CHAPTER
Fis 100 ORGANIZATIONAL RULES
PART
Fis 101 DEFINITIONS
Fis 101.01 “Commission” means the
Source. #444, eff 6-17-74; ss by #2079, eff 7-5-82;
ss by #2839, eff 8-31-84; ss by #4899, eff 8-3-90; ss by #6289, INTERIM, eff
7-20-96, EXPIRED: 11-17-96
New. #11002,
eff 12-22-15
Fis 101.02 “Department” means the
Source. #444, eff 6-17-74; ss by #2079, eff 7-5-82;
ss by #2839, eff 8-31-84; ss by #4899, eff 8-3-90; ss by #6289, INTERIM, eff
7-20-96, EXPIRED: 11-17-96
New. #11002,
eff 12-22-15
Fis 101.03 “Director” means the executive director of
the fish and game department.
Source. #444, eff 6-17-74; ss by #2079, eff 7-5-82;
ss by #2839, eff 8-31-84; ss by #4899, eff 8-3-90; ss by #6289, INTERIM, eff
7-20-96, EXPIRED: 11-17-96
New. #11002,
eff 12-22-15
PART
Fis 102 DESCRIPTION OF DEPARTMENT
Fis
102.01 Fish and Game Department.
(a) Pursuant to RSA 206:1, there is an agency
known as the fish and game department under a commission, known as the fish and
game commission. The commissioners
represent the state’s citizens, are stewards of the fish, wildlife, and marine
resources of the state, and set general policy in accordance with RSA 206:4-a.
(b) The executive director of the fish and game
department has general supervision and control of all activities, functions,
and employees of the department pursuant to RSA 206:8 and RSA 206:10.
(c)
The department’s
mission statement is: As the guardian of the state's fish, wildlife and marine
resources, the
(1) To conserve, manage,
and protect these resources and their habitats;
(2)
To inform and educate the public about
these resources; and
(3)
To provide the public with opportunities
to use and appreciate these resources.
(d)
The fish and game department includes the following administrative
offices and facilities:
(1) The fish and game department headquarters in
(2)
The Region 1
office in
(3)
The Region 2
office in New Hampton;
(4) The Region 3 office in
(5) The Region 4 office in
(6) The following fish hatcheries:
a. The
b. The Twin Mountain fish hatchery in
Whitefield;
c. The
d. The
e. The New Hampton fish hatchery in New Hampton;
and
f. The Powder Mill fish hatchery in New Durham
(7) The following visitor centers:
a. Visitor centers at the hatchery facilities of
b. The Discovery Room at the
(8) The
(9)
(e)
The department is made up of seven divisions and the office of the
director, each described below.
Source. #444, eff 6-17-74; ss by #2079, eff
7-5-82; ss by #2839, eff 8-31-84; ss by #4899, eff 8-3-90; ss by #6289,
INTERIM, eff 7-20-96, EXPIRED: 11-17-96
New. #11002,
eff 12-22-15
Fis 102.02 Fish
and Game Commission.
(a)
The commission consists of 11 members.
Each of the first 10 commissioners shall reside in a different county,
and the eleventh commissioner, representing the coastal region, shall reside in
Portsmouth, Seabrook, Rye, Hampton, Hampton Falls, North Hampton, Newington,
Greenland, Stratham, Exeter, Newfields, Newmarket, Durham, Madbury, Dover,
Rollinsford, or New Castle. The general charge and authority, composition, and
appointment of the commission is described in RSA
206:1 through RSA 206:7.
(b)
The
commission establishes general policy for the department in the areas described
in RSA 206:4-a.
(c)
Pursuant
to RSA 206:8, the commission shall nominate, and the governor and council shall
appoint an executive director. RSA 206:8
also specifies the process to appoint an acting director in the event the
director’s position becomes vacant during the term of office.
(d)
The commission’s role in the rulemaking process for the department is
specified in various statutes in Title XVIII and may require
the commission to consult with the executive director with respect to certain
topics, or to approve rules prior to adoption by the executive director.
Source. #444, eff 6-17-74; ss by #2079, eff 7-5-82;
ss by #2839, eff 8-31-84; ss by #4899, eff 8-3-90; ss by #6289, INTERIM, eff
7-20-96, EXPIRED: 11-17-96
New. #11002,
eff 12-22-15 (from Fis 102.01)
Fis 102.03 Executive Director.
(a)
The director's general powers are described in RSA 206:10.
(b) The director shall, pursuant to RSA 206:8,
have general supervision and control of all activities, functions, and
employees of the department, shall enforce all the provisions of the laws of
the state relating to fish, wildlife resources, and marine species, and shall
exercise all necessary powers incident thereto.
(c) The executive director is the rulemaking
authority for the department as granted in various statutes in Title XVIII.
(d)
The
office of the director is also responsible for landowner relations, the
coordination of environmental review, federal grants administration, and
legislation.
(e)
The executive director, under the supervision of the commission, has the
exclusive power to expend department funds in
accordance with RSA 206:38.
Source. #444, eff 6-17-80; ss by #2079, eff 7-5-82;
ss by #2839, eff 8-31-84; ss by #4899, eff 8-3-90; ss by #6289, INTERIM, eff
7-20-96, EXPIRED: 11-17-96
New. #11002,
eff 12-22-15 (from Fis 102.02)
Fis
102.04 Fisheries Division.
(a)
The fisheries division is also known as the inland fisheries division and is
responsible for providing fishing opportunities for the state’s anglers,
research and management practices for freshwater
(b) Fishing tournament and derby applications are also handled by the
fisheries division.
Source. #444, eff 6-17-74; ss by #2079, eff 7-5-82;
ss by #2839, eff 8-31-84; ss by #4899, eff 8-3-90; ss by #6289, INTERIM, eff
7-20-96, EXPIRED: 11-17-96
New. #11002,
eff 12-22-15 (from Fis 102.03)
Fis
102.05
(a)
The wildlife division is responsible for managing and maintaining the
state’s wildlife at levels consistent with available habitat, diverse public
desires, and broad ecological considerations.
The division promotes the security of critical wildlife habitat through
education, management, and protection.
Wildlife biologists conduct surveys to monitor populations and assess
public desires, oversee applied research that provides essential management
information, and coordinate the establishment of seasons for the taking of
certain wildlife.
(b) The wildlife division is
responsible for identifying and protecting threatened and endangered species,
and the development and implementation of comprehensive game and nongame
species management programs and plans, including over 400 species which are not
hunted, trapped, or fished.
(c)
The protection, restoration, and active management of wildlife habitat
on public lands throughout the state are accomplished through the division's
staff, who also provide technical assistance to private landowners, including
industrial forest managers. The division
also actively purchases land and easements in order to
protect and conserve important wildlife habitat.
(d)
Division services also include assistance in preventing or reducing
wildlife damage to orchards, agricultural lands and other private property,
mitigating diverse wildlife/human conflicts, and monitoring for and responding
to diverse disease threats of significant potential
economic, ecological, and human health consequences.
Source. #444, eff 6-17-74; ss by #2079, eff 7-5-82;
ss by #2839, eff 8-31-84; ss by #4899, eff 8-3-90; ss by #6289, INTERIM, eff
7-20-96, EXPIRED: 11-17-96
New. #11002,
eff 12-22-15
Fis
102.06 Law Enforcement Division.
(a)
The law enforcement division is responsible for enforcing all fish and
game statutes and rules and performs other law enforcement duties as authorized
by RSA 206:26 and RSA 206:26-b.
(b)
The division is also responsible for search and rescue operations in the
woodlands and inland waters of the state and for enforcement of OHRV and
snowmobile regulations.
(c)
General information on fish and game statutes and rules and their
enforcement and applicability may be obtained from this division.
(d)
(1) Permits to guide bear;
(2) Permits to exhibit wildlife;
(3) State and Federal falconry permits;
(4) Permits to import wildlife;
(5) Permits to possess wildlife;
(6) Permits to propagate wildlife;
(7) Regulated shooting area permits;
(8) Permits to rehabilitate wildlife;
(9) Permits to release wildlife;
(10) NH wildlife permits for wildlife killed by a
motor vehicle;
(11) NH special wildlife permits; and
(12) OHRV event permits.
Source. #444, eff 6-17-74; ss by #2079, eff 7-5-82;
ss by #2839, eff 8-31-84; ss by #4899, eff 8-3-90; ss by #6289, INTERIM, eff
7-20-96, EXPIRED: 11-17-96
New. #11002,
eff 12-22-15 (from Fis 102.05)
Fis 102.07 Business Division.
(a) The business division is responsible
for
(1) The issuance and sale of fishing, hunting and
special licenses and associated permits, hike safe cards, and OHRV and
snowmobile registrations;
(2) Supervising the purchase of all equipment,
materials, supplies, and services;
(3) The maintenance of the physical plant of the
department;
(4) Managing of the department’s fleet vehicles,
boats, OHRVs and snowmobiles;
(5) All business administration and accounting
functions; and
(6) Maintaining the department’s equipment and
consumable inventory.
Source. #444, eff 6-17-74; ss by #2079, eff 7-5-82;
ss by #2839, eff 8-31-84; ss by #4899, eff 8-3-90; ss by #6289, INTERIM, eff
7-20-96, EXPIRED: 11-17-96
New. #11002,
eff 12-22-15 (from Fis 102.06)
Fis
102.08 Public Affairs Division.
(a) The public affairs division is
responsible for:
(1) Public
relations, the preparation and dissemination of information regarding
department activities in the form of publications, the internet, broadcast
media coverage and programs, informational videos, shows and exhibits,
education, marketing, promotion, and advertising;
(2) Human dimension research, media relations,
and fund raising;
(3) Science content training for NH teachers and
a range of educational programs;
(4) Wildlife conservation education, development and implementation of
programs for wildlife watching and tourism, including visitor centers, exhibit design, and watchable
wildlife trails and sites; and
(5) Aquatic education programs and the mandatory
hunter, bowhunter, and trapper education programs.
Source. #444, eff 6-17-74; ss by #2079, eff 7-5-82;
ss by #2839, eff 8-31-84; ss by #4899, eff 8-3-90; ss by #6289, INTERIM, eff
7-20-96, EXPIRED: 11-17-96
New. #11002,
eff 12-22-15
Fis
102.09 Marine Division.
(a) The marine division is responsible for
research and management of the state’s marine resources which includes saltwater, estuarine, and diadromous resources and
habitats in the marine and estuarine waters of the state.
(b)
This division is be responsible for the regulation and
promotion of both recreational and commercial marine fishing,
interjurisdictional management of fishing resources, and conservation of the
(c) The chief of the marine division represents
the state as commissioner to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
and as a member on the New England Fisheries Management Council.
Source. #1164, eff 4-25-78; ss by #1670, eff
11-20-80; ss by #2079, eff 7-5-82; ss by #2839, eff 8-31-84; ss and moved by
#4899, eff 8-3-90 (see Fis 103.01)
New. #4899, eff 8-3-90; ss by #6289, INTERIM, eff
7-20-96, EXPIRED: 11-17-96
New. #11002,
eff 12-22-15
Fis
102.10 Facilities and Lands Division.
(a) The facilities and lands division manages the maintenance, planning, design, and construction
of public works projects, such as buildings, dams, boat ramps, and access sites
throughout the state. This division is also responsible for the coordination of
land conservation projects, including purchase and sale, easements, land use
agreements, and special use permits.
Source. #1670, eff 11-20-80; ss by #2079, eff 7-5-82;
ss by #2839, eff 8-31-84; ss and moved by #4899, eff 8-3-90 (see Fis 104.01)
New. #11002,
eff 12-22-15
PART
Fis 103 INFORMATION REQUESTS
Fis
103.01 Requests for information.
(a) Requests for information pursuant to RSA
91-A:4 shall be made directly to:
Executive
Director
NH
Fish and Game Department
(b) Requests for other information may be addressed to the executive director, public
affairs, or addressed directly to a specific division which is responsible for
the program for which the information is being requested.
(c) The primary telephone numbers and addresses
are listed in Table 200.1 below:
Table
200.01 Department Contact Information
|
|
Telephone
# |
Address |
|
|
603-271-3421 |
|
|
Licensing
|
603-271-3422 |
|
|
Executive
Director’s Office |
603-271-3511 |
|
|
Business
Office |
603-271-2741 |
|
|
Inland
Fisheries |
603-271-2501 |
|
|
Law
Enforcement |
603-271-3217 |
|
|
Marine
Fisheries ( |
603-868-1095 |
|
|
Public
Affairs |
603-271-3211 |
|
|
|
603-271-2462 |
|
|
Facilities
and Lands |
603-271-1134 |
|
|
Region
1 Office |
603-788-3164 |
629B
|
|
Region
2 Office New |
603-744-5470 |
New
|
|
Region
3 Office |
603-868-1095 |
|
|
Region
4 Office |
603-352-9669 |
|
(d)
Any person receiving copies of records pursuant to RSA 91-A shall pay to the department the actual cost of providing the copy
which shall be ten cents per page.
Source. #4899, eff 8-3-90 (from Fis 102.09); ss by
#6289, INTERIM, eff 7-20-96, EXPIRED: 11-17-96
New. #11002,
eff 12-22-15 (formerly Fis 104.01)
APPENDIX
|
Rule |
|
|
Fis 100 |
RSA 541-A:16, I (a) |
|
Fis 102.01 |
RSA 206:1; 206:4-a; 206:8; 206:10 |
|
Fis 102.02 |
RSA 206:1; 206:1-b; 206:2; 206:2-a; 206:8 |
|
Fis 102.03 |
RSA 206:8; 206:10; 206:38 |
|
Fis 102.04 – 102.10 |
RSA 206:1-b |
|
Fis 103 |
RSA 91-A:4 |