either. The good news is that he eventually got his gear back but still had a hefty fine...just for doing what the officer would probably have done a few minutes later.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Over many years I have had a lot of interaction with various folks affiliated with DWR. Almost universally I have found them to be honest, hard working people who were doing what they liked and tried to do a good job. For most of them they take on the personal responsibility to simultaneously protect Utah's wild critters while helping insure that licensed hunters and fishermen have success in the field...and enjoy their sport. And most of the regulations are geared toward that dual purpose. They want the public to have a good time, but not to wantonly destroy or waste any wild resources.
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[#0000FF]Howdy back atcha. Hope you are doing well in your new environment.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Your name still gets mentioned on the board here, from time to time...for better or worser.
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Thing are good, the rain has gave me a new river out my front door..LOL
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[#0000FF]Okay. But are you fishing it?
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I have , but when I do it stops raining and dries up..[cool]
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