A bag limit is a law imposed on hunters and fishermen restricting the number of animals within a specific species or group of species they may kill and keep. Size limits and

hunting season A hunting season is the designated time in which certain game animals can be killed in certain designated areas. In the United States, each state determines and sets its own specific dates to hunt the certain game animal, such as California, in ...

s sometimes accompany bag limits which place restrictions on the size of those animals and the time of year during which hunters may legally kill them. Those who violate these laws or other hunting laws are known as

poachers Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...

. In most cases, bag limits serve to keep a healthy population for the carrying capacity of the species' environment. This is done by utilizing hunters and fishermen, to harvest only a selected number of the mature game species. These bag limits are utilized by a multitude of Countries and Fish and Game enforcement agencies. Although like all law and regulation enforcement agencies, poorer regions of the world have limited ability to enforce these regulations.

Examples

Florida bass fishing

In southern

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, licensed fishermen may keep no more than five

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...

per day, per license and only one may be longer than . Also, licensed fishermen in any part of Florida may keep a maximum of two

peacock bass Peacock bass or Brazilian tucunaré are large freshwater cichlids of the genus ''Cichla''. These are diurnal predatory fishes native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins, as well as rivers of the Guianas, in tropical South America. They are someti ...

per day, per license and only one may be longer than . There are no seasonal restrictions for either of these fish. The penalty for first-time offenders is a fine of up to $500 and/or a maximum of 60 days imprisonment at the discretion of the court. Repeat offenders receive progressively harsher penalties.

Alligator hunting

;Florida

American Alligator The American alligator (''Alligator mississippiensis''), sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator or common alligator, is a large crocodilian reptile native to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two extant species in the g ...

hunters with the proper permit may kill and keep two non-

hatchling In oviparous biology, a hatchling is a newly hatched fish, amphibian, reptile, or bird. A group of mammals called monotremes lay eggs, and their young are hatchlings as well. Fish Fish hatchlings generally do not receive parental care, similar to ...

alligators per day, per permit, and each must be longer than . Also, all hunters must observe the legal alligator harvesting season which usually starts on September 1 in Florida. The length of the legal season can vary depending on state officials. The 2006 season lasted 11 weeks. ;

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

Alligator hunting seasons starts on the first Wednesday in September and lasts for 30 days. The amount of bagged alligators depends on the area hunted: the

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is a state agency of Louisiana that maintains state wildlife and fishery areas. The agency is headquartered in the capital city of Baton Rouge. Mission The Louisiana Department of Wildlife a ...

issues harvest tags for property containing sufficient alligator habitat capable of sustaining an alligator harvest. ;

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Alligator hunting season is from April 1 - June 30; one alligator per bag per tag per person (core counties) or one alligator per person per season (non-core counties).

Countries with no bag limits

United Kingdom

There are no bag limits in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

where some shooting estates offer bags of several hundred artificially reared and released birds per day.Kings Walk Shoot, retrieved 23/12/07
This is because, in the UK,

game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...

is deemed to belong to the landowner.

Japan

On the island of

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

, due to the extermination of wolves and a ban on deer hunting in 1980, deer population exploded in recent years and is causing major damage to farms and environment. To counter this on Hokkaido, hunters have no bag limit.

References

External links

Florida freshwater fishing bag limits

* ttp://myfwc.com/hunting Florida hunting regulations {{fisheries and fishing Recreational fishing Hunting Environmental law