Saltwater Fishing Catch and Release Derby

Additional Rules for Catch and Release Awards

Obtain and complete an official derby affidavit from www.mass.gov/marinefisheries. Fish must be released alive – no use of gaffs or harpoons. Fish must be boated and measured for total length (closed jaw to tip of tail, tail may be squeezed together for measurement) except for false albacore which is measured to the fork of the tail. Lengths should be measured to the nearest 1⁄2 inch.

A photograph of the fish should be included with the affidavit at the time of submission. Exceptions will be made for digital photos which can be e-mailed in a timely manner to john.boardman@state.ma.us. The photo must show the side profile of the fish and include a clearly discernible measuring device.

Anglers may submit multiple entries but may earn only one citation per species per year. Only one trophy will be given for the largest of each species per year. Catch and release of any four eligible species by an angler within the year will qualify for a “Grand Slam” release award. Only one “Grand Slam” award will be given out per year to the greatest cumulative length. In the event of a tie for any catch and release award, the earliest entry will be used as the tiebreaker.

Regulations in red are new this year.

Purple text indicates an important note.