CHAPTER 88
FISHING TOURNAMENTS
571—88.1(462A,481A) Definition.
“Fishing tournament” means any organized fishing event, except for fishing events held for educational purposes and sponsored by the department of natural resources, involving any of the following:
	1.	Six or more boats or 12 or more participants, except for waters of the Mississippi River, where the number of boats shall be 20 or more and the number of participants shall be 40 or more.
	2.	An entry fee is charged.
	3.	Prizes or other inducements are awarded.
[ARC 9053B, IAB 9/8/10, effective 10/13/10]
571—88.2(462A,481A) Permit required. A permit issued by the department of natural resources is required to conduct a fishing tournament on public waters under the jurisdiction of the state. The administrative fee for each fishing tournament permit is $25. Fishing clinics and youth fishing days are excluded.
571—88.3(462A,481A) Application procedures. The following procedures shall be used to administer fishing tournaments:
	1.	Application shall be made on an electronic form provided by the department and shall include the name, address and telephone number of the sponsoring organization or individual, the location and date of the tournament, total value of the prizes, and expected number of participants.
	2.	The application shall be received electronically by the department area fisheries management biologist via the centralized special events application system.
	3.	Applications shall be accepted beginning January 1 of a given year for requested tournament dates extending to March 1 of the following year and shall not be accepted later than 30 days prior to the requested date for the tournament.
	4.	The number of tournaments at any one access area during a given day may be restricted if deemed necessary to avoid congestion with the public or competing tournaments. The capacity of facilities such as boat ramps, docks and parking lots shall be considered when assigning tournament sites.
	5.	Permits are not transferable.
[ARC 8194B, IAB 10/7/09, effective 11/11/09]
571—88.4(462A,481A) Permit conditions. The department may impose special conditions not specifically covered herein for any fishing tournament if deemed necessary to protect the resource or to ensure public safety. Special conditions may include, but not be limited to:
	1.	Release of live fish.
	2.	Fish measured to length and released from boat.
	3.	Multiple weigh-ins when water temperatures exceed 70°F.
	4.	Aerated live wells.
	5.	Designated release areas.
	6.	Designated release persons.
571—88.5(462A,481A) Reports. Rescinded IAB 3/5/03, effective 4/9/03.
These rules are intended to implement Iowa Code sections 462A.16 and 481A.38.
[Filed 10/14/88, Notice 8/24/88—published 11/2/88, effective 1/1/89]
[Filed 2/14/03, Notice 12/11/02—published 3/5/03, effective 4/9/03]
[Filed 11/20/08, Notice 7/30/08—published 12/17/08, effective 1/21/09]
[Filed ARC 8194B (Notice ARC 8020B, IAB 7/29/09), IAB 10/7/09, effective 11/11/09]
[Filed ARC 9053B (Notice ARC 8882B, IAB 6/30/10), IAB 9/8/10, effective 10/13/10]