Q: Can I clean fish while fishing on a body of water and store it in a cooler with ice on board?
John Ryan, Lively
A: All fish caught by sport fishing must be packaged so that they can be easily counted, identified, and be readily measurable if the fish are fro, waterbodies where size limits exist. These requirements don’t apply only if the fish is being prepared for immediate consumption.
Other circumstances where the requirement to keep fish readily measurable does not apply if the fish is: 1) prepared at an overnight accommodation for storage; 2) being transported by a person, who is not sport fishing, on the water from a temporary overnight accommodation; or 3) being transported overland.
You could clean fish while on the water and store them in your cooler onboard as long as they are not fish for which there are size limits on the waterbody and provided you ensure that the species and number could still be easily identified and counted.
Q: Also, can I discard the remains in the water provided I am away from cottagers and camp sites?
A: There are several factors to consider when disposing of fish remains.
A prohibition in the federal Fisheries Act that makes it illegal to deposit fish remains on the shore or bank of any water, or on the beach between high and low water mark. It also prohibits causing fish remains to be deposited on shore. Disposing remains in open water may be illegal if they subsequently wash up on shore.
On water, gas bladders should be punctured to ensure the fish remains sink immediately. Anglers should select secluded areas which are not frequented by boaters, water skiers, swimmers, etc.
Remains should be disposed of far enough offshore that they do not wash up on someone’s beach or waterfront.
On land, fish waste should be disposed of at a landfill, if this is allowed at the site. Depositing any material, substance or thing on public land without consent of the MNR is prohibited, however MNR acknowledges common traditional practices by anglers and hunters, especially in remote locations.
Where fish carcasses result from angling in areas where other recreational users or local residents are unlikely to be impacted, these biodegradable deposits may be viewed with discretion. This is not the case for high use areas like trails, boat launches, parking areas and roads. The deposit of carcasses in these common areas may be viewed quite differently and failure to either distance the deposit or take it away to a suitable waste disposal site may result in a charge.
Answers By: Brenda Koenig, Provincial Enforcement Specialist, MNR
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Originally published in the Ontario Out of Doors Fishing Annual 2026
