Are Fishing Tournaments Canceled In New York State?

There are some new laws and legislation that went in to place when the new year arrived and one of the laws has some asking questions. New York State has at least a dozen new laws that are now in affect for 2024.

Before the end of 2023, we heard and read about a new law that will put an end to various types of wildlife contests. The goal of the law is to protect certain animals that are typically hunted in contests that require hunters to kill as many as they can. For example, a coyote hunting contest that awards a prize for the most coyotes killed.

However, some were curious if the new law will also cover fishing contests or tournaments. Did New York State cancel fishing tournaments in 2024?

If you read over the law and the wording of what is legal or not, it is pretty clear that fishing tournaments are safe, for now.

According to the New York State website:

...it would not affect the continued lawful, regulated hunt-
ing of furbearer or game species, fishing contests and derbies, or dog
field trials.

What about deer contests? According to the law:

This excludes; contests for hunting white-tailed deer, turkey, and bear;

Those who fish are keeping an eye on the lakes around the Adirondack Mountains as a new report warns that some of the lakes are in danger of becoming uninhabitable for certain fish.