I attended the 3/3 meeting and was surprised at the significant amount of support for 2 fish at 28". There was considerable discussion regarding the possiblities of 1 fish at 28", the introduction of slot limits and maintaining the status quo. As in Mass, the options under consideration were limited to 2 @ 28" or the status quo. Those who left the meeting thinking that 1 @ 28" was under consideration will be disappointed. Unfortunately John Nelson did not make this entirely clear.
There are also some problems in the language of the proposed regulation changes.
(d) This section refers to the sale of striped bass and infers that no bass can be sold in NH. Nelson said that what it really meant was that no wild fish caught in NH could be sold. He indicated that fish with appropriate tags (aquaculture or caught elsewhere in a legal wild fishery) could be sold. The proposed regs don't read this way at all.
(e) The word "landed" is used to mean brought aboard by means of a net, and is not a problem until you refer to section (g).
(g) This section is an attmept to address the different size and creel limits in the waters shared by ME and NH in the Piscataqua and Salmon Falls rivers. The problem is that the word "landed" is used to mean: where you put your boat back on the trailer, not where you brought the fish aboard. If the "landed" is interupted as in section (e), then to be in complience with new NH regs proposed in section (g) you will still need to know where the disputed, imaginary state line is. This is a subtle, but problematic issue. It was not clear to me that Nelson saw this potential conflict astutely pointed out by an attorney in the audience.
Some of these issues may pertain to a few of you out there. If the regs go through as proposed, be sure to get clarifaction from NH F&G before you bring Maine caught slot limit fish to a NH boat ramp or NH caught 28" fish to a Maine boat ramp.