Real-Life Communication
You're a conservation officer working in a state campground. It's
5 p.m. and you're making your usual rounds along the lake to make sure the
people coming in from a day of fishing have stayed under their legal limit.
The
first person you meet is a camper you talked with the night before. He's a
very friendly guy, and since he's from the city and this is his first camping
trip, he always has plenty of questions to ask.
"Hey ranger," says
the camper. "Come see what this city boy caught himself today!"
You
walk over to his boat, smiling at his excitement. When you look down at his
catch, your smile quickly turns to a frown. In his basket, the camper has
four perch, one trout about 15 inches in length, one trout at 22 inches, another
trout at 24 inches and six walleye at about 15 inches.
"I'm sorry,"
you say to the city slicker. "I hate to do this, but I'm afraid I'm going
to have to give you a citation."
The man is baffled. It's obvious he
hasn't understood the regulations, so you pull out your handy copy of Freshwater
Fishing Regulations and point to the section he violated. He says he has read
the guidelines and taken care not to catch more than the limits allowed.
Using
the information provided in the regulations below, explain where this camper
went wrong.
Freshwater Fishing Regulations
(a)
In any one day, you may take six trout with only one trout exceeding 19 5/8
inches in length and two other fish, or; five walleye/sauger in combination
with one walleye/sauger exceeding 22 inches in length and three other fish.
(b)
A possession limit is the maximum number of fish an angler may legally keep
at any time. In reaching a possession limit of 12 trout with only one trout
exceeding 19 5/8 inches in length and four other fish, or 10 walleye/sauger
in combination with one walleye/sauger exceeding 22 inches in length and four
other fish.
(c) The perch limit applies over and above the limits
for other species.
In all management zones, no more than one
fish per species may exceed the specified upper size limit in assembling a
daily or possession limit. The specified upper size limit refers to the total
length of the fish as they are taken from the water.
In any one day,
eight fish may be taken plus 25 perch. Only one fish of each species may exceed
its specified upper size limits. Daily limits on other species included in
the eight-fish limit are outlined in the Anglers' Guide. Daily limit includes
fish eaten for shore lunch.
Possession Limit
The possession
limit is twice the daily limit for each species, but not more than 16 fish
plus 50 perch. Only one fish of each species may exceed the specified upper
size limits.
In all management zones: Combinations used for
the eight-fish daily limit or the 16-fish possession limit can vary.
Can
you turn this into plain English so the camper understands what he's done
wrong?