Freedom Fishing Charters
New Angler
To: [email protected], [email protected]
Cc: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Gentlemen,
I am a Charter Boat Operator who works out of the Northport and Smithtown area. It has become embarrassing telling fares that the only fish I can guarantee they will get total home are Porgies. You see, I don’t lie to my customers and I tell them like it is as far as fishing goes. I am sure you know as well as I what the contents of tis email will be.
This is addressed to both of you because you have both been listed as acting Captains in Region I. I have had a number of email exchanges with John Maniscalco relating to the poaching of blackfish in Long Island waters.
I plan to move this discussion to various clubs and organizations that support the fisheries here on the island. One of the basic questions that arose out of my various discussions with John revolved around the significant poaching that is occurring. In the last 4 years I have caught 4 traps that were loaded with short blackfish and not buoyed. Some were part of a string but since they got caught in my anchor I could not pull them all up. I pointed out to John that if you fish Rhode Island you can regularly catch 6-8 lb fish and the same applies to South Jersey. We go through 30-50 fish before catching one 16”. I am hearing that blackfish are bringing up to 15.00 a lb in Chinatown. This provides plenty of incentive for illegal potting. Additionally, fines and penalties are often reduced through pleas at the rare times they are caught. Yes, we have a tagging program now but the poachers won’t care. They work at night. By the time anyone would be around to check their catch they are well on their way to Chinatown where no one cares about tags on fish. I would bet that there are no DEC night patrols observing the activity of vessels in the Prices Bend area of Huntington or along the shoreline by Caumsett, Smithtown and other similar locations, nor do I expect they are checking markets in Chinatown just to hear lies that their fish came from out of state. From looking at your online roster of enforcement officers it would seem that you have barely enough to man vessels by day. I have seen officers stationed at the ramps checking recreational catches. This will not catch the potters but will account for their daily activities. I submit that this is not the way we will eliminate poaching. I think the DEC needs adequate funding for additional personnel and toward that end I have a few questions.
1. If you catch a person with a string of traps that are legal but not buoyed, what is the penalty?
2. If you find a subject trapping without a permit, what is the penalty?
3. If a person has a permit but exceeds the daily or weekly catch limit, what is the penalty?
4. If a person has exceeded the catch limit or soaks the pots for an excessive time is there a penalty?
5. Are DEC officers permitted to pull buoys to make sure the traps are properly tagged and identify the owner?
6. Do you have night patrols
7. Finally under the FOIL Act I am requesting information on the number of illegal potters caught in the year 2020, their location and the total penalties, fines or other corrective action taken against them.
Bottom line is that I think that even if these poachers are caught they plead down the fine and it makes the whole process worth it. I know it’s like doing your job with your hands tied.
As I mentioned in the beginning, I am going to be speaking about this very issue at various clubs and with our state legislators to see what can be done to ensure that night patrols (if any exist at all) are increased.
Now on an additional matter, Fluke is 19”. Year after year we return 18 1/2” fish to the water anticipating that these fish will grow to legal size the following year and yet, the 19” fish are gone year after year. No one at the DEC can provide an explanation. Trawlers are pulling nets and catching small fluke after the larger ones clog the holes in the net. Then because they drag too long, they toss back dead undersized fish. This will be a legislative problem. They they should keep every fish caught with a tonnage limit. No point in returning dead fish, is there? I would bet that older civilian observers would be happy to work on these vessels watching drag times and monitoring catches.
Sincerely,
Ray
www.fishfreedom.com
Cc: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Gentlemen,
I am a Charter Boat Operator who works out of the Northport and Smithtown area. It has become embarrassing telling fares that the only fish I can guarantee they will get total home are Porgies. You see, I don’t lie to my customers and I tell them like it is as far as fishing goes. I am sure you know as well as I what the contents of tis email will be.
This is addressed to both of you because you have both been listed as acting Captains in Region I. I have had a number of email exchanges with John Maniscalco relating to the poaching of blackfish in Long Island waters.
I plan to move this discussion to various clubs and organizations that support the fisheries here on the island. One of the basic questions that arose out of my various discussions with John revolved around the significant poaching that is occurring. In the last 4 years I have caught 4 traps that were loaded with short blackfish and not buoyed. Some were part of a string but since they got caught in my anchor I could not pull them all up. I pointed out to John that if you fish Rhode Island you can regularly catch 6-8 lb fish and the same applies to South Jersey. We go through 30-50 fish before catching one 16”. I am hearing that blackfish are bringing up to 15.00 a lb in Chinatown. This provides plenty of incentive for illegal potting. Additionally, fines and penalties are often reduced through pleas at the rare times they are caught. Yes, we have a tagging program now but the poachers won’t care. They work at night. By the time anyone would be around to check their catch they are well on their way to Chinatown where no one cares about tags on fish. I would bet that there are no DEC night patrols observing the activity of vessels in the Prices Bend area of Huntington or along the shoreline by Caumsett, Smithtown and other similar locations, nor do I expect they are checking markets in Chinatown just to hear lies that their fish came from out of state. From looking at your online roster of enforcement officers it would seem that you have barely enough to man vessels by day. I have seen officers stationed at the ramps checking recreational catches. This will not catch the potters but will account for their daily activities. I submit that this is not the way we will eliminate poaching. I think the DEC needs adequate funding for additional personnel and toward that end I have a few questions.
1. If you catch a person with a string of traps that are legal but not buoyed, what is the penalty?
2. If you find a subject trapping without a permit, what is the penalty?
3. If a person has a permit but exceeds the daily or weekly catch limit, what is the penalty?
4. If a person has exceeded the catch limit or soaks the pots for an excessive time is there a penalty?
5. Are DEC officers permitted to pull buoys to make sure the traps are properly tagged and identify the owner?
6. Do you have night patrols
7. Finally under the FOIL Act I am requesting information on the number of illegal potters caught in the year 2020, their location and the total penalties, fines or other corrective action taken against them.
Bottom line is that I think that even if these poachers are caught they plead down the fine and it makes the whole process worth it. I know it’s like doing your job with your hands tied.
As I mentioned in the beginning, I am going to be speaking about this very issue at various clubs and with our state legislators to see what can be done to ensure that night patrols (if any exist at all) are increased.
Now on an additional matter, Fluke is 19”. Year after year we return 18 1/2” fish to the water anticipating that these fish will grow to legal size the following year and yet, the 19” fish are gone year after year. No one at the DEC can provide an explanation. Trawlers are pulling nets and catching small fluke after the larger ones clog the holes in the net. Then because they drag too long, they toss back dead undersized fish. This will be a legislative problem. They they should keep every fish caught with a tonnage limit. No point in returning dead fish, is there? I would bet that older civilian observers would be happy to work on these vessels watching drag times and monitoring catches.
Sincerely,
Ray
www.fishfreedom.com
