Cleaning fish offshore

[Bad Habit]

 What are the laws on cleaning and filleting fish on the boat. I don’t usually keep fish but my grandson is interested in keeping one for eating. Just don’t want to break any rules.

[orangediablo]

Can clean offshore, but need to keep skin on for identification.  Also, you can't dispose of carcasses within 100 or 500' for shore.....I don't remember.  We typically clean 'em in our last 30 min of fishing, so don't have to worry about distance.

[mudflat]

NYS Regulations:

 

Fish cleaning 
• All legally harvested fsh may be gilled or 
gutted while on the water. 
• Possession of the following fsh that 
have been cut, dismembered, flleted, 
skinned, or otherwise altered so that 
the species and total length of such 
fsh cannot be easily determined is 
prohibited: 
⊲ Walleye, 
⊲ Black Bass, 
⊲ Brook trout, 
⊲ Lake trout, and 
⊲ Atlantic salmon. 
• Other species of fsh may be flleted 
provided that the skin is not removed 
from the fllets. 
Fish carcass disposal 
It is illegal to discard any fsh carcass, or 
parts thereof, into the freshwaters of the 
state within 100 feet of shore or upon any 
public or private lands contiguous to and 
within 100 feet of such water, except: 
• On private lands by the owners of such 
lands; 
• If properly disposing into suitable 
garbage or refuse collection systems or 
by burial; 
• Where incidental cleaning of fsh for 
consumption is permitted. However, 
resulting waste may not be disposed of 
within 100 feet of any public launching or 
docking site unless into a suitable refuse 
collection system; and 
• Fish required to be returned to the water 
by regulation or law. 
74 New York State Freshwater Fishing Regulations Guide  2023

 

I thought I read somewhere that you also weren't suppose to filet steelhead on the lake because of the 21" minimum size regulation.