Wisconsin Legislative Council
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Prepared by: Anna Henning, Principal Attorney March 18, 2024
2023 Wisconsin Act 112
[2023 Senate Bill 411]
Transportation of Fish
PRIOR LAW
If a fish was subject to a minimum size limit and taken by hook and line, prior law generally allowed
transportation of the fish only if: (1) the fish retained its head and tail; or (2) the dressed or fileted fish
continued to meet the applicable minimum size limit.
2023 WISCONSIN ACT 112
2023 Wisconsin Act 112 adds an alternative option for transporting fish that are subject to a size limit.
Specifically, the act allows a person to transport a fish that is subject to a size limit and taken by hook
and line, if the person provides, upon request, a physical or digital photograph that shows the fish
before the head or tail was removed alongside a ruler (or other method acceptable to the Department of
Natural Resources) for proving the length of the fish. The act requires the photograph to bear a stamp
of the time and date on which the photograph was taken.
The act also specifies that, if a person displays a photograph to a conservation warden using a cell
phone or other electronic device, the warden may not view any other content on the phone or device,
and the display does not constitute consent for viewing other content.
Effective date: March 16, 2024
For a full history of the bill, visit the Legislature’s bill history page.
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