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Department
of Fish and Game Q&A Column with Carrie
Wilson
The Shrinkage Factor?
Question: A friend of mine recently
caught a legal (23 inch) halibut
and put it in his cooler to take home.
At the end of the day we showed
it to a fellow angler and to our
surprise the halibut had shrunk to 21.5
inches and was now illegal to keep!
Is there a way to keep the fish so that
it actually remains legal after
capture or should we just stop fishing
and take it home?
Thanks for all your comments and advice
that helps keep us on the
straight and narrow!!! (David F.)
Answer: It seems very improbable, David,
for a 23-inch fish to shrink
that much. I think instead it was most
likely either measured
incorrectly initially or else after it
was dead.
Measurements should be taken in a
straight line with the mouth closed
(1.62 CCR, Title 14). Perhaps the first
time you measured the fish, the
mouth was not completely closed. Then
the next time the fish was
measured, the mouth was closed. That
might explain the 1.5-inch
difference.
Either way, there are no provisions in
the regulations to allow for
"shrinkage." If the fish is shorter than
the minimum length (22 inches
for California halibut) when the warden
measures it, regardless of how
long it supposedly was when it was
caught, the angler may be cited. Once
in a while a fish left in open air will
have the tail curl slightly as
it dries, but the whole fish will not
shrink.
Game Warden Todd Tognazinni suggests it
is always best to lay the
measuring device down or have pre-marked
measurements on a flat surface
to measure the fish against. Also, don’t
measure the fish over the
contour of its body as that will not
give a straight line measurement
and will instead yield an extra length.
If you still have concerns and believe
that fish do shrink that much,
then maybe you should consider only
keeping halibut that are larger than
24 inches long, to allow for shrinkage
(or inaccurate measurements).
License to Fish and Hunt on Private
Land
Questionn: I just bought a place in the
north state with a lot of
acreage and streams running through it.
I plan to hunt and fish on it
and am wondering if I still need to buy
the appropriate licenses and
tags even though I will be fishing and
hunting on my own property?
(Daniel B.)
Answer: Yes. The reason is because the
fish and wildlife belong to all
of the people of the state of California
and not to the landowners. Just
because you may have fish and wildlife
living on your land or just
passing through, you do not own those
fish or animals. Thus, even if you
are hunting and fishing only on your own
property, you will still need
valid California hunting and fishing
licenses, along with any tags
appropriate for what you're hunting or
fishing for. You are also
required to abide by all California
fishing and hunting regulations,
seasons, bag limits, etc.
Bag Limits for Multiple Days
Question: When fishing in the ocean, I
know what the bag limits are
but my question is how many bag limits
can you have when fishing
multiple days? Is your possession limit
one bag limit for each day you
fish? I usually go fishing for at least
two days, always stay within my
daily limit, but sometimes will have two
limits (one for each day) in my
ice chest upon leaving. Thanks. (Terry
C.)
Answer: You may only take one bag limit
per day and retain only one
limit in your possession. Just because
you’re fishing multiple days,
you may not then take and retain
multiple limits. Keeping more than one
bag limit, even in your cooler, at any
time could cause you to be cited
for an overlimit of fish.
If your trip is aboard a boat which
takes you away from shore for
multiple days, you may file a
“Declaration for Multi-day Fishing
Trip” form with DFG prior to your trip.
This form allows the angler
up to three daily bag and possession
limits of saltwater fin fish, etc.
Provisions of this declaration require
that you not return to shore or
to berth or dock your boat within five
miles of the mainland shore
during your trip period. Your multi-day
trip must also be continuous
over several days and extend for a
period of 12 hours or more on the
first and last days of the trip. You can
read all about the Declarations
for a Multi-Day Fishing Trip in section
27.15 of the California Ocean
Sport Fishing Regulations book (page 29)
or online at
www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/pdfs/oceanfish2008.pdf
Carrie Wilson is a marine biologist with
the California Department of
Fish and Game. Her DFG-related question
and answer column appears weekly
at www.dfg.ca.gov/QandA/. While she
cannot personally answer
everyone’s questions, she will select
questions to answer.
Carrie Wilson is a 20-year DFG veteran
and an avid outdoor enthusiast, angler
and hunter. She is a marine biologist
with an ample background of professional
experience working in both fisheries and
wildlife management. An established
award-winning outdoor writer, Carrie
enjoys tackling the tough questions from
the public and will be regularly tapping
into the expertise of the DFG’s game
wardens and many fisheries, wildlife and
marine biologists to best cover all the
topics.
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