Shipping Trout and Venison out of State

September 8, 2016

Question: What are the laws on mailing fish to family or friends? A friend of mine took me to Lake Shasta a few years ago, and to return the favor I always bring him some fish on the way home. He is going to be moving to Kansas and I want to send him some of the prized fish. Is it legal to ship them through the mail? I know I can get live lobsters from Maine, but they are a commercial product. My friend also wants to try to send me some venison but we’re not sure of the laws there either. Thank you for your help. (Steve)

Answer: Unfortunately, it is not legal to ship trout outside of California (Fish and Game Code, section 2356.) You also cannot personally transport them to another state, unless you have a nonresident angling license or are on active military duty (in which case you may personally transport no more than one limit of trout across state lines).

Regarding venison mailed across state lines, as long as the animal was taken legally in the state of origin, it can be shipped to a recipient in California for their personal use provided the shipper complies with the following procedures:

Both California (FGC, section 2348) and United States (Lacey Act) laws require that packages containing wildlife and being shipped by common carrier “…shall clearly and conspicuously indicate the following:

1.   The name and address of the shipper.

2.    The name and address of the consignee.

3.    The number and kind of bird, mammal, fish, reptile, and amphibian contained in the package.”
In addition, a Declaration for Entry Form must be filed when importing fish, game, etc. (FGC, section 2353.)

Though it’s not a requirement, it would be a good idea for your friend to include with his venison shipment a copy of his valid hunting license and tags for the deer, along with all information regarding where and when the animal was taken.

Can anybody help me out with the reason for not allowing some people to transport trout out of state, but allowing others to do it, depending on residence of the angler and/or military duty status?

Live game , makes sense to track or prohibit transport across state lines.

Chronic Waste Disease for bring back to CA your Elk and Deer is a pain, but does have merit.

I would have to guess it's just a regulation to "add on" to the cost for someone poaching and/or selling game out of the State. 

If you look at all the regulations, so many are worthless and outdated. You can count on having even more in the future.

Does this nonsensical rule apply to all game fish, or just trout?

Live game , makes sense to track or prohibit transport across state lines.

Chronic Waste Disease for bring back to CA your Elk and Deer is a pain, but does have merit.

I would have to guess it's just a regulation to "add on" to the cost for someone poaching and/or selling game out of the State. 

If you look at all the regulations, so many are worthless and outdated. You can count on having even more in the future.

It doesn't say anything about live trout.  Nobody is allowed to transport live sport caught trout in California, no matter your state of residency or if you are an active duty soldier or sailor.

1.63.  MOVEMENT OF LIVE FISH. Except as provided in sections 4.00 through 4.30 and 230, live fin fish may not be transported alive from the water where taken.

It doesn't make sense that some people can move dead trout out of state and some people can't.

Does this nonsensical rule apply to all game fish, or just trout?

Only trout as far as I can tell.

Why the hell does it matter if a California resident takes trout out of state?  What, exactly, is California worried about?  I get the rules about importing certain things, but who cares if it leaves?

So you live in Sacramento.  You go up to Eagle Lake in Lassen County to fish.  You come home through Reno.  You just violated this law.  If I go catch a steelhead on the Klamath and drop it off in Cave Junction for smoking, I broke this law.  This is really really stupid.

I'm really curious if this law has ever, ever been prosecuted.  Has a warden ever written a ticket for this?  Seems unlikely.

I brought lots of trout from montana a few years ago. Stopped to declare all the meat (elk, deer, grouse, duck, goose, pheasant, hungarian partridge, brook trour, east slope cuthroat, brown trout, and land locked coho). The only stuff we could continue with was the processed (smoked) trout. The vac sealed stuff we had to pitch.

What an incredible waste Rich..

State of CA is probably embarrassed of the no tail havin mutant trout they plant  and don't want anyone else seeing them. 

Sent from my SM-G928T using Tapatalk

Question wouldn't you want to mail the fish in ice or fillets I'm pretty sure all they want is to keep the Eco system as is and not take different species like the issue with the snake head in some places it's not native and people have released them live into lakes and rivers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And I believe they're highly territorial so there thrown off the balance in a couple states ( guessing have heard some thing but not stating fact just expressing my opinion with little knowledge I have)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was told it was to keep whirling disease and other stuff out of the state. I guess even dead fish, if discarded outdoors can contaminate an ecosystem thru predators eating them, and the spores, bacteria, etc can make it into a waterway and infect fish. Sounds legit.

Could of had a bbq there on the side of the road!

I was told it was to keep whirling disease and other stuff out of the state. I guess even dead fish, if discarded outdoors can contaminate an ecosystem thru predators eating them, and the spores, bacteria, etc can make it into a waterway and infect fish. Sounds legit.

Which explains why they didn't let you in to the state with the fish.  I still wonder why they wouldn't let me out of the state with trout tho.

I was told it was to keep whirling disease and other stuff out of the state. I guess even dead fish, if discarded outdoors can contaminate an ecosystem thru predators eating them, and the spores, bacteria, etc can make it into a waterway and infect fish. Sounds legit.

Perhaps for the Fish, I just don't know. But, having elk or deer taken away without spinal cords and proper tags and license is strange.  I've never had any problem with elk, deer or even antelope at CA border.

Got a Buddy that goes mid west for pheasant, and out of state goose and duck hunts, even up to Canada,  he declares everything and goes by the book,  never heard of any problems.

I've brought back fish from spearing trips in Mexico, All was fine going thru customs.   Our gear/luggage was strange to them and got pulled off to the side, but once they figured out what we were doing, we were fine without a search.

Don't say "GUN" at airport  they freak out,  have to say "spearfishing gear" or "hunting rifle". 

Just to be clear, I had no prob with anything other than the raw frozen trout. I always bone and cut/wrap all my big game. Never had an issue,  go thru every year.