I'll Meet You in the Parking Lot ... With Illegal Fluke -

george

george

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On June 8, ECO Chris DeRose responded to a complaint about a fisherman keeping undersized fluke on the main pier at Captree State Park. ECO DeRose watched the fisherman before engaging him in conversation. The man claimed to have not had any luck. ECO DeRose returned to the parking lot and waited for the fisherman to pack up his equipment and leave. With the rear hatch of the fisherman's SUV open, ECO DeRose approached and again engaged the fisherman, asking about bags of empty cans in the vehicle. He found that one bag was heavier than the rest and held three undersized fluke - the largest only 13 inches long, significantly shorter than the minimum length of 19 inches. The three fish were seized, and the fisherman was issued a summons for possession of undersize fluke. The summons is returnable to Suffolk County First District Court in July.

Three small fluke lined up for a photo
 
I love reading articles like this. The only bad news is that they just gave him a summons. I hope they confiscated his fishing equipment also and to be honest they should impound his truck.
 
Pretty impressive the ECO figuring out they were hidden in the bags because the one bag was heavy.

So if the bad guy had split the fish among the bags he probably would have gotten away with it. Hmmmm.
 
Avenger said:
Pretty impressive the ECO figuring out they were hidden in the bags because the one bag was heavy.

So if the bad guy had split the fish among the bags he probably would have gotten away with it. Hmmmm.
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Poachers are a crafty bunch. I’ve seen my fair share of crafty BS over the years. They bury them in sand, hide them in the weeds, poach short blackfish and put them in laundry bags with a rock in them. If DEC comes they cut the line and the bag of fish go to the bottom so they can get them back.
 
so they photograph his license. will his name be posted by DEC soon ? I hope so. But I am with Benny. Until they routinely confiscate ALL fishing equipment AND boot any vehicle or tow away any boat, big effing deal. We are not talking about a single 18 3/4" fish and a guy with nail polish markings on his rod !!
 
As much as I'm opposed to poaching I would caution about extreme vengence type of enforcement. In this case it's pretty clear that he knew he was breaking the law because he was trying to hide the fish. But I know I've made mistakes on season dates or mis-remembering a legal length. None of it was intentional, it was just human error. None of us is perfect and I don't know that we would want our vehicles confiscated or the kind of public shaming being suggested here because of a mistake.
 
Yeah, I get carried away sometimes, but I wonder if the officer still has at least the discretion to seize the fishing tackle. In this particular instance, more than some laughed at minimalist fine is merited.
 
People break the law because they know 1. that the likelihood of getting away with it is high and 2 That the punishment is easily tolerated. While "movetheboat's" post above might be extreme, think of how if it were real, how much it would dissuade people from poaching!
 
Avenger said:
As much as I'm opposed to poaching I would caution about extreme vengence type of enforcement. In this case it's pretty clear that he knew he was breaking the law because he was trying to hide the fish. But I know I've made mistakes on season dates or mis-remembering a legal length. None of it was intentional, it was just human error. None of us is perfect and I don't know that we would want our vehicles confiscated or the kind of public shaming being suggested here because of a mistake.
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This was blatant disregard for the regs with the fish being hidden. Not what you are describing.
 
anyone know what the summons is ? per fish ? one incident ? I still say it is probably not enough to keep him from changing locations.
 
pequa1 said:
anyone know what the summons is ? per fish ? one incident ? I still say it is probably not enough to keep him from changing locations.
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That’s a fact.

I’d love to see how many of those fines are actually collected. Went over the city island bridge today and saw the camps setup. I hope for the love of God the DEC officers stop by to say hello. Although I’m sure no one can speaky English yet along read the regulations that are also in English.
 
For quickest response, call the DEC Division of Law Enforcement hotline at 1-844-DEC-ECOS (1-844-332-3267). Never put yourself at risk - gather what information you can without trespassing or exposing yourself to harmful materials or situations.
1-844-332-3267 Put it in your cell !
 
by land or sea,,,,mojoe has nothing to hide,,,,officer jump on board the MOJOE SKIFF ? 8-)(y),,,,,, ><))):>
><))):>
7460
 
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