cheeks and legs

[Guest Leeroy]

I like to take cheeks from my walleye. My question is when fishing with say 4 other friends ( none of which save their cheeks) am I allowed to take their cheeks out of their walleye carcass? Meaning i will have more than 4 sets of cheeks in my possession. I know the answer I am probably going to get is no, but that is a shame because the cheeks from the others fish are going to be wasted. The other answer I might get will be the friends will be charged with wasting game.

If this is legal, would I then be able to save all my cheeks for a say 3 month period until I get enough for a fry?

If not, is it legal for my friends not to take their cheeks when filleting fish.

Also a quick question on grouse. I keep my legs off grouse when I clean them, but I know a lot of people who rip out the breast and that is all they take.

My question is are they legal by doing this or do they have to keep legs?

thanks.

[Guest MNR]

According to the Fisheries Act and the Ontario Fishery Regulations, it is unlawful for anyone to possess more than the applicable quota of fish, and “fish” includes any part of a fish. However, an officer can use his or her discretion in dealing with a situation like this, based on the circumstances at the time.

While it could theoretically be considered wastage to discard the cheeks, it could also be considered wastage to discard the flesh along the spine and between the ribs. There is no legislated standard with respect to how much flesh can be wasted, the prohibition is absolute. Societal norms set the standard in this situation for what is reasonable to discard.

Societal norms also apply to discarding of grouse legs. Recovering only the breast seems to be a common practice, arguably because of the small amount of flesh attached to the legs and wings of grouse. The standard for prosecution in both these cases hinges on what is considered a “reasonable” attempt to utilize the flesh as opposed to deliberate discarding or gross negligence in allowing flesh to spoil.