Officers Hook Summer Flounder Violators

[Hotrod]

Undercover New Jersey conservation officers caught the captain and first mate aboard a Belmar party boat deliberately killing undersized summer flounder and filleting them for bait to boost patrons' chances of landing the popular fish.  They now face thousands of dollars in penalties for a variety of marine fish violations. Five patrons also were hit with summonses.

For detailed information on the operation, including identities of the violators and the penalties they face READ MORE HERE

[Hotrod]

Oboy.............

[Pfishingruven]

Ouch!!

 

[Hotrod]

You know..   Be it wrong.. and you know a lot of captains are probably doing it..  trying to put food on their table with the regulations they were dealt the past few years.. IMO..  I think the only thing different about the Mohawk.. Is they got caught... pretty risky to do.

[SurfJockey]

Wow...Sending in undercovers?

[CapBob]

I know the pain the Captain has to go through with customers not catching a "legal" fish.

I get plenty of dirty looks having my customers throw back fat healthy 17 3/4- 17 9/10" fish only to come back to the dock to see people in rental boats unloading short fish.

It is a decision we all have to make, everything has a consequence.......You have to measure what you have to gain by what you have to lose............

[Pfishingruven]

Wow...Sending in undercovers?

That's a very popular tactic the NJCO's use.


 

[Bucktail]

and you know a lot of captains are probably doing it

I find it hard to believe there are a lot of captains doing this.  Maybe I'm naive.  But I would hope most of them would not stoop to intentionally break the law.

[PeggyLee]

 Unfortunately,these darn rules and regulatuions,that we all must abide (based on mis-informatiom)have caused some people to do strange things.I hope things improve for the entire situatuion and issues.We must never stop trying.Stay well.

[Hunter 2]

I know for a fact this occurs on some other boats too. But rules are rules.. If all the boats obey them the customers will not favor one boat over another because they let things like this slide. I think the captain and crew are responsable for enforcing the rules on the vessel. How many times have we come back from a trip one or two keepers and threw back countless numbers of 17 1/2" fish?

[IrishAyes]

Eddie, I think the captain and crews responsibility falls into knowing and advising the customer of the rules. No way should they be directed to enforce them.

They do not have the ways or means to do so. Imagine a belligerent 6'5", 250# guy breaking the rules. Can the state expect a 5'7", 150# deckhand to force a guy like that to abide by the rules? That would be impractical and dangerous.

The CAPTAIN AND CREW should abide by the rules themselves and not encourage the violations of them.

[Fightin Irish]

good for them

[Hotrod]

Sorry guys had to edit the title in all the posts.. it was too long..

[kezsr]

for the most part,I believe most of us try to abide by the rules or regulations,I try to,    but believe it's like the speed limit on the interstates are 65 MPH,but how many are riding along a little faster,you could get a ticket if stopped,be honest how many have at one time or another may not have been completely in compliance with regulations.   Kez

[Reckless]

They should take the boat from them to send a message to the rest of them. All of us here spend countless hours and money to catch legal size fish
and these jerks cut up illegal ones for bait!! 

[Salty Dog]

It's hard to see the line going down the Reach Channel seperating NJ from NY.

[sealife]

I have been on several head boats from Atlantic Highlands and Belmar and found that the Captain and Crew enforce the regs religiously on Fluke.  All of them had measuring boards and the mates would immediately measure a customers fish.  They would give condoldences to the customer but they did enforce the regs.  I have also seen customers on bottom fishing trips that asked to have short fish filleted and the mate refuse and again explain the regs.  We need to not blame the whole fleet for what a few do.

[Section32]

Taking the boat away?  I know it's your opinion, but I think you're going way over the top.  How about we take your car away if you go over the speed limit, or if you're not wearing your seat belt, or if you run your car at the gas pump?  Get real people!

These regulations are such b/s and i'm sure you all agree.  There is such a healthy population of fluke and especially 16-17" fish.  We have all had those days where catching that 18+" fish just seemed to be impossible while 17" fish were the rule of the day.  Imagine spending hundreds for a day of fishing and not being able to take anything home for the family.....that sucks and forces some of the casual fisherman to hit the market instead!  There should be a slot implemented for fish in this range which are much better for the table than larger fish.

I don't agree with breaking the regs but something has to change

That's a great boat that i frequent quite often and I have never seen them encourage that behavior.

[bassnblues]

They must be repeat offendors if the F&G got wind and committed resources to go undercover.

[Ranger79]

they are always undercover 65% of the time those weird looking guys on shore that ask you if your catchin anything are undercover. They also ride party boats when they want. I still know some of the guys for F&G ill ask them whats going on.