Version 3 — September 2026
PierRat is a free guide and community board for shore fishing in New York Harbor. It is an interactive computer service: posts, catches, and Parties are created by users, not by us. Tide, weather, and water data come from public agencies (NOAA, NWS, USGS, NYC DEP) and can be wrong or stale — verify conditions before you rely on them. PierRat is not a safety, monitoring, or rescue service and is not watched in real time. In an emergency, call 911.
Parties are events created, organized, hosted, and controlled entirely by the users who post them. We are not the organizer, sponsor, promoter, host, or supervisor of any Party. We don't run the event and we're not a party to any plan you make with other users. A listing is not our statement that an event is lawful, permitted, safe, or that the venue will be open, and it does not reserve park space. We don't screen, vet, background-check, or verify the identity, age, or conduct of anyone.
Shore fishing in New York Harbor is genuinely dangerous. Risks include flying hooks and weighted rigs, slippery and elevated surfaces, riprap and rocks, falls into cold water and drowning, tides, currents and boat wakes, sudden weather, fish spines, crowded piers, nighttime conditions, and the conduct of other people. By fishing, or by creating, RSVPing to, or attending a Party, you freely and voluntarily accept all of these risks, including the risk of serious injury or death.
To the fullest extent New York law allows, you release PierRat and its developer from all claims — known and unknown — arising out of your fishing, your attendance at or organization of any Party, and your interactions or disputes with other users, including claims based on our own negligence, and you agree not to sue us over them. This release does not cover gross negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct, and does not apply where the law does not permit it. You also agree, to the extent the law permits, to release Party organizers from claims based on their ordinary negligence connected with a Party.
As a Party organizer you are the sole organizer and sponsor of that gathering. You alone are responsible for knowing whether it needs a permit and getting one. NYC Parks requires a Special Event Permit for group activities of more than 20 people — $25, apply at least 21 days ahead at nyceventpermits.nyc.gov. Amplified sound needs separate Parks and NYPD permits. Some waterfronts (like Hudson River Park) have their own rules. You represent that your Party is free to attend, open to the public, held at a venue from the app's list during posted access hours, and complies with all laws.
No Parties that charge admission or involve tickets, fees, or selling of any kind; that center on alcohol or drugs (alcohol is prohibited in NYC parks); that use amplified sound without permits; that run outside posted park hours; or that involve trespass, private locations, boats, or commercial guiding. No events that target people under 18. Listings may not contain phone numbers, addresses, or requests for personal information.
You must be at least 13 to use PierRat and at least 18 to create a Party or RSVP to one. Under-18 users may browse the calendar. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must agree to these terms for you, and minors at any fishing spot should be accompanied by an adult.
If you're 16 or older, enroll in New York's free Recreational Marine Fishing Registry before saltwater fishing. Follow all DEC size, season, and catch limits and all NYC Parks rules, including lead-free sinkers for weights of half an ounce or less and packing out all line and hooks. Do not post catches taken illegally. Check current regulations at dec.ny.gov — they change, and the app's notes are not the law.
The app obscures catch locations to zone level and never accepts precise coordinates in anything shared. Do not defeat this for yourself or anyone else — naming a precise spot in text is a violation of these terms. Party venues are the exception by design: they are already-public piers and parks from the app's own atlas, never private places.
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless PierRat and its developer from third-party claims, fines, and penalties arising out of Parties you create or attend, your fishing activities, your failure to obtain a required permit or registration, your content, or your breach of these terms.
Every photo you upload is checked by an automated service before anyone is notified about it, and anything it flags goes to a person to review. Screening is imperfect in both directions: it misses things, and it flags ordinary fishing photos. Nothing is removed by the machine alone, and a flag is not an accusation. Reporting still matters — the Report button is the fastest way to reach us, and automated screening does not replace it.
We may remove any post, Party, or account at any time at our sole discretion, including events that look unpermitted, ticketed, or unsafe. We have no obligation to monitor Parties, verify permits, or supervise anything that happens in person. Report dangerous content or users with the in-app Report button — that is the way to notify us, and on receiving a report our commitment is to review it and act as we judge right.
The app is free; our total liability to you is capped at $100. If part of these terms cannot be enforced where you live, that part yields and the rest stands. New York law governs, and disputes belong to the courts of New York. We may update these terms; material changes are shown in the app for your agreement before you keep posting.