The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds the public to dispose of waste responsibly when cleaning fish.

MDC says each year it receives numerous nuisance complaints of fish-cleaning waste on the banks around public fishing accesses, especially during the paddlefish snagging season. It’s important for anglers to do their part to keep fishing areas clean for others to enjoy.

In addition to using trash receptacles, disposing of fish-cleaning waste back into the water is allowed. Waste should not be piled up near the water’s edge. It instead should be discarded into deeper water or in the flowing part of the stream to assure waste cannot wash up to the bank or be concentrated in one area.

The Wildlife Code of Missouri states that extracted paddlefish eggs may not be possessed while on the water or adjacent banks and may not be transported. This means paddlefish eggs cannot be transported out into deeper water for disposal.

Most species of fish have daily possession limits, and disposing of an entire fish is not only wasteful but a violation of the Wildlife Code. Entire fish cannot be tossed on a bank or dumped back into the water.

For more information on fishing regulations, visit <https://huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/fishing/regulations>.