Connecticut Angler Lands a State-File Barracuda…in New York?

The Fish and Wildlife Division of the Connecticut Division of Vitality and Environmental Safety confirmed the state’s first-ever report barracuda on Tuesday. It was added to CDEEP’s Unique Marine class alongside a number of different fish species that aren’t usually related to North Atlantic waters. However the barracuda was technically caught off the coast of New York, which had some East Coast anglers scratching their heads over Connecticut’s guidelines surrounding saltwater fishing information.

In a Fb submit, the CDEEP named Jonathan Rogers as the brand new state report holder. Rogers’ 48-inch barracuda weighed roughly 19 kilos, in line with the company, and he weighed the fish on a licensed scale at a sort out store in Niantic, Connecticut. Few further particulars concerning the catch had been included within the social media submit, however one important element caught out: Rogers caught the fish south of Montauk in New York waters.

Explaining why the barracuda was nonetheless licensed as a brand new Connecticut report, the company included this caveat in its submit: Saltwater information and trophy fish could also be caught outdoors of Connecticut however solely qualify if the vessel’s house port is in Connecticut.

The reason triggered fairly a number of feedback from Fb customers. Some questioned (with various levels of sarcasm) if this is able to enable them to certify “unique” information caught in faraway places as long as their boat was docked in a Connecticut marina.

“So, I can go to Florida, catch a marlin and boat it again to [Connecticut] to be thought-about for a [Connecticut] state report reasonably than a [Florida] state report?” one particular person commented. One other consumer requested an analogous query, however as a substitute of utilizing Florida marlin as a hypothetical instance, they requested about large tuna caught off North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

“Sure,” the company responded, “in case your vessel’s house port is in Connecticut and also you catch a giant tuna off of the canyon, please submit for consideration … Better of luck.”

The CDEEP added that its marine information program is exclusive as a result of saltwater fish can swim freely throughout arbitrary boundaries. Connecticut’s marine boundaries are additionally far more restricted than different states alongside the East Coast. Sandwiched between New York and Rhode Island, Connecticut’s marine zone stretches between the Byram and Pawcatuck Rivers however ends midway throughout the Lengthy Island Sound. All the pieces south of that boundary—together with the place Rogers caught his report barracuda—is taken into account New York waters.

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Most northeastern states (together with New York) don’t even think about barracudas to be eligible for report consideration. The fast-swimming predatory species is extra related to hotter waters additional south, and the closest state to Connecticut with a barracuda report on its books is North Carolina. The IGFA all-tackle world report for the species weighed almost 90 kilos. That barracuda was caught off Christmas Island, which lies in the midst of the Pacific Ocean south of Hawaii.