Ladies and gentlemen, news
of a new Ohio state record yellow perch being caught from off the pier at the HTP Marina in Fairport
Harbor is a wee bit premature.
Unfortunately, a number of
outdoors reporters have jumped the gun, indicating in one fashion or another
that a new state record yellow perch exists. Yet as of now the referenced 2.9-pound
yellow perch is a potential new state record, and nothing more.
Thus the current state
record yellow perch - a fish weighing 2.75 pounds and caught from Lake Erie by
Charles Thomas of Lorain in April 17th, 1984 - remains the best fish
of that species ever entered in the state record fish program.
Ohio’s state record fish program
is administered by the Outdoor Writers of Ohio, which began the state fish
record-keeping project and has continuously maintained the list for more than
70 years. It works with such agencies as the Ohio Department of Natural
Resources’ Division of Wildlife and the Ohio Sea Grant Agency in verifying
catches.
The verification and
approval process is not some functional formality, either. Rather, it is the
keystone that supports the entire record fish-keeping structure.
However, an issue has come
to the fore that demands attention. The potential new state record yellow perch
was initially weighed on a scale that was not legally certified by a county
auditor, as the rules stipulate, says the committee’s chairman and OWO member,
retired Ohio Sea Grant agent Fred Snyder.
Only afterwards - one day,
- says Snyder - was the scale then certified.
Consequently, The Outdoor
Writers of Ohio's Record Fish Committee members have instructed that the fish
be reweighed, this time on a scale that also meets the lawful definition of
certification. Whether the angler chooses to follow through on the instructions
is his option, though his application is in the hands of the committee’s
members, Snyder says.
What cannot be lost nor
dismissed is the importance of adhering to the state record fish program's
strict protocol, and which is essential for two very logical reasons. The first
of these is that it protects a current record fish holder's catch, a catch that
conformed to all of the program’s requirements without exception and without
being fudged or broken.
Ohio’s list of state
record fish contains 47 headings; 42 hook-and-line categories and five
bow-fishing categories. Each of those record holders has a right of expectation
that anyone and everyone who seeks to displace their title must successfully
navigate the same rules they were required to follow. It’s called fairness.
The second reason is
intertwined with the first: It protects the integrity of the state record fish
program. If a stated and unambiguous rule is allowed to be broken even once
than it can be broken twice, three times - or more times.
And remember this too:
Rules are never bent; they can only be broken. Thus, any casual departure regarding
the importance of closely tracing the program’s stated rules would be unfair to
future potential record fish holders. And it would eventually put into play the
question of whether a catch – any catch - is truly a new record.
As outdoors writers we
love nothing more than to announce an impressive catch, especially when it’s a
new state record fish. We want to be first to report this good news. However,
as journalists we are required to be fair and accurate.
And as a former chairman
of the OWO State Record Fish Committee I fully understand and appreciate the
vital importance of properly dotting the program’s every “i” and crossing its
every “t.” The program’s rules demand no less of its committee members.
There really is no other
way to properly report on this potentially exciting new state record yellow
perch; and one that Lake County may take particular pride in, especially since
it was caught from shore.
By Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
Jeff is the retired News-Herald reporter who covered the
earth sciences, the area's three county park systems and the outdoors for the
newspaper. Jeff is the recipient of more than 125 state, regional and national
journalism awards. He also is a columnist and features writer for the Ohio
Outdoor News, which is published every other week and details the outdoors
happenings in the state.
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