Fish cleaning

[Reel Premier]

I was wonering if it is leagal or not to clean your fish on the banks of the river? It seems like in the past I was told that it was illegal to do this. I've read some sighns by garbage cans in the parking lots of some fishing holes, that specify to not throw fish guts in the cans, I would assume because of stink and varments tearing through the trash. Has anybody ever been told no you can not do this by fish and game wardens, or OSP? Thanks for any feedback.

[high_arc]

You may want to do a search on this, I think a thread went through about a month ago. What I can remember from it is that is was OK in Washington, but not in Oregon. Again, I think this is what I remember.

[B-run]

I was told by a Tillamook officer, while I was cleaning fish this fall, to not do it again.
While I replied crab bait, fry food, etc, he gave me the "shut up now while you still have a chance look", as I slithered up the boat launch.

[notaclue]

Right out of the regs of page 12

15. Dispose of dead animal (fish) carcasses, or parts thereof, in Oregon waters.

I don't, but does this make it okay to throw it into the woods?


notaclue

[Reel Premier]

Thanks for the info guys. :grin:

[Dinikin]

Same questions bothered me for a while.
I called a game officer office, and asked .
I was told that it was not illegal to clean the fish, but regs say otherwize. Will have to follow up on that

[Ty]

Don't tell anyone......

I fillet my fish and diispose of the carcass where it belongs in the RIVER!!!


:shocked:

[Paddlefish]

Great question. It's just the answers that are tough.

I feel that the tendancy for the regs is changing. Ask a biologist and I bet (s)he'll tell you that the addition of the "biomass" to the watershed would provide additional nutrients for the microscopic guys, the nymphs, the fry, the smolts, and all the way up the food chain, resulting in a net gain in the fertility and productivity of the river system. From some fascinating things I've seen recently, the tremendous fertility of some Alaskan sockeye river systems is largely due to the huge influx of, well, dead fish.

If we take 1,000 20-lb. chinooks from Tillamook Bay and its incoming rivers, for example, we'll have also removed, (in addition to a lot of spawners,) 20,000 pounds of watershed fertilizer and Fry Chow.

If we were able to return 15%, perhaps, of that total in innards, heads, skin and gills, we'd be contributing 3,000 pounds of valuable food chain nutrition. (Hey, anybody notice that the fisheries agencies have been using volunteers and even helicopters to distribute their used-up, frozen spawners through the watersheds?)

This is where the regulations come in.

The problem is that, given the limited number of access points and, especially, boat launches, we'd end up with a noxious, putrid artificial reef of salmon innards just off the Oyster House, overwhelming the ability of the ecosystem to process the mess and, thereby, helping the cows to pollute the bay. (Not to mention that the entire mess would be one salmon-toss away from shore, wildly unsightly, and unlikely to be a candidate for next summer's Chamber of Commerce brochure.)

The logging rules have changed through the years. Previously, they were required to remove all those nasty logs and limbs from small streams, in the interest of facilitating fish passage. Now, they're required to include some because fry won't survive without somewhere to rest and hide.

Likewise, as I said in the beginning, the general concept of putting the fish remains into the river isn't a bad concept in principle. It's just a "devil-in-the-details" matter of how to do it gracefully.

[ORoutdoorsman]

Dinikin, dont always believe what cops have to tell you. Police do not know every single law there is. I have also had the same experiance where a few years back, I called the state police, and clackamas county sheriff and asked them if it was legal to carry a loaded firearm in the car, as long as it was not concealed. And both told me no. I then later asked another Shieriff's deputy I came in contact with, and he told me no. Well, a few years later I am talking with a friend of mine in the portland police, and mention I have loaded gun in the car(I was camping)and he told me it was illegal. He has ever written sitations for it. So I check, and hes right! It is illegal. Its not common knowledge because it is an oregon traffic law. SO I have been breaking the law at various times, even though I was informed on numerous occasions it was legal. So the moral of the story, I always, and recommend to others, make sure you have it, or can find it in writting if it is questionable. Because there are alot of laws that may not be common knowledge, and there are alot of laws that people may think are silly, and you would not expect to be a law. And it may be your luck you come into contact with an officer that is familiar with the law you are breaking.

[TAILOUT]

I have personally seen OSP officers site individuals, citations for cleaning and disposing of fish waste in the Clackamas R. It was during Coho season probably 5 years or so ago and there was one OSP officer and two Clackamas County Sheriffs and they were activley writing tickets to anyone cleaning fish, this was at the bowling alley hole. There were a ton of people and even a team of biologists that came down to see the slaughter of fish, the bios were saying it was good for the eco system but they have no say when it comes to tickets. Just to be safe I usually clean mine at home, I would hate to get a ticket for something so silly.

[STGRule]

With the understanding that it is illegal to dispose of fish waste in the water.....
If you were cleaning your fish at the boat ramp, shame on you. If you were cleaning your fish way upriver or downriver and disposing of the guts in the middle of the river, shame on the officer.

[ 01-22-2004, 07:13 AM: Message edited by: STGRule ]

Guts belong in the water but they should be dumped out of the high trafic areas. I gut my fish ASAP and the guts go over the side where they were caught.

[Finn-icky]

You simply can't go wrong by reading your regs carefully and completely, and then following them. Anyone that does not do this and gets caught deserves at least a friendly talking to from an officer. Do I agree with all the regs....NO, Do I obey them...YES. Just my humble approch and opinion. I see that one person posting here even filets the fish on the stream bank or at least at the location. Again just an opinion, but that sounds very risky to me. I at least hope enough is left to identify the fish, adipose if needed, and lenght if that comes into play. Otherwise one of these days you are going to be needing some [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img] to pay the fines. I might add that I agree that the carcass should be allowed to be disposed of in the body of water.

Finn-icky,
Gutting is one thing, filleting the fish in the field not only is illegal but it opens the flesh to bacteria and contamination. I prossess my fish at home and put what I don't eat into the garden.

[Akuracy503]

I cannot keep up with what is legal or not..i see constant gutting on rivers during fall nook season...i dont blame em with the size of the inners...

ive never taken the chance, process at home...but wouldnt mind gutting it where i caught it, if its ok..

Akuracy,
It's not legal but it's the right thing to do. Just don't do it at the dock or at a swimming area. Tossing the guts on shore should be a crime.

[Bait O' Eggs]

When we did the ifish fish carcass spread on the East Fork of the Trask several years ago, we were instructed to keep the fish out of the water and on the banks. :shocked:

They didnt want them to float down river but stay high in the watershed. It was explanined to us, even though you might think the fish out of the water is not feeding fish in the stream, The fish out of the water will propogate flying insects that will land on the water and be eaten by the fish. So guts on the bank are not a complete waste to the system, just a stinky mess. I think the bears in the area thought Santa had visited after we dumped tote after tote of fish along the banks edge.

I still think the portion not eaten by us, needs to go back in the stream, head, bones, guts...... To bad the rules have to be written the way they are. :depressed:

BoE,
I agree but salmon guts are tough on dogs.

[Paddlefish]

BOE: aka "The Bear Santa" :grin:

Actually, you might be able to use that to your advantage. Dump a tote of ripening salmon carcasses on the bank, all along your favorite drift, come back next week -- with nose-plugs -- and have a private fishing hole! [img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img]

[Quasimodo the fish killer]

I was warned about cleaning fish at a ramp by a marine patrol officer. I was throwing everything way out into the river so that it wasnt near the shore. I always worry about unknowing people bringing their dogs to the river.

the officer that warned me fortunately was someone I have fished around and known for years he simply said that if someone is making a mess on a ramp he is gonna site them. he let me go but warned me about cleaning them at the ramp then he whispered in my ear that I should clean them before I get to the ramp from now on :grin:


Quasi


.

[Steelerdan]

I clean my fish at home and use everything I don't eat and freeze it for crab bait. Just my $.02

[Ty]

Suppose I should add that I fillet my fish in discreete places, high in the water shed, and of course evidence of the fillets this year has been none.

I don't encourage the faint of heart to practice this and certainly not at common areas, especially boat ramps.

[img]graemlins/icon_argue.gif[/img] :shocked: [img]graemlins/icon_argue.gif[/img]

[Private-Aye-Fish]

Originally posted by Steelerdan:
I clean my fish at home and use everything I don't eat and freeze it for crab bait. Just my $.02

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Also makes good Crawdad bait. :grin:

[Dinikin]

Originally posted by notaclue:
Right out of the regs of page 12

15. Dispose of dead animal (fish) carcasses, or parts thereof, in Oregon waters.

notaclue

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">I do understand the first part of that senntence, but part after the coma. Does it means part of the carcasse or part of the fish.

Seems, to me that this whole sentence addressing the people who would take the eqqs out of the salmon, sturgeon and dump the fish back in the river.

When cleaning the fish common understanding should be followed. Nobody takes a dump in their living room and expect it to float away.

[Reel Premier]

Thanks for all the feedback people. It seems that everybody has different practices of fish processing on the river banks. Personally I clean all my fish at home just to avoid any conflicts of intrest, weather it be from the law or other anglers. While I do agree it is good for the river system, if everyone does it in the same place {boat ramp} your in for quite a stink. On the other hand, I've been with other people who do clean their fish on the bank, guts only, and it seem all the critters, mainly seaguls, clean that stuff up two seconds after leaving. Point being most of the time it doesn't even get a chance to help the system out. That doesn't make it right, but it's just a fact of the matter.

[Ty]

Keta,

Prey tell why u would expose a fillet washed in a river that u just caught that was swimming in teh same water. Fish in water are the water and are exposed to everything in it.

Sounds like a oxy-moron to me?

[img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img]

[notaclue]

Dinikin
I copy an pasted out of the reg from a list that say:

The following activities are unlawful:

15. Dispose of dead animal (fish) carcasses, or parts thereof, in Oregon waters.

along with 19 other things. Sorry about the confusion. After I posted I realived that it was a little confusing, I should have just fixed it then. I think it is sayin do not put parts or the the whole animal back in the water.

notaclue

Ty,
Bacteria in the air. Water never should touch exposed flesh.

Bonk 'em, blead 'em, gut & gill 'em, rince 'em, chill 'em.

[gthfish]

Sorry but I cant resist--T-shirt I saw laast summer---HOOK ME BEAT ME COOK ME EAT ME! Seriously though Im torn between what is the right thing to do(disposing of remains in the water, and sneaking the fish into the house past my wife (who objects to even the idea of fish guts in the house) to process the fish!

[Finn-icky]

Once I read the quote below, my first question was does this mean the fish are not tagged? Not accusing anyone, but when I read " and of course no evidence of the filets this year has been none." I can't help but wonder. Do you filet them in discrete places because you know its illegal to do this in the field, or is it for other reasons as well?


"Suppose I should add that I fillet my fish in discreete places, high in the water shed, and of course evidence of the fillets this year has been none.

I don't encourage the faint of heart to practice this and certainly not at common areas, especially boat ramps."

[StinkyH]

Originally posted by Keta:
Bonk 'em, blead 'em, gut & gill 'em, rince 'em, chill 'em.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">What do you do to the fish to gill them?

StinkyH

[sparkleboy]

Stinky - Just rip out their gills. Pretty simple, and if you're good, you can get them all with one pull.

Cut them at the top and bottom and then the back and pull them out.

[Ty]

Finn-icky,

I have been fishin all over the water below where I fillet my fish and found no evidence of carcases. If u read any of the carcas studies, u will find that there "in river" time is amazingly short and many either move out of the system or are washed away into the brush where they belong.

As far a tagging the fish.... Of course they are tagged, both the dorsal and adipose are left on the fillet as to show it was a hatchery brat.

[ 01-24-2004, 02:09 PM: Message edited by: Ty ]