[anash]

Hi. I read this thread http://www.tidalfish.com/forums/che...maryland-angler/251522-3-tons-rockfish-6.html a few weeks ago about the bogus $250 fine that a commercial fisherman received when caught over-fishing rockfish... and I have been giving it thought ever since. I forwarded the thread link to a MD state senator who I know. He read the thread and the Sun article. His response to me was...

"Just read the thread and Sun article. I have not focused on fishery issues in the past. If there were legislation to increase the fines, what would the reaction be and by whom? Is there a fishery organization that would support? It is easy to draft such legislation, but I do not have any idea re: reaction in fishery community, DNR, others...and would want a better sense first if you are interested in me pursuing."

Please honestly weigh in. Thanks!

 

[flattyfrank]

Hi. I read this thread http://www.tidalfish.com/forums/che...maryland-angler/251522-3-tons-rockfish-6.html a few weeks ago about the bogus $250 fine that a commercial fisherman received when caught over-fishing rockfish... and I have been giving it thought ever since. I forwarded the thread link to a MD state senator who I know. He read the thread and the Sun article. His response to me was...

"Just read the thread and Sun article. I have not focused on fishery issues in the past. If there were legislation to increase the fines, what would the reaction be and by whom? Is there a fishery organization that would support? It is easy to draft such legislation, but I do not have any idea re: reaction in fishery community, DNR, others...and would want a better sense first if you are interested in me pursuing."

Please honestly weigh in. Thanks!

Which legislator? In actuality, that article does not portray the true gravity of the situation

 

[27 sailfish]

Check your B-mail for my phone #. PLEASE forward it to the senator.If you got his ear- I'll gladly fill him in.

Only ones who seem to not want bigger fines is the poachers who steal from all of us.

A few years ago when Capt. Buddy Harrison got busted with a lot of undersized Rock - the fine was in most angler's eyes- too low.

About 50 of us met at DNR to discuss new rules/fines - only to find out the new laws were due the NEXT day :eek2:. Talk about poor planning - or maybe good planning .

The big problem is the poachers with many convictions.After 3-4 wrist slaps - they consider the low fines just part of doing (illegal) business.

 

[Choptank River]

Ask your Legislator run it by Senator Astle and Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus members in the General Assembly.

 

[anash]

In actuality, that article does not portray the true gravity of the situation

Please elaborate.

 

[Ele]

From what I understand, he may have caught 3 tons of fish but in actualality, he was only over his limit by 138 pounds. I would think it would be hard to guess if you had 6,000 pounds (3 tons) or 6,138 pounds.

Regardless of whether this guy was right or wrong, I do thing the fines for illegal fishing should be much higher.

Ele

 

[Thoroughbred]

Fishing fines comm or rec should be similar to hunting. Hunting they hit you where it counts and is a great deterrent. No one should have a problem with larger REAL fines unless they are afraid of them. If they are afraid of them then they are working.

 

[arlington]

i think this would be worth pursuing with your senator.
i'm sure there would be a lot of support her in the TF "community".
just look at all the hubbub that's been raised in some past threads.

bil

 

[Hunter]

Regarding that article about the 3 tons of rockfish, if I remember correctly, the commercial fisherman involved received 2 fines that week. The first one was about being over, or under-reporting by 138 pounds. But the real violation was for catching the 3 tons at night when the season was closed. He was just 2 miles off the coast. He knowingly violated the rules with his risk being a lousy $250 fine. Same with that oyster poacher in the Bay with some 20+ or 30+ violations and still able to stay in business. The risk-reward is very much in favor of someone with illegal intentions.

 

[HCountyBasser]

But the real violation was for catching the 3 tons at night when the season was closed.

From the above statement it's pretty apparent that you did not even READ the article!

 

[Hunter]

From the above statement it's pretty apparent that you did not even READ the article!

Pretty harsh assessment...maybe we have different articles in mind, but a copy of the article appears below, and I DID read the article. I made up the part about exactly 138 pounds and being fined twice in one week.

Illegal fishing charged; tons of rockfish seized
By Candus Thomson
January 7, 2009
Natural Resources Police seized nearly 3 tons of striped bass Sunday from a trawler and charged a Dorchester County seafood processor with illegal commercial fishing in Maryland waters. It was the second time in less than a week that officers had charged Jack C. Colbourne, owner of Colbourne Seafood Inc. in Secretary, with illegal fishing.

Officers boarded the Mount Vernon after watching the 80-foot vessel drag a net about two miles off the Ocean City inlet all day Sunday, according to Sgt. Ken Turner, a police spokesman.

Officers issued citations to Colbourne, 69, Mark H. Bryan, 53, and Bayard Lewis Taylor III, 64, all of East New Market, for fishing between 6 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday, when the season is closed. They are to appear Feb. 22 in Worcester County District Court. The maximum fine is $250 if they plead guilty before their court date and $500 if found guilty by a judge.

The boat is owned by Mount Vernon LLC in Cape May, N.J. The catch was sold and the money is being held in escrow until the cases are settled, Turner said.

On Dec. 30, officers boarded the Mount Vernon in West Ocean City and charged Colbourne with exceeding his 1,900-pound seasonal allocation of striped bass, or rockfish, by 138 pounds, Turner said.

The U.S. government has banned striped bass fishing from three miles to 200 miles off the East Coast. The area between the shore and federal waters is governed by the states. New Jersey is one of six East Coast states that prohibit commercial striped bass fishing; Maryland allows recreational and commercial fishing.

 

[HCountyBasser]

Yeah I read the same article. To me the difference between the atricle, and what you posted is like Night and Day (Pun Intended). When you posted what you did it kinda made it seem like the guy was sneaking around in the middle of the night catching the rock in some secluded place like he was trying to not get caught.

Not like he was in some 80' vessel within eyesite of the O.C. Inlet in the middle of the day, on a weekend.I tend to believe that had he known he was violating the "Law" which happens to be "incorrectly" summarized in the DNR "abridged" version of COMAR, I think maybe he would have tried to be just a bit less conspicous. Dontchathink?

Pretty harsh assessment...maybe we have different articles in mind, but a copy of the article appears below, and I DID read the article. I made up the part about exactly 138 pounds and being fined twice in one week.

Officers boarded the Mount Vernon after watching the 80-foot vessel drag a net about two miles off the Ocean City inlet all day Sunday, according to Sgt. Ken Turner, a police spokesman.

But the real violation was for catching the 3 tons at night when the season was closed.

Here's is the link - Look at the 5th and 6th Row down and see if the regulations (3rd Column from left) don't look a bit different for the Bay and the Ocean. Looks like the Bay has a restriction of Mon-Fri 3am till 6pm......but I don't see any time restriction for the Ocean....do you? If they were the same (which they are according to COMAR) why didn't DNR list them the same?

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/regulations/commregs.html

 

[flattyfrank]

From what I understand, he may have caught 3 tons of fish but in actualality, he was only over his limit by 138 pounds. I would think it would be hard to guess if you had 6,000 pounds (3 tons) or 6,138 pounds.

Regardless of whether this guy was right or wrong, I do thing the fines for illegal fishing should be much higher.

Ele

Thank you, and I agree with higher fines and stiffer penalties, especially for repeat offenders. It's a damn shame that a few repeat offenders are able to put a black cloud over an industry that is loaded with honest, hard working men and women. It seems that the violations for illegal harvest often carry the same name, time after time, while many hundreds of watermen are never mentioned as violating the law. The repeat offenders are the scourge of the industry, giving all involved a black eye, and stiffer penalties are definitely called for.

 

[Hunter]

Yeah I read the same article. To me the difference between the atricle, and what you posted is like Night and Day (Pun Intended). When you posted what you did it kinda made it seem like the guy was sneaking around in the middle of the night catching the rock in some secluded place like he was trying to not get caught.

What are you some sort of lawyer, or a lawyer wanna be? You have read a lot more into this article than most people. These guys are 'professional' fisherman. This is what they do for a living. They should know the law, at least to know when the season was closed. The time frame mentioned in the article covered two over-night periods. Within the previous 7 days they had received a fine for busting their season allocation. They were already on thin ice with the authorities. Your initial response to say that I didn't even read the article was wrong. The purpose of this thread was to again highlight the need for larger fines against poachers. The few that choose to operate outside the law are giving their respectable profession a bad reputation. The current fines are ridiculously low and viewed by most to be nothing more than the cost of doing business. There are better ways to take issue with someone else's point of view or interpretaion. RELAX!!

 

[Offshore12]

Thoroughbred, I agree with you. The management of the fisheries should be treated just like the managment of hunting waterfowl, etc. Stiff fines for violators, and when a particular species is in trouble, just shut it down to everyone. Very simple.

 

[HCountyBasser]

These guys are 'professional' fisherman. This is what they do for a living. They should know the law, at least to know when the season was closed.

The guys who Enforce the Laws don't even understand them half the time. But I'm quite sure you're right...Again.

I'm sure these guys are prior repeat offenders, they do it all the time, right?

Did you even check any of their records? I'm sure they got all kinds of Natural Resources violation/convictions....right?

Don't they?

As far a "Reading into" the article.....I think that might be what you were doing.

Lawyer?....no....not even close

But I did read the article......it said Day and you said Night

 

[Hunter]

But I did read the article......it said Day and you said Night

Officers issued citations to Colbourne, 69, Mark H. Bryan, 53, and Bayard Lewis Taylor III, 64, all of East New Market, for fishing between 6 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday, when the season is closed.

The citations were issued for fishing during a 59 hour period, when the season was closed. The $250 fine for illegally taking 6,000 lbs of rockfish is still too low. Whether they were skulking around at night, intentionally disregarding the law, or they were just stupid, I don't care. I'm done!

 

[Thoroughbred]

Thoroughbred, I agree with you. The management of the fisheries should be treated just like the managment of hunting waterfowl, etc. Stiff fines for violators, and when a particular species is in trouble, just shut it down to everyone. Very simple.

It too bad the simple and correct ideas are rarely put into practice.

 

[HCountyBasser]

I'm done!

Thank goodness!