Outdoor Laws I would Change if I Ruled the World

 I've been thinking a lot about Rhode Island Opening Day and how archaic it is. It got me thinking about what laws and rules I'd change to fishing and hunting laws. So lets begin

Striped Bass- Stripers would immediately be considered a gamefish. All stripers  would be protected until they can breed twice. So the size limit would be 32 inches. However, when you buy your license, you get tags for five stripers a year. Yes, the most you can keep is five stripers. If you catch it and  decide to keep it, you tag it immediately. Only licensed fisherman can keep a striper. Meaning five year old kids do not walk away with a fish unless their parents buy them a fishing license.

   I'd consider building a huge hatchery on one of the large Chesapeake Rivers to rear stripers to fingerling size. I'd pump water in from the river and feed the young bass natural food. I'd release them at five to six inches and shoot for one million/year. If only ten percent make it to spawning age, over ten years, that adds a million breeders to the population. 

Bluefish- two fish a day minimum size 18 inches. No more killing Snapper Blues

Fluke- whatever size the ASMFC chooses for size limit, it will be the same for Recreational Anglers as Commercial. No longer can commercial vessels keep 14 inch fluke while rec guys can't keep fluke under 18 inches. What is good for one is good for the other. Also, I'll be outlawing trawling

Carp-  No longer would carp be treated as a trash fish. In RI Mirror Carp would be advertised to get fishermen to come to the state to spend money. I don't see any reason to keep a carp but I guess some people eat them So one fish slot either under twenty inches or over 30

Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass- Bass are worth more alive than dead since billions of dollars are spent on them across the country. No one needs to eat a twelve inch bass. You want to keep a bass- minimum size 18 inches one fish. That way you get to keep a trophy. If all the eighteen inch bass are kept and ponds are full of 16-18 inch bass, I can live with that. In lakes that end up having too many runt sized bass, the bag limit and size can be adjusted on a case by case basis.

Panfish-Many species of panfish have no limits or limits of 50. That is crazy. No matter how many sunfish or crappie are in a pond, no one needs that many. Limit 10/day.

Pickerel and Northern Pike- Pickerel 1 fish/day 18 inches   Pike two fish/ YEAR 30 inches. Create trophy fisheries

Sea Run White Perch- Study rivers to assess the population then decide if taking them is sustainable. In rivers that a fishery is sustainable 6 fish/day 

Menhaden will be protected from commercial fisheries. Snagging for bait is allowed. 

I would invest in  the machines that take weeds out of the freshwater lakes and use it on choked up ponds so they will be fishable year.

Mammals-

Wolves, Grizzlies, Lynx, Bobcats, Mountain Lion will be protected. Only if life is in danger can a grizzly or mountain lion be killed. Enough of the nonsense that predator numbers need to be controlled. Have you ever seen a place overrun with bobcats? Trophy hunting is disgusting

Ranchers will be compensated for loses due to predation. Wolves and Mountain Lions can only be killed if they habitually kill livestock ,and only by those licensed by ME to do so.

Coyotes- I understand people hunt coyotes. However many states allow coyote hunting year round. For now on coyotes will have a season and bag limit. No coyote hunting while parents are rearing pups. Obviously, in different states the season will be different based on climate. Create bag limits that are sustainable.

Everything that can be done to restore a REAL population of Red Wolves at Alligator River must be done. Look for other suitable places for reintroduction. If this means eliminating Eastern Coyotes from the area first, that will be allowed

Game animals such as Mule Deer, White tailed Deer, Elk, Bighorn Sheep, Black Bear (not a fan of bear hunting, but they are considered game) will be managed in a way that keeps their numbers as close to the highest sustainable the landscape can hold. More money spent on population surveys.

Moose can be hunted if the population is strong. When the population is low such as now, hunting will be prohibited until population rebounds.

States that historically had Woodland Caribou will be required to restore a population in suitable habitat. Maine is one of those states

The sport of trapping will no longer exist except in certain situations (see Bobwhite)

Reptiles and Amphibians-

Snakes will be protected on public land including state land Rattlesnake hunting will be a thing of the past

Reptiles and Amphibians considered endangered will get assistance in the form of protecting eggs in cages, the protection of eggs and tadpoles in vernal pools. More studies to find endangered populations and ways to protect them. Creating a  national wildlife refuge to protect the land/water is not enough. Proactively there are ways to help them out. In the case of endangered turtles, frogs and toads, every possible attempt to create new populations in other ponds and vernal pools should be tried.

Birds- 

Woodcock and Doves can no longer be hunted. There is not enough meat to make them worth while. You want to kill a small bird, kill a starling or a thousand.

Sandhill Cranes can no longer be hunted

All states will come up with a plan to eradicate Mute Swans. Seems like a good time to start a hunting season.

Massachusetts and Rhode Island will try to reintroduce Bobwhite and Eastern Meadowlark. This will probably mean trapping small egg stealing predators such as skunks and racoons. Though I am not a fan of choosing one species over another, I choose the rare species over the abundant one. This would also help native Woodcocks also

Ducks-

I know duck hunting has a long tradition. I also know most wildlife refuges were created with money from duck hunters. The money from duck stamps is used for conservation. However duck (and sea duck) numbers are at an all time low. First there needs to be real population data. Secondly, there needs to be a plan to figure out how many ducks hunter can kill. I am not outlawing duck hunting, but the bag limit needs to be based on real science. 

Geese- States can do as they will with non-migratory Canada Geese to allow duck hunters  liberal bag limits.

Snow Geese populations have exploded in the Arctic. Liberal bag limits for hunters. This will also help Arctic Nesting shorebirds

Trout- Though trout are a fish, I'm giving them their own category. I am only going to regulate MA, RI, and NH for the most part. Those are the states I know the most about trout.

First- Powerbait will be banned. Almost all trout that eat Powerbait will die. Trout are attracted to the smell and swallow it to the gut. 

RI- Trout limit is currently five, cut it to three year round. To keep a trout, an angler must catch it themselves. They must be able to cast the rod and reel in the fish. This goes for all ages. No longer can a guy with a two year old and a three year old keep a limit for three people. Unless the child can fish for themselves the trout must be released. Exception for disabled people

Though I think Opening Day is a tradition past it's prime and should be abolished I know many people enjoy this "holiday". Opening Day will move up to the first Sat in April. However, those ponds that are stocked with trout will be closed to the taking of fish from March 1- Opening Day. However, they will be open to catch and release with artificial lures only. No bait allowed during the closed period.

MA, RI, NH will identify the waters that have native trout. Stocking these waters will stop immediately. Create more catch and release areas where wild trout exist or stocked trout holdover with enough food supply. 

MA, RI-Trout Unlimited and any volunteers will attempt to make the streams more beneficial to wild trout creating undercut banks, planting cover, cleaning up river bed, etc... These waters will be designated wild trout waters and catch and release only.  RI- identify a trout pond that has cool enough water for trout through June and make it another fly fishing only pond. Restock fly fishing only ponds in the fall.

NH- currently has two ponds designated as wild trout waters. I know of at least three other ponds I've caught wild non-stocked trout. The state will identify all wild trout waters and stop any stocking immediately. In places where wild trout could breed and prosper but do not have trout, the state will ask Maine if they can get some from the Rapid River. The Rapid River brook trout strain grow much larger than most brookies. They can and do reach four pounds commonly. The goal is to attempt to start a trophy wild trout river/pond/ river system that would have large catch and release only trout. As mentioned, these fish must be put in a system without wild trout to begin with. One to keep the strain pure. Secondly, so as not to wipe out a genetic strain already exists in the river.