I checked out the DNR website and I am under the impression that any and all fish in GA waters are protected and collection/keeping of these species is not allowed.

Is this true?

I also checked the law/regulation section of the NANFA forum for Georgia but I am still confused.

I was looking to go collect some fish and inverts and set up my 240 gallon as a native tank, but with the regulations of the DNR it seems that this is not possible.

Can someone help clarify these rules?

I am not from Georgia and I cannot clarify the rules. I do not speak for NANFA but I recall some people simply keep bait at home in fancy glass bait buckets in their living room. Sometimes they get around to sticking them on a hook and sometimes they just get old and die in that fancy glass bait bucket.

On a side note....being as specific as possible about the wording of the law might move this discussion the right direction. Which rules in particular are you referring to?

Here is the official site:

http://www.georgiawi...e.com/node/1201

The portion of the law that I am referring to is:

"All species of birds encountered in the wild in Georgia are protected by state and federal laws except English sparrows, European starlings, and pigeons. All species of fish native to the waters of this state are protected."

As Uland said, you must read the law and interpret it in your own way, but after a post on MFK, and a few PMs, I think..

You are misreading "protected by state and federal law". Laws/regulations are protecting these animals - it is not saying every single species of bird and fish are are absolutely off limits.
They way you are reading it is like saying that there can be no hunting of ducks, geese, turkey, dove, etc. and no fishing for bluegill, bass, catfish, etc.

There are many laws protecting the status of these types of critters and there are many hunting & fishing regulations for 'taking' of these animals. In the fishing regulations section of the DNR webpage (also available in the hardcopy of GA fishing regulations of 2010) there are specified regulations for the taking of fish.
For instance, baitfish can be taken as long as you have a fishing license, use the proper gear (seine length, mesh size, type of gear), take only legal baitfish (non-sportfish under 5 inches). Sportfish can be taken, but you must take those in a legal way also (see the season, size limits, gear (hook and line, jugs, etc)). Please review the entire website for clarification. You cannot go by only reading one line on a very large resource made available for the public. If there is any uncertainty, it is best to call the local DNR office for clarification.

There are many of use here who catch and keep GA native fish, but we all have licenses, make sure to abide by all laws and regulations, make sure we are positive that the species is not a protected one, etc. I am glad you asked before just going out and scooping up fish.

It just clicked with me after a couple of minutes ago reviewing the entire fishing regulation portion of the GA DNR site and reading your post.

I was under the impression that "protected" meant off limits but I think the law is meant to imply that all other regulations regarding fishing in GA apply to the collection of native fish.

Thanks for your help Will. Now I just have to get a fishing license.

Yes, I can see how it can easily be mis-read. Yes, I think that it means that they are under the protection of current laws and regulations.

Stocking a 240 gallon tank will certainly be fun. Oh - the possibilities! Let us know what you plan on stocking when you come around to getting ready for collecting. Hopefully some of us can let you know what experiences we've had with similar stocking and species.

Hopefully I can go down to the fast moving stream at the bottom of the hill near my house and maybe snag some darters if I can get my license today.

With the 240, I really want to get a diverse tank going. Lots of species with a proportional amount of native invertebrates.

I'll post some pictures of the stream later.

I am not from Georgia and I cannot clarify the rules. I do not speak for NANFA but I recall some people simply keep bait at home in fancy glass bait buckets in their living room. Sometimes they get around to sticking them on a hook and sometimes they just get old and die in that fancy glass bait bucket.

This is exactly how I interpreted it when I lived in Georgia (which was now 3 years ago, so things might have changed). Just make sure that you know the baitfish rules in and out. For example, there are maximum numbers you can have of certain species (although I forget which and how many).

You might want to try to meet up with Michael Wolfe sometime; he is also in Georgia. He is a great fellow to go swamping about with. http://forum.nanfa.o...michael-wolfe/.

In Georgia, anything that's listed as a game fish MUST be caught on a hook-and-line. The list is in the fishing regs, which is published every other year. Everything else is considered as non-game fish. Non-game fish may be collected with a minnow seine, which can be no more than 10' long and no more than 4' high, and may be removed from the stream as long as they're less than 5" long. If you're in the northern part of the state, be very careful: designated trout streams can only be fished via hook-and-line, no matter what you catch. The DNR website has great maps county-by-county as to what's a trout stream on their website. Just remember that to do any fishing, via net or hook, you must have a valid fishing license.

There are no state regulations regarding what you can do with your fish once you've legally caught them, so keeping in aquariums is okay. Just be aware that any native fish (native to the state or prevalant in the state since about 1983, so grass carp and channel catfish count) can only be sold from a licenced dealer or aquaculture license holder, and you have to keep the receipt from when you bought them. It's a good idea to keep the receipt/bill of sale for any native fish for as long as you have them.

This is a collection of knowledge I've puled together from reading the laws and regulations closely, and a conversation I've had with some DNR specialists.