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New Hampshire

Saltwater Fishing

Saltwater Fishing

Definitions

Angling: The taking of fish by line in hand or rod in hand to which is attached a cast of artificial flies, or an artificial bait, or hooks, or other devices for the attachment of bait. A person may use up to two lines. Rod holders are permitted.

Circle Hook (non-offset): A hook where the point and barb are turned perpendicularly back to the shank to form a circular shape. When laid on flat surface, all parts lie flat on the surface (Saltwater Rigging Basics).

Coastal and estuarine waters: All water within the rise and fall of the tide, and water below any fishway or dam which normally divides tide water and freshwater, or below any legally established tidal bound in streams flowing into the sea.

Commercial fisherman: Any person who takes, possesses, lands or transports, on the waters of New Hampshire, any marine species by any method for the purpose of sale.

Curved fork length (CFL): The length of an intact fish measured from the tip of the upper jaw to the fork of the tail along the contour of the body in a line that runs along the top of the pectoral fin and the top of the caudal keel.

Finfish: Includes all species and subspecies of fish listed under the definition of fish.

Fish: A member of any of the following classes: cyclostomata, including, but not limited to, hagfishes and lampreys; elasmobranchii, including, but not limited to, sharks, skates and rays; and pisces, including, but not limited to, trout, perch, bass, minnows and catfish; including any part, product, egg or offspring thereof, or the dead body or parts thereof, excluding fossils.

Fork Length: The straightline measurement of a fish from the midpoint of the anterior edge of the fish to the fork of the caudal fin (not along the curve of the body).

Groundfish: A group of fish which includes Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), Atlantic wolffish (Anarhichas lupus), Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus), ocean pout (Zoarces americanus), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), pollock (Pollachius virens), American plaice (Hippoglossoides platessoides), redfish (Sebastes marinus), white hake (Urophycis tenuis), summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), yellowtail flounder (Pleuronectes ferruginea), winter flounder (Pleuronectes americanus), windowpane flounder (Scophthalmus aquosus), and witch flounder (Glyptocephalus cynoglossus).

Inclusion dates: Whenever a period is named during which an act is permitted or prohibited, both the first and second dates named will be included within such period.

Marine species: Includes all fish which inhabit salt water, and all shellfish, lobsters, crabs, shrimps, clams, marine worms, other marine invertebrates and marine plants found in the coastal and estuarine waters.

Mobile gear: Includes, but is not limited to, otter trawls, mid-water trawls, beam trawls, pair trawls, drag seines in any form, purse seines and Scottish seines. Does not include cast nets, dip nets held in hand, hook and line, seines less than 50 sq. ft. and stationary gill nets anchored on each end.

Net: Any open fabric constructed of string, cord, thread, wire, etc., knotted or woven together in such a way as to be capable of entraining or entrapping finfish.

Nonresident: All persons not coming within the definition of resident (see below).

Person: Includes co-partnership, association and corporation, and also principal, agent or employee.

Resident: A resident of the state, as defined in RSA 21:6, except that no person shall be deemed to be a resident who claims residence in any other state for any purpose.

Resident and nonresident corporations: The word “resident,” when applied to a corporation, is a corporation organized under the laws of this state. The word “nonresident,” when applied to a corporation, is a corporation organized under the laws of another state.

Possession: Actual or constructive possession, and any control of things referred to.

Salters: Any species of trout which spends part of its life cycle in brackish or saltwater.

Seaweed: Any marine algae in the classes Chlorophyceae, Xanthophyceae, Phaeophyceae and Rhodophyceae, including rockweeds and sea moss.

Seine: A net that is rectangular or square and is pulled through the water to entrap organisms.

Sell and Sale: Includes the barter, exchange, and offering or exposing for sale.

Single hook artificial lure: Lure with 1 single hook with not more than 3 hook points.

Waters under the jurisdiction of the state: Those waters within the 3-mile territorial sea.

Take or taking: Includes pursuing, shooting, hunting, killing, capturing, trapping, snaring and netting wildlife, and all lesser acts, such as disturbing, harrying, worrying, wounding or placing, setting, drawing, or using any net or other device commonly used to take wildlife, whether they result in taking or not, and includes every attempt to take and every act of assistance to every other person in taking or attempting to take wildlife, provided that whenever taking is allowed by law, reference is made to taking by lawful means and in lawful manner.

Total length (TL): The straight-line distance from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail (caudal fin) while the fish is lying on its side, normally extended.

Transport and transportation: All carrying or moving, or causing to be carried or moved.

Weir: A fixed position fish trap consisting of a lead of net strung from poles, usually wooden, with a pocket of net within which the fish are contained.

Wildlife: Refers to all species of mammals, birds, fish, mollusks, crustaceans, amphibians, reptiles or their progeny or eggs which, whether raised in captivity or not, are normally found in a wild state.