Section Fis 408.03 - Salmon(a) For the purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:(1) "Angling" means fishing with hook and line which is personally attended;(2) "Fly fishing" means angling with the use of a single or double, side by side, hook whose gape does not exceed 1/2 inch, dressed with hair, feathers, tinsel, thread, yarn, or similar material and provided that additional weight is not built into the fly in its construction, as in a weighted nymph, and no additional weight or other attachments such as spinners or swivels are attached to the hook, leader or line;(3) "River" means the main stem of the Connecticut River from the Massachusetts and New Hampshire border north to the base of the dam at Lake Francis in Pittsburg, New Hampshire;(4) "Snagging", "snatching", "lifting", or "jigging" means the taking or attempting to take any fish by foul hooking, that is, hooking the fish in any part of the body other than inside the mouth;(5) "Take" or "taking" means killing or capturing or otherwise rendering into possession; and(6) "Commission" means the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission established under RSA 213:A-1, Article III.(b) Connecticut River Basin Atlantic salmon licensing requirements shall be as follows: (1) No person shall take, attempt to take, assist in taking, or possess, on the waters or the shores of the river or any of its tributaries, any Atlantic salmon without first having obtained a Connecticut River Basin Atlantic salmon license from the fish and game department or its agent;(2) Such license shall be issued by the fish and game department on forms provided by the commission and shall be valid during the calendar year of issue;(3) No person shall be issued such license unless such person has first obtained a valid fishing license for all species required by the fish and game department;(4) The fee for such license shall be $10.50, $.50 of which shall be retained by the fish and game department; and(5) Such license shall be displayed in a conspicuous manner on the outer garment at all times when angling for Atlantic salmon.(c) The seasons, methods, and limits shall be as follows:(1) No person shall take or attempt to take from the river or possess on the waters or shores of the river any Atlantic salmon except at such times as the commission declares an open season in the river or in specified areas of the river;(2) The fish and game department shall issue Connecticut River Atlantic salmon tags at no additional cost to the holders of the Connecticut River Basin Atlantic salmon license. The number of tags issued to each individual license holder by the fish and game department shall be as set forth in regulations promulgated by the commission. Any person taking any Atlantic salmon in the main stem of the Connecticut River shall immediately attach thereto a Connecticut River salmon tag and the possession of an Atlantic salmon on the waters or shores of the river without such tag attached and the removal of such tag prior to preparation for consumption shall be prohibited;(3) During any open season declared by the commission, Atlantic salmon shall be taken by fly fishing only, the minimum length for Atlantic salmon shall be 15 inches and the daily and seasonal creel limit shall be as determined by the commission upon declaration of any open season;(4) Any Atlantic salmon taken under the provisions of this shall be presented to the fish and game department or its agent;(5) The snagging of Atlantic salmon shall be prohibited;(6) The taking of Atlantic salmon with the aid of an artificial light shall be prohibited;(7) The use of open or closed face spinning reels, spin cast reels, free spool reels, bait casting reels, similar devices, or lead core lines shall be prohibited;(8) No Atlantic salmon shall be taken within 250 feet of any dam or fishway;(9) The use of a gaff to land Atlantic salmon is prohibited; and(10) All Atlantic salmon taken contrary to subparagraphs (1) through (9) above shall be immediately returned, without avoidable injury, to the water from which taken.(d) Nothing in these rules shall prohibit a duly authorized state, federal, or commission employee, acting within the scope of official employment, from taking or possessing Atlantic salmon for the purposes of research, management, or propagation.(e) Any person who violates any provision of these rules shall be subject to the penalties set forth in RSA 206:19-a.N.H. Admin. Code § Fis 408.03
#745, eff 1-25-76; ss by #2263, eff 1-7-83; ss by #2839, eff 8-31-84; amd by #4095, eff 7-22-86; ss by #4808, eff 4-27-90; ss by #6276, INTERIM, eff 6-26-96, EXPIRED 10-24-96
New. #6432, eff 1-21-97, EXPIRED: 1-21-05
New. #8381, eff 6-21-05; ss by #8442, eff 1-1-06; ss by #10425, eff 1-1-14
Amended by Number 32, Filed August 10, 2023, Proposed by #13698, Effective 7/26/2023, Expires 7/26/2033 (see Revision Note #2 at chapter heading for Fis 400).