Sec.26-159a-1. Sport and commercial restrictions for marine and anadromous species

(a) The minimum legal length for trout and charr taken by angling in the marine district shall be fifteen inches. The daily creel limit for trout or charr, or both, shall be two fish in the aggregate. The taking of trout and charr in the marine district by commercial fishing methods or by sport fishing methods other than angling is prohibited.

(b) The taking of Atlantic salmon in the marine district is prohibited and all Atlantic salmon caught must be immediately returned without avoidable injury to the waters from which taken.

(c) No person shall take, possess, sell, exchange or offer for sale or exchange in Connecticut any Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) or shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum). Any such sturgeon caught must be immediately returned, without avoidable injury, to the waters from which it was taken.

(d) No person shall take from or possess any rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) taken from, the marine district or those areas of the inland district specified in section 26-142a-2 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies. Any such rainbow smelt caught shall be immediately returned, without avoidable injury, to the waters from which it was taken.

(e) No person shall take from Connecticut waters, and no person shall possess, sell, exchange, or offer for sale or exchange in Connecticut regardless of where it was taken, any species of shark listed in this subsection or listed in 50 CFR 635, Subpart F Appendix A, Table 1 D – Prohibited Sharks. Any shark identified in this subsection that is caught shall be immediately returned, without avoidable injury, to the waters from which it was taken.

(1) Atlantic angel (Squatina dumerili);

(2) Basking (Cetorhinus maximus);

(3) Bigeye sand tiger (Odontaspis noronhai);

(4) Bigeye sixgill (Hexanchus vitulus);

(5) Bigeye thresher (Alopias superciliosus);

(6) Bignose (Carcharhinus altimus);

(7) Caribbean reef (Carcharhinus perezi);

(8) Caribbean sharpnose (Rhizoprionodon porosus);

(9) Dusky (Carcharhinus obscurus);

(10) Galapagos (Carcharhinus galapagensis);

(11) Longfin mako (Isurus paucus);

(12) Narrowtooth (Carcharhinus brachyurus);

(13) Night (Carcharhinus signatus);

(14) Sand tiger (Odontaspis taurus);

(15) Sevengill (Heptranchias perlo);

(16) Sixgill (Hexanchus griseus);

(17) Smalltail (Carcharhinus porosus);

(18) Whale (Rhincodon typus); and

(19) White (Carcharodon carcharias).

(Effective May 1, 1985; Amended February 26, 2004; Amended December 27, 2006; Amended December 22, 2008)