Current through August 26, 2024
(1) APPLICABILITY. This section applies to
fishing tournaments on lakes, rivers, the Great Lakes, Wisconsin-Minnesota
boundary waters as defined in s.
NR 21.02 (39), Wisconsin-Iowa boundary waters as
defined in s.
NR 22.02 (34), and Wisconsin-Michigan boundary waters
as defined in s.
NR 23.02 (10).
(2) DEFINITIONS. In this section:
(a) "Aquatic invasive species" has the
meaning in s.
NR 193.03 (3).
(b) "Aquatic plant" has the meaning in s.
30.07 (1) (b),
Stats.
(c) "Catch and kill
tournament" means a fishing tournament where fish are caught by participants,
reduced to their possession, and retained as part of the participant's daily
bag limit.
(d) "Catch-hold-release
tournament" means a fishing tournament where fish caught by participants are
reduced to possession and transported, usually for purposes of recording, and
live fish are then released to the water from which they came. This format was
previously referred to as a "live-release" tournament.
(dm) "Cull" or "culling" means the practice
of releasing a live fish that was held in an angler's possession and replacing
it with another fish. Live fish that are released and capable of swimming away
under their own power are not considered part of the angler's daily bag limit
provided the total number of fish possessed at any one time does not exceed the
angler's daily bag limit.
Note: Section
29.403 (1m),
Stats., allows culling only during largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing
tournaments authorized by the department. An angler must release the fish to be
culled without unnecessary delay when keeping a new fish that would otherwise
put them over their daily bag limit, and may not resume fishing or other
activities until the fish to be culled is first
released.
(e)
"Fishing tournament" means any organized fishing activity, on any water of the
state where competition is the primary purpose, and where incentives, such as
money, prizes or points, are awarded.
(f) "Immediate-release tournament" means a
fishing tournament where fish caught by participants are not reduced to
possession and transported, but are held only long enough for identification
and to document length or weight or both, and released to the water from which
they came.
(g) "Live well" means a
container designed to hold live fish on a boat.
(h) "Off-site weigh-in" means a weigh-in of
fish caught in a catch-hold-release tournament at a location that is not on the
shoreline or adjacent to the waters listed on the fishing tournament
permit.
(i) "Open water fishing"
means all fishing that occurs except when ice is used as a platform from which
to fish.
(j) "Opening weekend"
means the first Saturday and consecutive Sunday in May.
(k) "Organize" means to advance, conduct,
direct, establish, promote or otherwise be responsible for the operation of a
fishing tournament.
(l) "Organizer"
means a person who advances, conducts, directs, establishes, organizes,
promotes or otherwise is responsible for the operation of a fishing tournament,
but does not include a person who only assists in advertising or publicizing
another person's fishing tournament.
(m) "Permitted fishing tournament" means a
fishing tournament that requires a permit from the department.
(n) "Permitted fishing tournament boat days"
is a measure of tournament fishing pressure for open water permitted fishing
tournaments. It is calculated by multiplying the number of boats participating
in an open water permitted fishing tournament by the number of days the
permitted fishing tournament is held. Any part of a day shall count as one
day.
(o) "Person" means any
individual, partnership, association, organization or body politic or
corporate.
(p) "Possess" for the
purposes of this section means to own, control, restrain, transport or keep.
Once a fish is possessed, it shall be counted towards the angler's daily bag
limit pursuant to s.
NR 20.05 (7). Any of the following conditions
constitute possession:
1. Holding a fish out
of the water longer than necessary to remove hooks and measure the fish for
length, weight or both.
2. Placing
a fish into a live well except to revive a fish or to avoid imminent boating
danger.
3. Holding a fish at the
side of a stationary boat for longer than necessary to register and revive the
fish.
4. Resuming fishing by any
angler in the boat prior to the release of the fish.
(q) "Prizes" means money or items that are
provided to a tournament participant based on their performance in a
competitive fishing event. This does not include "raffle" type prizes which are
given to tournament participants independent of their performance in the
competitive fishing event.
(r)
"Traditional fishing tournament" means a fishing tournament that was issued
permits 4 out of 5 years from 2004 to 2008, for the same water or waters and
time period. Beginning January 1, 2009, traditional fishing tournaments shall
continue to be conducted at least 4 out of 5 years for the same waterbody and
time period to remain a traditional fishing tournament.
(s) "Weigh-in" means a registration process
for catch-hold-release tournaments by which fish are measured and released.
Note: Weigh-ins on certain department-managed
properties may require special event authorization from the department,
pursuant to ch. NR 45.
(3) PERMIT REQUIRED. No person may carry out
a fishing tournament that meets any of the criteria in pars. (a) to (f),
without a permit. A person shall obtain a permit from the department to
organize a fishing tournament when the waters to be fished are identified by
name by the organizer and one or more of the following apply:
(a) The fishing tournament involves 20 or
more boats, or 100 or more participants.
(b) The fishing tournament includes any trout
species on waters classified as trout streams under s.
NR 1.02 (7).
(c) The fishing tournament is a
catch-hold-release tournament with an off-site weigh-in.
(d) The total prize value is $10,000 or
greater.
(e) Tournament
participants are allowed to cull largemouth and smallmouth bass.
(f) Notwithstanding the size and bag limits
established in s.
NR 20.20, catch-hold-release tournament participants are
allowed to take a daily bag limit of up to five bass of a minimum of 14 inches
in length.
(3m) PERMIT
EXCEPTIONS. Except as provided in s.
NR 20.40 (3)
(f), organizers do not need a permit under
this section to organize and conduct any of the following:
(a) Fishing tournaments that are statewide or
regional in nature where the specific waters to be fished and landings that
must be used, if any, are not identified by name.
(b) Fishing tournaments that do not require
identification or registration of participants prior to engaging in the
tournament.
(c) Fishing tournaments
that fulfill all of the following:
1. Continue
for more than 4 days.
2. Do not
require participants to fish at the same time.
3. Allow participants to register at any time
during the tournament.
4. Do not
specify a weigh-in time.
(3s) TOURNAMENT SELF-REGISTRATION. A person
who organizes a fishing tournament that does not require a permit from the
department as determined under subs. (3) and (3m) shall register the event with
the department no later than 72 hours prior to the start of the event, in the
manner specified by the department, and shall provide all of the following
information:
(a) The date or date range of the
event.
(b) The waterbodies that
will be fished during the event unless the event is statewide or regional in
nature and no specific waterbodies or landings are named.
(c) The estimated number of
participants.
(d) The estimated
number of boats, unless the event is an ice fishing tournament.
(e) The fish species targeted.
(f) Other information required by the
department in the registration form.
(4) APPLICATION. A person who wishes to
organize a fishing tournament requiring a permit from the department shall
apply on forms available from the department.
(a) Permit applications shall specify an
individual who is responsible for supervising the tournament to ensure
compliance with all tournament permit conditions and regulations.
(b) Applicants for a fishing tournament
permit shall pay a $25.00 non-refundable permit application fee upon submission
of the application when the following conditions apply:
1. The tournament format is
immediate-release; or
2. Total
prizes provided to tournament participants are valued at less than $1,001;
or
3. The tournament targets salmon
or trout species on Lake Michigan, Green Bay, or Lake Superior; or
4. The tournament targets rough fish as
defined in s. 29.001 (74),
Stats.
(c) Applicants for
a fishing tournament permit shall pay a $50.00 non-refundable permit
application fee upon submission of the application when the following
conditions apply:
1. The tournament format is
catch-hold-release or catch and kill; and
2. Total prizes provided to tournament
participants are valued at $1,001 or greater and less than $10,001.
(d) Applicants for a fishing
tournament permit shall pay a $200.00 non-refundable permit application fee
upon submission of the application when the following conditions apply:
1. The tournament format is
catch-hold-release or catch and kill; and
2. Total prizes provided to tournament
participants are valued at $10,001 or greater.
(e) There is no fee for a fishing tournament
permit where 50% or more of the participants are younger than 18 years of age
or are developmentally disabled as defined under s.
51.01 (5) (a),
Stats., or physically disabled and eligible for a license under s.
29.193 (3) or (3m), Stats.
Note: Application forms may be obtained at no charge
from department service centers and regional offices or by visiting the
department website at
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/tournaments/.
(5) PERMIT APPLICATION
PROCESS.
(a) The department shall accept
permit applications for traditional fishing tournaments beginning on January 1
of the year preceding the tournament.
(b) The department shall accept permit
applications for tournaments that are not traditional fishing tournaments
beginning on April 1 of the year preceding the tournament.
(c) All permit applications and application
fees must be received by the department at least 30 days prior to the start of
the tournament. The department may review permit applications received within
30 days of the tournament start date if the applicant pays a late fee in
addition to the application fee which shall be equal to the application fee
specified under sub. (4). If the department is unable to review a late
application, the application fee will be returned to the applicant.
(d) The department shall approve or deny
permit applications on a first come first served basis in compliance with the
limits in subs. (7) and (8).
(6) COMPLIANCE.
(a) All participants in a permitted fishing
tournament shall comply with all provisions of the permit.
(b) If a participant fails to comply with the
permit, the violating participant shall promptly be disqualified and expelled
from the tournament by the organizer.
(c) All organizers of a permitted fishing
tournament shall comply with all permit terms and conditions and the rules of
this section and shall take adequate measures to ensure that all participants
comply with all provisions of the permit. The organizer of a permitted fishing
tournament shall provide each participant a copy of the permit conditions and
rules specific to the fishing tournament along with potential penalties for
noncompliance prior to any participant being allowed to participate in the
tournament.
(d) Notwithstanding
par. (b), the department may take other appropriate enforcement action against
a participant or organizer found to be in violation of this chapter or ch. 29,
Stats.
(7) LIMITS ON SIZE
AND NUMBER OF FISHING TOURNAMENTS. The size and number of permitted fishing
tournaments allowed on a water body may not exceed the following limits except
in Lake Michigan, Green Bay, Lake Superior, and Lake Winnebago where there are
no limits on the size and number of permitted fishing tournaments. Traditional
fishing tournaments may be permitted to exceed the limits established in this
subsection up to the maximum level of participation or boat days associated
with that tournament in the past 5 years. Bass fishing tournaments with fewer
than 20 boats will not be included in the maximum daily number of boats allowed
on open water, the maximum monthly number of permitted fishing tournament boat
days, the maximum daily number of concurrent permitted fishing tournaments, or
the maximum number of permitted fishing tournaments per month on rivers.
(a) The following monthly limits on permitted
fishing tournament size, number, and total boat days are based on lake acreage
are outlined in the table below.
|
LAKE OR LAKE CHAIN SIZE
(ACRES)
|
MAXIMUM DAILY NUMBER OF
BOATS ALLOWED FOR PERMITTED OPEN WATER FISHING TOURNAMENTS
|
MAXIMUM MONTHLY NUMBER OF
PERMITTED FISHING TOURNAMENT BOAT DAYS
|
MAXIMUM DAILY NUMBER OF
PARTICIPANTS ALLOWED FOR PERMITTED ICE FISHING TOURNAMENTS
|
MAXIMUM DAILY NUMBER OF
CONCURRENT PERMITTED FISHING TOURNAMENTS
|
|
1. Less than 100
|
0
|
0
|
150
|
1 (ice fishing only)
|
|
2. 100-449
|
25
|
50
|
250
|
1
|
|
3. 450-999
|
50
|
300
|
500
|
1
|
|
4. 1,000-4,999
|
125
|
1,125
|
1,000
|
2
|
|
5. 5,000-9,999
|
150
|
2,400
|
1,500
|
2
|
|
6. Larger than 10,000
|
Determined by actual acreage (1 boat/50
acres)
|
3,000
|
No Limit
|
No Limit
|
(b)
Open water fishing tournaments on lakes or lake chains smaller than 100 acres
may be permitted if the department finds that the tournament:
1. Will promote public awareness of fishing
and the state's resources and conforms to the best management practices for the
lake; or
2. Is a traditional
fishing tournament.
(c)
The following shall apply to fishing tournaments permitted for any combination
of lakes within a chain of interconnected lakes:
1. Permitted fishing tournaments may engage
in fishing activities in lake chains or connected lakes but the tournament
organizer must select a lake where the primary fishing activity or weigh-in
will take place.
2. The
availability of permits will be based on the acreage of the lake selected in
subd. 1. as outlined in par. (a).
(d) For boundary water lakes, the limits on
the number of permitted fishing contests shall be determined based on the
Wisconsin acreage.
(e) For flowages
and impoundments of rivers, the limits in par. (a) shall include tributaries
upstream to the first dam or road crossing unless otherwise specified in the
permit.
(f) The following
provisions apply to rivers:
1. The maximum
number of permitted fishing tournaments per month on the Mississippi River,
Lake St. Croix, St. Croix River, Wisconsin River, Fox River and Wolf River are
outlined in the following table.
|
RIVER SEGMENT OR SECTION
|
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PERMITTED
FISHING TOURNAMENTS PER MONTH
|
|
1. Mississippi River: Pool 3; 5; 5A; 6; 7; 8;
9
|
4 (each pool)
|
|
2. Mississippi River: Pool 4
|
5
|
|
3. Lake St. Croix
|
4
|
|
4. Mississippi River: Pool 10; 11; 12
|
8
|
|
5. St. Croix River, Wisconsin River, Fox River,
Wolf River (excluding Lake Winnebago system waters as defined in s.
NR 20.03 (19))
|
2 (each 10 mile segment)
|
2.
Fishing tournament waters identified in the permit for Mississippi River pools
are limited to no more than 3 pools where each pool is separated by a lock and
dam.
2m. Fishing tournaments
permitted by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources are authorized to
operate in Wisconsin portions of Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters under the
regulations specified in the Minnesota permit.
Note: Under s.
29.403 (1m),
Stats., a bass tournament permitted by the Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources may cull largemouth and smallmouth bass in Wisconsin portions of
Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters. Culling is not allowed in Minnesota waters
of Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters at the time this rule was drafted.
Tournaments authorized by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources may not
cull in Minnesota waters unless authorized by the Minnesota Department of
Natural Resources.
3.
No more than 2 permitted fishing tournaments per month, not to exceed 4 days
combined, may be issued for any 10 mile segment of a river not listed in subd.
1., as defined in the permit. If any portion of river permitted overlaps with a
previously permitted portion of the same river, it shall be considered the same
segment. Segment boundaries shall be readily identifiable features as close to
10 miles apart as possible.
4.
Permitted fishing tournaments may engage in fishing activities in multiple
pools but the tournament organizer must select the pool where the primary
fishing activity or weigh-in will take place. The availability of permits will
be based on the selected pool as outlined in subd. 1.
(8) ADDITIONAL FISHING TOURNAMENT
PERMITS. Notwithstanding the limits in sub. (7), the department may allow one
additional permit each year for fishing tournaments on lakes greater than 1,000
acres or river segments identified by the department. For additional fishing
tournaments permitted under this subsection, the fishing tournament permit
applicant shall demonstrate to the department that the tournament:
(a) Will promote public awareness of fishing
and the state's resources and conform to best management practices for the
lake; or
(b) Is a traditional
fishing tournament.
(c) The
department may issue one advance tournament permit for each waterbody in each
year that authorizes a tournament on that waterbody up to 3 years before the
tournament is to occur when:
1. The tournament
sponsor can demonstrate undue hardship unless they receive an advance permit,
and
2. The tournament sponsor can
demonstrate a substantial economic benefit to the local economy by being able
to receive a tournament permit up to 3 years in advance for a specific
waterbody.
(9)
DISPOSITION OF DEAD FISH. The department shall require each applicant to
provide a written plan for the disposition of any dead fish encountered within
a 48-hour period from the end of the tournament and are a result of the fishing
tournament which complies with s.
23.095 (1g),
Stats. No plan may include retention of any fish contrary to the requirements
of department rule, except that the department may, via permit condition,
authorize a tournament organizer or their designee to receive and transport
trout or salmon from tournament participants, in excess of established
possession limits, for immediate delivery to a food distribution service as
defined in s. 29.001 (28),
Stats.
Note: Section
23.095 (1g),
Stats., General prohibition. No person may damage or attempt to damage any
natural resource within the state. Under s.
23.095 (1) (a)"Damage" means to commit a physical act
that unreasonably destroys, molests, defaces, removes or
wastes.
(10) GENERAL
PROVISIONS AND PERMIT CONDITIONS.
(a) No
person may organize fishing tournaments on the same body of water with starting
dates separated by less than 2 weeks unless 50% or more of the participants in
the additional tournament are younger than 18 years of age or are
developmentally disabled as defined under s.
51.01 (5) (a),
Stats., or physically disabled and eligible for a license under s.
29.193 (3) or (3m), Stats.
(b) The department may deny an application
for a fishing tournament permit upon determination that the body of water, the
fish or other aquatic resources may be substantially harmed by the
concentration of fishing activity from the fishing tournament.
(c) No person may conduct a fishing
tournament on any of the following unless it is a traditional fishing
tournament:
1. Opening weekend of the fishing
season, except that a person may conduct a fishing tournament that is not a
traditional fishing tournament on opening weekend on waters with a continuous
open harvest season for that species.
2. 3-day Memorial Day weekend.
3. Fourth of July.
4. 3-day Labor Day weekend.
(d) The department may require the
tournament organizer to make parking arrangements in addition to those normally
present at location where the event is taking place for the fishing tournament
participants in order to ensure reasonable public access to the water where the
permitted fishing tournament is being conducted. A plan outlining the
alternative parking arrangements shall be submitted to the department upon
request. The department may withhold approval of a fishing tournament permit
application until an adequate alternative parking plan or parking arrangements
have been provided by the organizer.
(e) For open water permitted fishing
tournaments, participants' boats shall be identified in a uniform manner that
makes them easily identifiable on the water as fishing tournament participants
and the method for identification shall be provided to the department. This
requirement does not apply to tournaments on the Great Lakes for trout and
salmon.
(f) The following
provisions apply to immediate-release tournaments:
1. Participants may not reduce fish to their
possession.
2. Participants shall
immediately initiate the official tournament registration process upon landing
a fish.
3. Participants shall
successfully release the fish, as indicated by the capability of the fish to
swim away upright under its own power, prior to resuming fishing.
(g) The following provisions apply
to catch-hold-release tournaments:
1. No
person may conduct a catch-hold-release tournament for muskellunge, northern
pike, sturgeon or trout with an off-site weigh-in.
2. No person may conduct a catch-hold-release
tournament unless they follow the conditions related to fish handling specified
on the permit.
3. No person may
participate in a catch-hold-release open water tournament unless their boat is
equipped with a live well that is demonstrated to the tournament organizer as
functioning properly prior to fishing in the fishing tournament.
3m. No person may participate in a
catch-hold-release ice fishing tournament unless they have a container capable
of holding and transporting live fish in water.
4. Except as provided in par. (gm) 4., no
person may hold fish in a catch-hold-release tournament in on-shore holding
tanks unless the tanks have the capacity to hold at least one gallon of water
per pound of fish held and are equipped with an aeration or oxygenation system
that maintains the dissolved oxygen at 5 parts per million or higher.
5. No person may conduct a catch-hold-release
tournament with an off-site weigh-in unless the fish holding equipment and fish
handling procedures at the weigh in site are approved by the department and the
approval is specified on the permit.
6. The department shall include permit
conditions that specify fish handling requirements during weigh-in for
catch-hold-release tournaments.
7.
The department may include the following permit conditions related to
tournament operation for permitted catch-hold-release tournaments at the point
of permit issuance when it determines that environmental conditions are not
conducive to survival of fish intended for release and the release may
constitute unreasonable waste of natural resources or when it determines that
the transport and release of fish is detrimental to the fish population under
the provisions of s. 23.095 (1g),
Stats.
a. The department may restrict the area
that may be fished by fishing tournament participants to reduce the time that
fish are held in live wells, the distance fish are transported to a weigh-in
site or both.
b. The department may
require redistribution of released fish.
8. The department shall restrict the area
that may be fished by participants in catch-hold-release bass and walleye
tournaments on Green Bay to reduce the potential for biological harm to the
bass population and to reduce the potential for unreasonable waste of walleye.
Participants in catch-hold-release bass and walleye fishing tournaments with a
weigh-in site north of the mouth of the Pensaukee River (N44°49'18.876",
W-87°53'56.04") may not fish north of a line extending from Gills Rock
(N45°17'38.9724", W-87°1'23.0376") to the Wisconsin state line and
south of a line running from Brown County line (N44°40'39.6510",
W-87°59'15.5004") to the Kewaunee County line (N44°40'36.8898",
W-87°44'11.8026"). Participants in catch-hold-release bass fishing
tournaments with a weigh-in site north of the mouth of Pensaukee River
(N44°49'18.876", W-87°53'56.04") may not fish beyond 5 miles of the
Green Bay shoreline on which the weigh-in site is located. Participants in
catch-hold-release bass fishing tournaments with a weigh-in site north of the
mouth of Pensaukee River located on the eastern shore of Green Bay may fish
beyond 5 miles of the eastern shore only to access Green Bay waters within 1.5
miles surrounding Chambers Island. Participants in catch-hold-release bass and
walleye fishing tournaments with a weigh-in site south of the mouth of the
Pensaukee River (N44°49'18.876", W-87°53'56.04") may not fish south of
the DePere Dam (N44°26'50.9928", W-88°4'3.7050") and north of a line
running from the mouth of the Pensaukee River (N44°49'18.876",
W-87°53'56.04") to Chaudoirs Dock (N44°44'50.28", W-87°41'56.4").
Notwithstanding these fishing area restrictions, the department may allow one
bass and one walleye tournament per year on Green Bay to fish all waters of
Green Bay south of a line extending from Gills Rock (N45°17'38.9724",
W-87°1'23.0376") to the Wisconsin state line provided that the tournament
will promote national public awareness of fishing on Green Bay and is planned
to have more than 60 boats. Tournaments promoting national public awareness
include, but are not limited to, events that are part of a national tour and
statewide or regional championships that qualify participants for a national
event.
Note: Anglers are not restricted from fishing in
Michigan waters, however, to minimize potential for biological harm and
unreasonable waste of natural resources, the department encourages tournament
organizers to restrict fishing in Michigan waters to south of a line extending
due east from Rochereau Point (N45°18'13.92", W-87°26'2.436") to the
Wisconsin state line.
9. To reduce the potential for unreasonable
waste of natural resources, the department shall:
a. Require a reduced daily bag limit of 3
walleye for catch-hold-release tournaments on all waters with a daily bag limit
of 3 walleye or greater from the second Saturday in June to the first Sunday in
September, unless the department determines that the temperature of the primary
waterbody to be fished is expected to be less than 70 degrees
Fahrenheit.
b. Require a reduced
daily bag limit of 3 bass for catch-hold-release tournaments on all waters with
a daily bag limit of 3 bass or greater from the first Saturday in July to the
second Sunday in August unless the department determines that the temperature
of the primary waterbody to be fished is expected to be less than 75 degrees
Fahrenheit for smallmouth bass or less than 80 degrees Fahrenheit for
largemouth bass. Notwithstanding these bag limit requirements, the department
may allow one catch-hold-release bass tournament per year per waterbody with a
5 fish bag limit from the first Saturday in July to the second Sunday in August
provided the tournament will promote national public awareness of fishing and
is planned to have 60 or more boats and the primary waterbody fished will be
2000 or more acres. Tournaments promoting national public awareness include,
but are not limited to, events that are part of a national tour and statewide
or regional championships that qualify participants for a national
event.
10. Subject to the
requirements in this section, the department may issue a permit for a
catch-hold-release bass tournament when the season is open for harvesting bass
that allows each participant in the tournament to take a daily bag limit of up
to five bass of a minimum of 14 inches in length. All live bass shall be
returned to the water from which they were taken as specified in the permit and
no later than the day of the conclusion of the tournament.
(gm) In addition to the provisions in par.
(g), all of the following provisions apply to participants in
catch-hold-release muskellunge tournaments:
1.
Participants shall use boats equipped with a functioning live well or other
container large enough to hold muskellunge and equipped with a pump for
aerating and exchanging freshwater that is operated continuously once a fish is
placed in the live well or other container.
2. Participants shall immediately transport
muskellunge placed in a live well or other container to the designated weigh-in
site. All transported fish must meet legal length limits for the water body
being fished.
3. Either multiple
weigh-in sites shall be designated by the tournament organizer or the areas
open to fishing limited so that muskellunge will not be transported for more
than 30 minutes.
4. Tournament
officials or judges shall immediately register muskellunge brought to the
weigh-in site. No pens, tanks, or other means of confinement may be used to
hold the fish at the weigh-in site.
5. Registration of muskellunge is restricted
to a measurement of length. In-water measurement of the fish is recommended
whenever possible.
6. Muskellunge
may be retained at the weigh-in site only until capable of swimming upright
under its own power and shall be released from the weigh-in site.
7. Participants may not leave the weigh-in
site until the fish they transported to the weigh-in site has been successfully
released. If the fish cannot be released alive, final disposition of the fish
is the responsibility of that participant and shall not violate s.
23.095 (1g),
Stats.
8. A participant shall count
muskellunge transported to a weigh-in site towards the participant's daily bag
limit and that person may not fish for muskellunge during the remainder of that
day.
Note: Section
23.095 (1g),
Stats., states that no person may damage or attempt to damage any natural
resource within the state. "Damage" means to commit a physical act that
unreasonably destroys, molests, defaces, removes, or
wastes.
(h)
All permits for fishing tournaments shall do the following:
1. Identify areas where competitive fishing
is prohibited for the following reasons:
a.
To protect critical habitat, including areas designated by local ordinance for
aquatic vegetation preservation or areas where habitat enhancement activity is
underway.
b. To protect public
rights, interests or safety, including designated swimming areas, mooring
areas, access areas, navigational channels, staging areas, beaches or other
special use areas.
2.
Prohibit the use of tagged fish, except when approved by the department for any
of the following reasons:
a. To enhance
collection of data for management purposes as part of a scientific
study.
b. The tagged fish are
legally obtained from a licensed private fish hatchery and are planted under a
stocking or introduction permit issued by the department under s.
29.736, Stats., and s.
NR 19.05.
c.
Specific authorization is granted by the department to capture, tag and
immediately release fish from the wild using lawful methods for purposes of a
fishing contest.
(i) Pursuant to s.
NR 20.05 (7), any fish taken into possession by an
individual and not released immediately shall be included as part of the
individual's daily bag limit.
(j)
The time limitations upon the length of a fishing tournament under this section
do not include fishing activities by tournament participants carried out prior
to the time when the tournament begins.
(k) Except for tournaments on the Great Lakes
and tournaments exempt from a permit under s.
NR 20.40 (3m)
(c), the fishing portion of any tournament
may not run for more than 10 consecutive hours each day or more than 4
consecutive days.
(l) The fishing
portion of tournaments on the Great Lakes is not limited in duration.
(m) Upon permit approval, tournament
organizers shall notify the county and city, village, or town within which the
access site, weigh-in site, or headquarters for the tournament is located of
the date, time, location and size of tournament.
(11) AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES.
(a) All tournament participants shall comply
with s. 30.07, Stats., and all
department rules pertaining to control of aquatic invasive species.
(b) Fishing tournament organizers shall
inform all tournament participants of procedures recommended by the department
to clean and decontaminate boats and equipment of aquatic plants and invasive
species prior to the tournament.
(c) The department may include permit
conditions necessary to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive
species.
(12) REPORTING.
Each organizer shall report the results of the organizer's tournament and other
information which the department deems necessary on forms available from the
department no later than 30 days following the last day of the
tournament.
Reporting forms will be issued with
permits.
