Section 810.5  Definitions

Aquatic life – all fish, reptiles, amphibians, mollusks, crustaceans, algae, aquatic plants and aquatic invertebrates, and any other aquatic animals or plants that the Department identifies in administrative rules.

Catch and Release Fishing – no harvest of target fish species permitted. Caught fish must be returned to the water immediately unharmed.

Fishing – taking or attempting to take aquatic life in any waters of the State, by any method, and all other acts such as placing, setting, drawing or using any device commonly used for the taking of aquatic life, whether resulting in taking or not. This also applies to the removal of dead and decaying aquatic life.

Harvest – any aquatic life taken into possession from any waters of the State by any method.

In the aggregate – combination of two or more species or hybrids that in total do not exceed the daily harvest limit.

Protected Slot Length Limit – No harvest of fish within the specified length range.  Fish must be immediately released.

Relic Mussel Shell – the shell of a mussel that apparently died of natural causes in the water and contains no meat or soft parts. The shell readily exhibits noticeable sediment, vegetation, algal or mineral stains, discolorations, soiling, weathering or other visual evidence on its interior surface that clearly and unambiguously shows the mussel shell has not been cooked-out or freshly cleaned.

Snagging – the practice of dragging or jerking a hook (or hooks), baited or unbaited, through the water with the intention of hooking a fish on contact anywhere on the body other than the inside of the mouth.

Take – to lure, kill, destroy, capture, gig or spear, trap or ensnare, or attempt to do so.

Water of the State – any water within the jurisdiction of the State of Illinois that is adapted for purposes of navigation or public access.

> − symbol means "greater than".

≥ − symbol means "greater than or equal to".

< − symbol means "less than".

≤ − symbol means "less than or equal to".

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 1934, effective January 30, 2023)