Protected Fish in Ohio
The fish Ohio anglers must release in every water, from lake sturgeon to the rare darters.
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Fish Ohio protects in every water
The fish listed below are protected in all Ohio waters and if caught must be immediately released back into its originating waterbody. Possession of these fish is prohibited: alligator gar, bigeye shiner, blacknose shiner, brook trout*, cisco (or lake herring), gilt darter, goldeye, Iowa darter, lake sturgeon, longhead darter, longnose sucker, mountain brook lamprey, northern brook lamprey, northern madtom, Ohio lamprey, pirate perch, popeye shiner, pugnose minnow, shoal chub, shortnose gar, shovelnose sturgeon, spotted darter, spotted gar, tonguetied minnow, and western banded killifish. *Taking or possessing brook trout is prohibited in the Ashtabula, Chagrin, Conneaut, and Grand rivers and their tributaries.
2026-27 Ohio Fishing Regulations (ODNR Division of Wildlife Publication 5085, effective March 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027), page 9; retrieved October 26, 2026.
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- Alligator garrelease at once
- Bigeye shinerrelease at once
- Blacknose shinerrelease at once
- Ciscorelease at once
- Gilt darterrelease at once
- Goldeyerelease at once
- Iowa darterrelease at once
- Lake sturgeonrelease at once
- Longhead darterrelease at once
- Longnose suckerrelease at once
- Mountain brook lampreyrelease at once
- Northern brook lampreyrelease at once
- Northern madtomrelease at once
- Ohio lampreyrelease at once
- Pirate perchrelease at once
- Popeye shinerrelease at once
- Pugnose minnowrelease at once
- Shoal chubrelease at once
- Shortnose garrelease at once
- Shovelnose sturgeonrelease at once
- Spotted darterrelease at once
- Spotted garrelease at once
- Tonguetied minnowrelease at once
- Western banded killifishrelease at once
Telling Ohio protected fish apart
Alligator gar
possession prohibited
Cisco
possession prohibited
Lake sturgeon
possession prohibited
Shortnose gar
possession prohibited
Spotted gar
possession prohibited
Photos show the species, not Ohio waters.
Questions on Ohio protected fish
How many fish species are protected in Ohio?
24, listed in the 2026-27 booklet.
What do I do if I catch a protected fish?
Release it at once into the water it came from; possessing one is prohibited.
Is lake sturgeon protected in Ohio?
Yes; lake sturgeon and shovelnose sturgeon are both on the list.
Are any gars protected?
Alligator gar, shortnose gar and spotted gar are protected; longnose gar is not.
Is cisco legal to keep on Lake Erie?
No; cisco, also called lake herring, is protected in all Ohio waters.
Where is brook trout protected?
In the Ashtabula, Chagrin, Conneaut and Grand rivers and their tributaries.
Can protected minnows be used as bait?
No; possession of any listed species, bait included, is prohibited.
Why are these fish protected?
They are state endangered or threatened species, rare enough that ODNR bans keeping them.