Terms of Service
Effective September 28, 2026 · Applies to the Can I Keep? website and installed app at canikeep.fish
1. Agreement
By using Can I Keep? (“the app”, “we”, “us”) you agree to these terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you don’t agree, please don’t use the app.
2. What the app does
The app shows saltwater fishing regulations (seasons, bag, size and trip limits, gear rules), in-season notices and closures, protected areas, tides and marine weather for a location and date you choose. It does this by:
- automatically collecting regulations and notices from official state agency websites, state regulation codes, regional fishery commissions and federal sources, usually once a day;
- working out open or closed status from the season dates and in-season notices those sources publish; and
- showing live data from NOAA and the National Weather Service.
Every rule links to the agency’s own web page or publication it came from, so you can check it.
3. Accuracy of the information — please read
We make a real effort to show the most accurate and current regulations we can: we read them from official sources, refresh them daily, and link every rule back to where it came from. Even so, what the app shows can differ from the rules actually in force, and you should expect that it sometimes will. For example:
- Timing. Agencies can open, close or change a fishery at any time, often effective immediately or within hours. A change made after our last update — or announced only by hotline, press release, radio or social media — won’t appear here until we pick it up, and may not appear at all.
- Interpretation. Regulations are long and full of exceptions, sub-areas, gear distinctions and cross-references. Our summaries shorten them, and in doing so can leave out a condition that matters to you or read a rule differently than the agency intends.
- Technical errors. Agency websites change, sources sometimes contain their own errors or conflicts, and our automated collection can misread or miss a page.
- Location. Area and boundary placement may be approximate, so a rule may be shown for a spot where it doesn’t apply, or not shown where it does.
So, please:
- Always refer to the linked official source before you fish, keep or sell a catch. The link opens the agency’s own page — the state fish and wildlife agency, the state regulation code, the regional fishery commission, NOAA Fisheries or the Federal Register — not a copy we made. If you can’t reach the source, or it has moved, contact the agency directly.
- Where the app and an official source differ, the official source controls, including any emergency or in-season rule issued after our last update.
- Don’t treat the absence of a rule, closure or notice in the app as meaning none exists.
- Tell us about anything that looks wrong at support@canikeep.fish. We’ll look into it quickly, but a report doesn’t create any obligation or guarantee a correction.
4. Information only — not legal or navigation advice
- Regulations: the app is an informational summary, not legal advice and not an official publication. Where the app and an agency’s published regulations differ, the agency’s regulations apply. A status of “open” is not permission to fish; “check source” means we couldn’t determine the status.
- Areas: the app places rules using official boundary lines and polygons where available, and approximations elsewhere. Your exact position relative to a boundary, closure or protected area is your responsibility.
- Weather, tides and waves: forecasts come from NOAA and the NWS and are provided as-is. They are not for navigation. Always use official marine forecasts, charts and good seamanship.
- Offline mode: offline packs and cached forecasts reflect when they were downloaded and may be out of date.
5. Your responsibilities
You are responsible for knowing and following all laws that apply to your fishing, including licenses, permits, endorsements, reporting, tagging, closed areas and in-season changes — recreational or commercial.
6. Accounts
You can use the app without an account. An optional account (Google, Apple, or email and password) syncs your profile across devices. Keep your sign-in secure and give accurate information. You can stop using your account at any time and ask us to delete it (see the Privacy Policy). We may suspend accounts that misuse the service.
7. Acceptable use
Please don’t:
- use automated tools to bulk-download data from the app or its API, or put an unreasonable load on it;
- try to access other people’s accounts or data, or interfere with the app’s security or operation;
- reverse-engineer the service to harm it, or use it for anything unlawful.
8. Advertising
The app is free and supported by advertising. Ads may appear alongside regulations and forecasts. Ads are provided by advertisers, not by the agencies whose rules we show, and an ad is not an endorsement by us or by any agency. How ads relate to your information is described in the Privacy Policy.
9. Content and credits
Regulations, notices and data come from public government sources, and remain subject to their own terms. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, nautical marks © OpenSeaMap, and satellite imagery © Esri and its data providers. The app’s own design, code and presentation belong to us.
10. Availability and changes
We may change, suspend or discontinue any part of the app, and data sources may stop working without notice. We don’t guarantee the app will be available, uninterrupted or error-free.
11. Disclaimer of warranties
The app is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including accuracy, completeness, timeliness, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement, to the fullest extent permitted by law. In particular, we don’t warrant that any regulation, season, limit, closure, boundary or notice shown in the app is correct, complete or current.
12. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages, or for fines, penalties, citations, seized gear or catch, lost profits, injury or property damage arising from your use of or reliance on the app — including any error, omission or delay in the regulations or other information it shows. Our total liability for any claim is limited to $50.
13. Indemnity
You agree to hold us harmless from claims arising from your fishing activities, your violation of any law or regulation, or your misuse of the app.
14. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms. We’ll change the effective date above and, for significant changes, tell you in the app. Continuing to use the app after a change means you accept the updated terms.
15. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the United States and of the state in which the operator of Can I Keep? is established, without regard to conflict-of-law rules.