Put this down in the ‘Too Much Government” file!
I want a pond on my property and I picked up a copy of ‘Pond Boss’ magazine. I read an article that made me shake my head. (Pond Boss, Sept/Oct 2010, pp. 30-34)
It asked the question: “Who Owns ‘Your’ Fish?”
My first reaction was to think ‘That’s a silly question.’ Then I found out it wasn’t silly at all….
The article’s author was from New York state. In New York, the waters and fish of the state belong to ‘the people,’ not an individual. If you have a pond on your property, you own the ground under the water, but you don’t own the water or the fish! You have to have a fishing license to fish your pond and you must follow the size and number limits for each fish species. You can apply for a ‘Farm Fish Pond License that allows the owner to fish your pond with no size or season limits.
What an incredible situation! That a land owner must get permission from the state to use his own land (in a way that doesn’t affect anyone else)! Government is too big and too invasive when we get to this point!
In Georgia the fish belong to the land owner and he and his family can fish without a license, but other people need a license.
In Illinois, you must live on the same property as the pond if you want to fish without a license. You still must follow the state’s size and catch limits.
In Oklahoma, all wildlife is considered the property of the state unless the land owner has receipts showing he stocked the pond with specific varieties of fish. If you catch other species, you have to follow the state’s size and bag limits.
In Indiana, (my state) you don’t need a license to fish private waters and the Indiana fishing regulations do not apply (Unless ‘public’ fish migrated into private waters; then the regulations apply). You still must have permission from the land owner to be on his property. So if you own the property you pretty much can do what you want.
There are variations on a theme as you go from state to state. I like Texas’ approach best….”If you own the pond, you own the fish. Do with ‘em what you like!”
I want a pond on my property and I picked up a copy of ‘Pond Boss’ magazine. I read an article that made me shake my head. (Pond Boss, Sept/Oct 2010, pp. 30-34)
It asked the question: “Who Owns ‘Your’ Fish?”
My first reaction was to think ‘That’s a silly question.’ Then I found out it wasn’t silly at all….
The article’s author was from New York state. In New York, the waters and fish of the state belong to ‘the people,’ not an individual. If you have a pond on your property, you own the ground under the water, but you don’t own the water or the fish! You have to have a fishing license to fish your pond and you must follow the size and number limits for each fish species. You can apply for a ‘Farm Fish Pond License that allows the owner to fish your pond with no size or season limits.
What an incredible situation! That a land owner must get permission from the state to use his own land (in a way that doesn’t affect anyone else)! Government is too big and too invasive when we get to this point!
In Georgia the fish belong to the land owner and he and his family can fish without a license, but other people need a license.
In Illinois, you must live on the same property as the pond if you want to fish without a license. You still must follow the state’s size and catch limits.
In Oklahoma, all wildlife is considered the property of the state unless the land owner has receipts showing he stocked the pond with specific varieties of fish. If you catch other species, you have to follow the state’s size and bag limits.
In Indiana, (my state) you don’t need a license to fish private waters and the Indiana fishing regulations do not apply (Unless ‘public’ fish migrated into private waters; then the regulations apply). You still must have permission from the land owner to be on his property. So if you own the property you pretty much can do what you want.
There are variations on a theme as you go from state to state. I like Texas’ approach best….”If you own the pond, you own the fish. Do with ‘em what you like!”
