[DirtyFrank]

Illegal fishing charged; tons of rockfish seized -- baltimoresun.com

In reading this article, the implied broken law is that commercial rockfish activities were prohibitied over the past weekend or is the commercial season closed as the rec catch and keep season is closed now too?

Is this a case of ignorance or just doing it and hoping not to get caught?

regardless, 3 tons had to include alot of big fish.

TIGHT LINES IN '09

 

[jhub]

Ignorance is no excuse...the guy runs a commercial seafood co. if he doesn't know the rules that's stupidity not ignorance.

$250.00 fine...what a joke...they need to make that $2500.00 maybe that will make them at least think about breaking the law.


.

 

[joe117]

Second time in a week?

Perhaps he was just confused about the law......

 

[toptech3434]

A $250.00 fine is a joke! Twice in one week? Sounds like the profit from the fish out weighs the fines.I'm not an expert but seems like the penalties need to be adjusted to fit the crime.

 

[iFishMD]

I'm not an expert but seems like the penalties need to be adjusted to fit the crime.

Agreed

 

[Alley Cat]

A $250.00 fine is a joke! Twice in one week? Sounds like the profit from the fish out weighs the fines.I'm not an expert but seems like the penalties need to be adjusted to fit the crime.

These petty fines are applied time and time again we complain, but maybe it is our fault, as we continually elect legislators who make these laws, who at best don't have a clue!

 

[DirtyFrank]

don't skip over the fact the boat already pulled in about a ton 4 days earlier

that's 4 tons in a week, not sure how this compares to the states annual quota but it sounds like alot.

 

[topfish1]

When you are finished reading a news article you should put the paper down with your questions answered and be somewhat informed on the topic at hand. When I read this article by Candus Thomson, I walked away with more questions than I went into it with, now I'm curious as to what really happened and how. Poor reporting IMO.

I would like to think that these guys(the fisherman) wouldn't be that stupid.....and if they were, a good journalist would bring it to light in a way that a layman would understand it.

JMO

 

[LY2000]

I bet these poaced fish don't get counted against the comms quota...just like the ones that never get busted. Yea, the fine is joke too.

 

[aafinest]

A $250.00 fine is a joke! Twice in one week? Sounds like the profit from the fish out weighs the fines.I'm not an expert but seems like the penalties need to be adjusted to fit the crime.

This is the real issue, there is profit to poaching. $250.00 fine is pocket change. Obviously these people weren't trying to be secretive in what they were doing so that indicates to me they really didn't care if they got caught. These penalties are what is really the crime here. Until somebody opens their eyes and puts some teeth in the poaching laws this type of thing will continue. They need to start confiscating, boats/equipment and revoke licenses, maybe start throwing some of these repeat criminals in jail awhile.

 

[tubby]

If a rec guy came to the ramp with illegal fish his boat and any equiptment used could be confiscated. Why the hell don't they use the same type of philosophy with this scenerio. 250.00 is a drop in the bucket compared to the cash he would make on that haul.

 

[iFishMD]

what does striped bass sell for per lb? 6000lb is A LOT of fish!

 

[DirtyFrank]

According to the article, all money from the sale of the fish is now in escrow pending outcome of the case

so these guys are not making money and just having $250 clipped off the top (at least not yet)

They are out, fuel, perhaps pay to the deck hands, full days work and the proceeds from the catch, and who knows what else.

 

[Dashaway]

Angus just published an article in the Liberal Post about overfishing by the recs. What about this stuff?



When seconds count, police are minutes away, keep your firearm handy.

 

[Barefoot]

Second time in a week?

Perhaps he was just confused about the law......

They weren't fishing after dark for the fun of it...

 

[Polkster]

Who knows how many times they did this and didn't get caught? $250 is a joke. It is a "cost of doing business" to these guys.

 

[joe117]

If a rec guy came to the ramp with illegal fish his boat and any equiptment used could be confiscated. Why the hell don't they use the same type of philosophy with this scenerio. 250.00 is a drop in the bucket compared to the cash he would make on that haul.

Just had one in Dec at Solomons. Six guys with 20 fish. Nothing confiscated. I don't know what the fine is but someone said $125 for the first fish and $5 for each after that.

I don't know if that's true or not.

But I don't think six guys would give a **** about that kind of fine.

 

[HCountyBasser]

If a rec guy came to the ramp with illegal fish his boat and any equiptment used could be confiscated. Why the hell don't they use the same type of philosophy with this scenerio. 250.00 is a drop in the bucket compared to the cash he would make on that haul.

weren't the below guys "Rec"?

Just had one in Dec at Solomons. Six guys with 20 fish. Nothing confiscated. I don't know what the fine is but someone said $125 for the first fish and $5 for each after that.

I don't know if that's true or not.

But I don't think six guys would give a **** about that kind of fine.

 

[Oyster Man]

Regarding the Solomons Six:

On Wednesday, Dec.17, at 11 a.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged six individuals with striped bass violations in the Solomons Harbor.

NRP charged the individuals after locating 20 striped bass, some of which had been filleted, aboard their vessel, Stoney's Kingfisher.

The following individuals were charged with exceeding the daily recreational catch limit for striped bass and failure to land striped bass dockside as a whole fish: David D. Scott, 37, Lyndon D. Flora Sr., 49, Lyndon D. Flora Jr. 25, William A. Wroten, 27, Nicholas P. Hoffman, 24, all of Lusby and Joseph G. Hawk, 38, of Greenbelt.

A court date of Feb. 9, has been scheduled for the six individuals in Calvert County District Court.

The owner of Stoney's Restaurant stated that the charges were ridiculous. The restaurateur indicated that the restaurant purchases up to 250 pounds of rockfish a week and the fish found were purchased and not caught.

The restaurant even provided receipts to the DNR officers who indicated that the fish fillets were purchased with the skin still on the meat and that the people arrested were simply finishing the job of preparing the fish for future meals.

Stoney's Finds Trouble - Owner Claims Something is Fishy - Southern Maryland News, Charles County, Calvert County and St. Mary's County News

 

[THOMAS70]

What did it cost our great state to collect a 250.00 fine ? I know of a guy that got caught using flounder belly from a undersize fish, it took the efforts of 5 state employees and a judge to get 40.00 out of him. What did it cost our state to get that 40.00. These fines are a joke and cost the state 20 times more to collect them.