Hey everyone,

There is a debate going around the office here about how we should interpret the phase "daily bag limit". When the DNR (US and Canada) state you can have, say, a daily bag limit of two lake trout per person that means you can keep only two lake trout per day (and have no more than two on hand at home). We all agree on this, but where we disagree is in the situation when you are actively consuming fish like on a canoe trip. What if I catch two lake trout for lunch, eat them and then head back out fishing. I assumed that I was not allowed to keep any more that day even if they are technically no longer on hand. My office mate says that once I eat those two lake trout I am allowed to go out for two more.

I know this is not an opinion question rather a defined rule but I am not able to find the details anywhere (for the US or Canada). Feedback?

mndnr.gov
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"Possessing Fish
•
Daily and possession limits are the same unless otherwise noted. Fish are in an angler’s possession whether on hand, in cold storage, in transport, or elsewhere."

In your tummy is in your possession =)

We call people that do that poachers.

Your office mate is wrong. Once you have kept your daily limit that it.

Your co-worker is loony.

Check the 2015 MN DNR fishing regulations, page 5.

Definitions:

Daily and possession limits (bags) – Daily limit is the number of fish an angler can take in one calendar day. Eating those fish or gifting them away on the same day does not allow an angler to possess additional fish taken in the same calendar day.

Thanks everyone, i knew I was right :-)

You would be surprised how many people innocently thought that it was just the number on hand. That being said, everyone I asked said they had never caught fish, consumed the fish then went out for more on the same day. I guess the DNR only asks to see what you have on hand because it would be next to impossible to prove how much someone ate earlier in the day.

if you have 2 lake trout in the freezer at home from months ago, your still not able to possess any. it doesnt happen or hear about it very often but people have been ticketed in there home for over the limit , because in there house they had milk cartons of sunnies.

quote : I guess the DNR only asks to see what you have on hand because it would be next to impossible to prove how much someone ate earlier in the day."

It is very easy for a game warden to know how many fish you have caught. I have seen them watch people with binoculars. They caught a guy on our lake with over the limit. Just watched him. On Lake Four a warden came up fast on our campsite and asked for all our licenses. He saw us fishing from shore. What was around his neck? Binoculars.

quote kpdoyle: "Hey everyone,

There is a debate going around the office here about how we should interpret the phase "daily bag limit". When the DNR (US and Canada) state you can have, say, a daily bag limit of two lake trout per person that means you can keep only two lake trout per day (and have no more than two on hand at home). We all agree on this, but where we disagree is in the situation when you are actively consuming fish like on a canoe trip. What if I catch two lake trout for lunch, eat them and then head back out fishing. I assumed that I was not allowed to keep any more that day even if they are technically no longer on hand. My office mate says that once I eat those two lake trout I am allowed to go out for two more.

I know this is not an opinion question rather a defined rule but I am not able to find the details anywhere (for the US or Canada). Feedback?"

Your office mate must be spending too much time staring at a screen, or is slow in the head. The reason there are bag limits is to limit the kill of fish in order to maintain healthy fisheries.
Lake trout are about the last species that should be regularly harvested, as these are among the least abundant fisheries in the state, as well as the most vulnerable to over-harvest. On some lakes the yearly harvest is already too high.

OK OK, I get it. Enough with the insults. Lets try to stay positive. I probably shouldn't have shared the back story to my question because I should have known that people love going in for the attack.

I took the far more positive approach and kindly corrected my coworker who frankly has never even had an opportunity to catch, eat and recatch on the same day in the first place.

Thank you to those who helped clarify.

No insult intended! Just having a bit of fun. I took it that your office mate was also pulling your leg a bit when suggesting that bag limits really are just possession limits, and that what is eaten in camp doesn't count. Introduce your friend to fishing, and show him the catch and release ethic.

On a more serious note: You mentioned Canada. I travel and fish there a lot. Make sure you follow the rules to the full extent of the law. They can (and will) seize your property if they find you in violation. Plus, you very well won't get back into the country again for many years...