So Why(?) Is Cleaning A Trout On Shore A Fineable Offense?

[bigtex]

Fish and wildlife offense = No
Littering = Possibly

[Knocker of rocks]

It needs to be done with a certain suaveness.  I remember we were at La Push in 2012 and somebody dumped a huge pile of guts in the slack water between the pier and the shore.  Just rotting there visible from the parking lot for several days.   So just think of the repercussions if that had been Shilshole instaed of La Push.

[T-Bone]

The reason for my post is that a fellow angler at my Spokane area trout lake was told it was a fineable offense by a Wildlife Agent on the preceding day. I was cleaning my trout at the time and the senior angler was warning me. I have always cleaned my trout ASAP bankside and put them on ice to help minimize the possible mud taste. Most of the time, the seagulls have immediately solved the problem. Otherwise, I feel I am enriching the lake's eco-system vs. adding more smell to a landfill.

Apparently, this "rule" has been around for some time as my main fishing buddy recalled his now late Father, years ago, cleaning his trout bankside and a Game Warden telling him to wade out in the water and P/U the guts or be ticketed. My friend's 70+ year old Father did as instructed; waded into the lake and picked up the guts...Unreal!

[Buckewe]

I have heard about this and don't agree. I always clean my fish on the shore somewhere I just try to be respectful and throw the guts in deeper water so they are not visable. Crayfish gotta eat sometime.

[Knocker of rocks]

.... just try to be respectful and throw the guts in deeper water so they are not visable.

The key.

[bigtex]

It needs to be done with a certain suaveness.  I remember we were at La Push in 2012 and somebody dumped a huge pile of guts in the slack water between the pier and the shore.  Just rotting there visible from the parking lot for several days.   So just think of the repercussions if that had been Shilshole instaed of La Push.

This is just like the guys who back up to the gate or a wide spot off a paved county road and unload their deer/elk/etc. carcass.

[bigtex]

The reason for my post is that a fellow angler at my Spokane area trout lake was told it was a fineable offense by a Wildlife Agent on the preceding day. I was cleaning my trout at the time and the senior angler was warning me. I have always cleaned my trout ASAP bankside and put them on ice to help minimize the possible mud taste. Most of the time, the seagulls have immediately solved the problem. Otherwise, I feel I am enriching the lake's eco-system vs. adding more smell to a landfill.

Apparently, this "rule" has been around for some time as my main fishing buddy recalled his now late Father, years ago, cleaning his trout bankside and a Game Warden telling him to wade out in the water and P/U the guts or be ticketed. My friend's 70+ year old Father did as instructed; waded into the lake and picked up the guts...Unreal!

It's considered littering. WA's littering law is very broad.

As for "fineable offense" every rule/law/etc. is a "fineable offense" there's no rule that doesn't have a penalty.

[WSU]

It seems it would be better to throw the guts and scraps in the water, especially local rivers.  We have programs in place to throw thousands of salmon into the rivers to replace nutrients that are no longer there due to our poor returns.  I can't see throwing some trout in being a problem.

[bigtex]

It seems it would be better to throw the guts and scraps in the water, especially local rivers.  We have programs in place to throw thousands of salmon into the rivers to replace nutrients that are no longer there due to our poor returns.  I can't see throwing some trout in being a problem.

For me it's always been where is the person doing it. Are they doing it at the boat launch/beach where the guts will be laying in public view, a dog will come eat them and get sick, etc. Or are they doing it off the back of their boat in the middle of the lake. Same thing, but different optics.

[magnanimous_j]

It seems it would be better to throw the guts and scraps in the water, especially local rivers.  We have programs in place to throw thousands of salmon into the rivers to replace nutrients that are no longer there due to our poor returns.  I can't see throwing some trout in being a problem.

For me it's always been where is the person doing it. Are they doing it at the boat launch/beach where the guts will be laying in public view, a dog will come eat them and get sick, etc. Or are they doing it off the back of their boat in the middle of the lake. Same thing, but different optics.

Exactly this. This is the crux of so many issues in the Sportsmen community. If I'm fishing a King County park with a playground 20 yards away, I'm not going to leave a bunch of fish heads on the shore.

When camping, I like to take them a few yards into the woods and dump them there. It's good for the trees.

[Alchase]

This kind of cracks me up, last time I was at Sekiu, the Culeys cleaning dock had so many fish entrails and heads near it, they were out of water at low tide. We came in at 11:00 on a Saturday to grab some herring. There was a wedding going on at the head of the dock. In the background was about a ton of fish guts ripe and rotting in the 70 degree sun, Man it really stunk!

A wedding to remember, LOL

[Oh Mah]

It appears that as Bigtex says it is broad,That is no way to have a rule.It needs to be spelled out in the regs as to where it is not ok to do it.That goes for fish and game. 

[bigtex]

It appears that as Bigtex says it is broad,That is no way to have a rule.It needs to be spelled out in the regs as to where it is not ok to do it.That goes for fish and game. 

It's not a reg, it's law. Like I said, this isn't a fish and wildlife offense, it's the state litter law.

Under state law:
"Litter" means all waste material including but not limited to disposable packages or containers thrown or deposited as herein prohibited and solid waste that is illegally dumped, but not including the wastes of the primary processes of mining, logging, sawmilling, farming, or manufacturing.

And no, "waste material" isn't defined, that's the broad part of the law.

[Oh Mah]

ok  . Seattle bird feeders,Throwing a hook with bait,All matters of baiting etc.All i was saying is the law as you put it needs to be clear or it should not be enforced.If someone can throw food for pigeons in Seattle then there should be no problem with putting fish guts back where they belong.In the water where it came from. Feeding birds vs. feeding the fish and other water life.

[bigtex]

ok  . Seattle bird feeders,Throwing a hook with bait,All matters of baiting etc.All i was saying is the law as you put it needs to be clear or it should not be enforced.If someone can throw food for pigeons in Seattle then there should be no problem with putting fish guts back where they belong.In the water where it came from.

And how would it be clear? You're essentially saying that the law would need to include every single item known to man and then require an officer to confirm the item is on the list. So if a guy dumps old rusty lawn care equipment you may have the shovel on the list but the rake not on it because oops the legislature forgot to include rakes.

How it is in WA is how it is in every state.