Section 312IAC9-8-2. Commercial fishing except on the Ohio River; general provisions

   (a) This section applies to license holders engaged in commercial fishing on inland water.

  (b) For purposes of this section, "license holder" means an individual licensed under IC 14-22-13 to use in, and to possess for use in, the water, seines, nets, or other commercial fishing gear authorized in this rule.

  (c) A license holder may take or sell fish with a commercial fishing license issued under this rule and 312 IAC 9-6-11. A license holder may take fish with the aid of illumination of:

(1) a spotlight;

(2) a searchlight; or

(3) an artificial light;

where lawfully engaged in commercial fishing.

  (d) A license holder subject to this rule must not possess trout or salmon.

  (e) A license holder must not possess or sell any of the following taken from the waters described in subsection (a):

(1) Chubs.

(2) Northern pike.

(3) Chain pickerel.

(4) Muskellunge.

(5) Tiger muskellunge.

(6) White bass.

(7) Yellow bass.

(8) Striped bass.

(9) Hybrid striped bass.

(10) Walleye.

(11) Sauger.

(12) Saugeye.

(13) Smallmouth bass.

(14) Largemouth bass.

(15) Spotted bass.

(16) Bluegill.

(17) Redear sunfish.

(18) Rock bass.

(19) Crappie.

(20) American eel.

(21) Paddlefish.

(22) Lake sturgeon.

(23) Lake herring.

(24) Blue catfish less than thirteen (13) inches long.

(25) Channel catfish less than thirteen (13) inches long.

(26) Flathead catfish less than thirteen (13) inches long.

(27) Lake whitefish less than eighteen (18) inches long.

(28) Yellow perch.

  (f) A license holder may take and sell shovelnose sturgeon that are at least twenty-five (25) inches measured in accordance with 312 IAC 9-6-2(b) only from October 1 through May 31 and only with a valid inland water roe harvester's license.

  (g) A license holder may take no more than one (1) each per day of a:

(1) channel catfish that is at least twenty-eight (28) inches long;

(2) blue catfish that is at least thirty-five (35) inches long; and

(3) flathead catfish that is at least thirty-five (35) inches longer [sic, long].

  (h) A license holder must report fish catches as follows:

(1) A license holder under this section shall keep accurate daily records on a departmental form of the following:

(A) The pounds and species of fish caught.

(B) The number of pieces of each type of gear fished by date.

(C) The county fished.

The license holder shall submit the completed form to the division by the fifteenth day of each month for the preceding month whether the license holder fished or not unless the license holder has submitted an inactive license form to signify that no commercial fishing will take place on inland water for the remainder of the calendar year. The inactive license form shall be submitted to the division of fish and wildlife before the fifteenth day of the month following the month the license is deemed inactive. The license holder shall allow onboard and dockside inspections of the gear and catch at any time by a conservation officer or other authorized representative of the department.

(2) A license holder for Lake Michigan must comply with the reporting requirements of IC 14-22-14-23 and section 3(h) of this rule.

(Natural Resources Commission; 312 IAC 9-8-2; filed May 12, 1997, 10:00 a.m.: 20 IR 2721; filed May 28, 1998, 5:14 p.m.: 21 IR 3724; readopted filed Jul 28, 2003, 12:00 p.m.: 27 IR 286; filed Feb 27, 2007, 2:25 p.m.: 20070328-IR-312060262FRA; readopted filed Nov 24, 2008, 11:08 a.m.: 20081210-IR-312080672RFA; filed Jul 6, 2010, 1:55 p.m.: 20100804-IR-312090616FRA; filed Jan 2, 2013, 3:42 p.m.: 20130130-IR-312120381FRA; readopted filed May 20, 2014, 9:43 a.m.: 20140618-IR-312140017RFA; filed Nov 4, 2015, 1:10 p.m.: 20151202-IR-312140510FRA)