An Act To Amend the Ice Fishing and Fishing Derby Laws
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 0468
Committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Sponsors: DUNLAP
Amends: 12 MRSA §7155, 12 MRSA §7571, 12 MRSA §7572

Legislative Document 
No. 468 
H.P.360 
House of Representatives, February 4, 2003 
An Act To Amend the Ice Fishing and Fishing Derby Laws 
Reference to the Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Representative DUNLAP of Old Town. 
Printed on recycled paper 
'!r/~ 1?1.1l/dC~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §7155, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1985, c. 234, 
§2, is amended to read: 
2. 
Rules. 
The 
commissioner shall 
~Fem~±~aEe adopt all 
necessary rules relative to permits to ias~Fe ensure that derbies 
and tournaments are conducted only at such times and places and 
in such a manner as is consistent with the fisheries management 
objectives of the department. 
Such rules saa±± must include: 
A. 
Specifying the number of derbies or tournaments that may 
be conducted in a given body of water and the dates within 
which they may 
be conducted. 
These 
rules 
saa±± must be 
reviewed periodically: and 
B. 
Fixing the maximum total value of prizes waiea that may 
be awarded at each derby or tournament. 
Notwithstanding any rule to the contrary, fishing derbies are 
limited to one every other year in a given body of water. 
Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §7571. first -no as enacted by PL 1979, c. 420, 
§l, is amended to read: 
All inland waters of the State are closed to ice fishing 
except those wai€a-~-SeeR t_hat are opened to fishing throuqh 
the ice by rule of the commissioner. 
All inland waters that are 
open to fishing through the ice are open from February 1st to 
March 31st. 
Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §7572, sub-§1. as amended by PL 1989, c. 493, 
§45, is further amended to read: 
1. 
Two-line limit. 
Unless otherwise provided by rule, 
a 
person licensed to fish may fish through ice in the daytime with 
not more than 9 
~ lines set or otherwiser-....m.i-uh--&aa±± that must 
be under that person's immediate supervisionr in any waters waiea 
aave-seea that are opened to ice fishing by the commissioner. 
Sec. 4. 12 MRSA §7572. sub-§2. as amended by PL 1993, c. 438, 
§35, is further amended to read: 
2. 
Cusk. 
Unless 
otherwise provided by 
rule, 
a 
person 
licensed to fish may fish through the ice in the nighttime for 
cusk in waters that have been opened pursuant to section 7571, 
subsection 2, by using not more than § 
~ lines set or otherwise. 
All lines set for cusk in the nighttime must be visited at least 
once every hour by the person setting them. 
Page l-LR0173(1) 
Sec. 5. 12 MRS A §761l. as enacted by PL 1979, c. 420, §L is 
amended to read: 
§7611. 
Fishing with more than 2 lines 
A person is guilty of fishing with more than 2 lines if Be 
that person fishes with more than 2 lines at any one timeT-eHee~~ 
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6aaeBa~~eF-±±-eB-iee-~i6BiB~. 
SUMMARY 
This bill limits a person licensed to fish through the ice 
to 2 lines set or otherwise. 
The bill also moves the open season 
for ice fishing from January 1st to February 1st. 
The bill also 
restricts fishing derbies to one every other year per body of 
water.