Angling to protect stripers
By Ann BaldelliPublication: The Day
Published 10/30/2011 12:00 AM
Updated 10/27/2011 11:30 PM
..........fishing in Rhode Island (where there is also a two-fish limit) but landed their catch in Stonington. Other anglers troubled by their greediness alerted the conservation police to their activity, including the fact that they would set out from Barn Island but unload their catch at Lords Point, where Hochman's family lives. The conservation officers were waiting when they came to shore Oct. 4, and nabbed them as they moved the bass from their boat to a vehicle on Boulder Avenue.
If convicted, the two could be fined $100 each for the first fish over the creel limit, $200 for the second, and $500 each for the third and fourth, and/or face up to 60 days in jail. I doubt the court will incarcerate these guys, but if they did indeed go out of their way to cover their tracks after illegal fishing - they should face the highest fines.
Not every recreational angler agrees with all the state's rules for managing its saltwater fisheries, but they're applauding the state's efforts to go after these alleged lawbreakers and make them accountable for their indiscretion.
Overturf, the conservation police colonel, said while environmental officers are committed to natural resource protection, it sometimes requires a cooperative effort from sports enthusiasts. The state's hotline to turn in poachers is 1-800-842-4357, he said.
