Hey guys, new user here so I apologize if this subject has been discussed already.....
I have a son who is 'out of his mind' with fishing and has caught several nice fish this summer that he wanted to enter for a "pin". I however, wouldn't let him as the rules require that the fish be dead. I just cant bring myself to intentionally killing a fish for a hat pin. At the same time I understand his excitement and want to encourage his love of fishing. I understand the real issue, "transporting live fish", is an EPO thing, but I was told by the guy that runs the weigh station in Hanson that he will not certify a live fish. Do most other weigh stations care if the fish is alive? I would rather not find out when we get there that the want the fish dead..... I can see my son "accidentally" dropping it at that point.
Thanks for your insights,
MassBay
I have a son who is 'out of his mind' with fishing and has caught several nice fish this summer that he wanted to enter for a "pin". I however, wouldn't let him as the rules require that the fish be dead. I just cant bring myself to intentionally killing a fish for a hat pin. At the same time I understand his excitement and want to encourage his love of fishing. I understand the real issue, "transporting live fish", is an EPO thing, but I was told by the guy that runs the weigh station in Hanson that he will not certify a live fish. Do most other weigh stations care if the fish is alive? I would rather not find out when we get there that the want the fish dead..... I can see my son "accidentally" dropping it at that point.
Thanks for your insights,
MassBay
Massbay,
A previous thread on this MAFF noted that you need a certified scale, not necessarily a weigh station, to weigh a possible pin fish. The MA Fish & Game site lists requirements here:
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/hunting-fishing-wildlife-watching/fishing/minimum-weight-requirements.html
Note #6. As long as you have a certified scale and a witness to the weighing, you don't need to kill any fish or drive any distance to get to a weigh station that may or may not be open. I fish some remote bodies of water, and really don't want to kill large fish if it can be helped. I had my Berkley scale certified this year by the Weights & Measures clerk in my town. The clerk stopped by my house to certify, and I made sure to make copies of the documentation and got a cert sticker for my scale. Was a breeze and only ran me $15. On the site posted above, there's a link to the Sportfishing Affidavit. Keep a couple copies in a waterproof bag when you and your son fish. That has all the info you should need to get going. Hope this helps!
-R
A previous thread on this MAFF noted that you need a certified scale, not necessarily a weigh station, to weigh a possible pin fish. The MA Fish & Game site lists requirements here:
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/hunting-fishing-wildlife-watching/fishing/minimum-weight-requirements.html
Note #6. As long as you have a certified scale and a witness to the weighing, you don't need to kill any fish or drive any distance to get to a weigh station that may or may not be open. I fish some remote bodies of water, and really don't want to kill large fish if it can be helped. I had my Berkley scale certified this year by the Weights & Measures clerk in my town. The clerk stopped by my house to certify, and I made sure to make copies of the documentation and got a cert sticker for my scale. Was a breeze and only ran me $15. On the site posted above, there's a link to the Sportfishing Affidavit. Keep a couple copies in a waterproof bag when you and your son fish. That has all the info you should need to get going. Hope this helps!
-R
Rivethead,
Thanks for the response and the link. I never considered getting my own certified scale. I guess I always thought you needed to have a place of business. I went back and read the rules, particularly #10.....
Per MDFW regulations prohibiting the transportation of live fish without a permit, any fish submitted for
weighing must be dead... reading this again, it is clear that the "dead" rule only applies to fish being transported.
Looks like I will have to get to Town Hall before next spring.
Thanks again,
MassBay
Thanks for the response and the link. I never considered getting my own certified scale. I guess I always thought you needed to have a place of business. I went back and read the rules, particularly #10.....
Per MDFW regulations prohibiting the transportation of live fish without a permit, any fish submitted for
weighing must be dead... reading this again, it is clear that the "dead" rule only applies to fish being transported.
Looks like I will have to get to Town Hall before next spring.
Thanks again,
MassBay
Sorry, but could you walk me through the steps for getting it certified? I had a huge struggle with this in my town. I saw the Sealer Of Weights and Measures, and he said my scale wasn't good enough, or something like that (it is a 45 dollar scale, and is very accurate). Another town's clerk said they only certify scales for commercial purposes. Do you know a town that will certify it? And do you have a dial scale, or digital? Sorry for all the questions, and thanks for the prior info.
TT,
I don't really have a good response for your clerk telling you that your scale isn't "good enough". Ask him what would be a good enough scale, I guess? There a particular make, model or weight class he has in mind?
All I did for mine was call my W & M clerk at my city hall, explain that I needed a scale certified and why, and we made arrangements to get the certification. I stopped by city hall the next day with the check, as he doesn't handle payment. The end.
He was a bit caught off guard, no one has ever asked him to cert a handheld 50lb scale. Usually does commercial ones.
I'd just keep calling around towns near you. Someone should do it.
Hope this helps and good luck!
-R
I don't really have a good response for your clerk telling you that your scale isn't "good enough". Ask him what would be a good enough scale, I guess? There a particular make, model or weight class he has in mind?
All I did for mine was call my W & M clerk at my city hall, explain that I needed a scale certified and why, and we made arrangements to get the certification. I stopped by city hall the next day with the check, as he doesn't handle payment. The end.
He was a bit caught off guard, no one has ever asked him to cert a handheld 50lb scale. Usually does commercial ones.
I'd just keep calling around towns near you. Someone should do it.
Hope this helps and good luck!
-R
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