Violations Of Fishing Laws Are A Big Problem For Conservation Officers | North Woods Law
Summary
TLDRIn this video script, Sergeant Adam Cheney and Conservation Officer Chris McKee investigate fishing violations, including overfishing limits and improper gear use. They encounter a fisherman with more than the allowed number of bass, leading to a ticket and a one-year suspension of his fishing license. The officers also address a suspended fisherman's non-compliant lobster traps in federal waters, highlighting the importance of conservation to ensure resources for future generations.
Takeaways
- π Sergeant Adam Cheney and Conservation Officer Chris McKee were conducting a routine check for fishing regulations compliance.
- π£ They were investigating complaints about people fishing over the legal limit and found a man fishing with a tackle box and lawn chair.
- π¨βπ¦ A father and his child were also spotted fishing nearby, which the officers acknowledged as a positive sight.
- π The officers checked the fishing license and discovered that the man had caught more than the allowed number of bass.
- π The man claimed the fish in his bucket were for food, but the officers found that he had at least 15 bass, exceeding the limit of 5 per person per day.
- π¨ The man was informed that he would receive a ticket for having an over-limit of fish, with fines totaling $285.20.
- π² His fishing license would be suspended for one year if found guilty.
- π The officers emphasized the importance of preserving and conserving fish for future generations and the negative impact of overfishing.
- π The officers also checked lobster traps for compliance with federal regulations and found issues with a fisherman's gear in federal waters.
- β οΈ The fisherman had a history of violations, leading to a suspension in state waters and forcing him to fish in federal waters.
- π The officers found unmarked traps and extra gear, which is illegal and considered as stealing from other fishermen and damaging the fishery resources.
- π Officer Arsenault communicated with the violator, highlighting the federal offense and the serious implications of his actions.
Q & A
Who are the main characters in the script?
-The main characters in the script are Sergeant Adam Cheney and Conservation Officer Chris McKee.
What was the initial reason for the officers to approach Dan?
-The officers approached Dan to investigate complaints of people fishing over the limit.
What did the officers observe about the man fishing by the water?
-They observed a man with a tackle box and a lawn chair, along with a little kid, and they decided to check them.
What was the man's initial response when asked about the contents of his bucket?
-The man initially claimed that the bucket contained his food.
How many fish did the man have in his bucket, and what was the legal limit?
-The man had at least 15 fish in his bucket, while the legal limit was 5 fish per person per day for bass.
What actions did the officers take after discovering the man had an over-limit of fish?
-The officers decided to take the man back to the vehicle to count the fish and have him pick up all his equipment.
What was the fine for having an over-limit of fish, according to the script?
-The fine for having an over-limit of fish was $524, with an additional $12.40 fine for each fish over the limit.
What were the consequences for the man found with an over-limit of fish?
-The man faced a fine of $285.20, and his fishing license was to be suspended for one year upon conviction.
What is the significance of the officers' actions in terms of fish conservation?
-The officers' actions are significant for preserving and conserving fish resources to ensure they are available for future generations.
What issue was found with the lobster traps in New Hampshire waters?
-The issue found with the lobster traps was that the gear was not in compliance with federal regulations, and the fisherman was under suspension in New Hampshire waters.
What was the problem with the fisherman's gear in federal waters?
-The problem was that the fisherman had extra traps, which put pressure on the resource that was not planned for by scientists and biologists, essentially stealing from other fishermen.
Outlines
π¨ Fishing Regulations Enforcement
In this paragraph, conservation officers Sergeant Adam Cheney and Chris McKee are conducting an investigation into fishing violations. They approach a man fishing with his child and proceed to check his fishing license and catch. The man is found to have an over-limit of bass, exceeding the allowed five per person per day. The officers explain the regulations and the consequences of overfishing, emphasizing the importance of conservation for future generations. The man is issued a ticket for the over-limit, which includes a fine and a one-year suspension of his fishing license. The officers also collect evidence of the violation for further legal proceedings.
π¦ Lobster Trap Inspections and Compliance
This paragraph focuses on the inspection of lobster traps by conservation officers to ensure compliance with federal regulations. The officers find a fisherman whose gear is under suspension in New Hampshire waters and has issues with his equipment in federal waters. The fisherman had previously faced issues with untagged gear and is now found with improperly tagged traps, which is a federal offense. The officers document the evidence, including photographs and GPS coordinates, and discuss the importance of proper tagging to prevent overfishing and ensure fair fishing practices for all. The fisherman is contacted to address the violations, highlighting the serious nature of non-compliance with fishing regulations.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Conservation Officer
π‘Fishing Over the Limit
π‘Fishing License
π‘Bass
π‘Fishing Equipment
π‘Violation
π‘Fines
π‘License Suspension
π‘Lobster Traps
π‘Federal Waters
π‘Trap Tag
Highlights
Sergeant Adam Cheney and Conservation Officer Chris McKee investigate fishing over the limit complaints.
They approach a man with fishing tackle and a lawn chair, suspecting overfishing.
The officers check fishing licenses and the number of fish caught.
A bucket with moving contents suggests live fish are being kept illegally.
The man admits to having more than the legal limit of bass, facing potential penalties.
Officers explain the consequences of overfishing, including fines and license suspension.
The importance of preserving fish stocks for future generations is emphasized.
A fisherman is caught with 13 smallmouth bass, over the daily limit of 5 per person.
The fisherman is given a ticket and faces a fine for over-limit fishing.
Conservation officers also check lobster traps for compliance with federal regulations.
A fisherman with a history of violations is found fishing in federal waters despite suspension.
Lobster traps are inspected for proper tagging and compliance with regulations.
Fishing extra traps puts undue pressure on fish stocks and is considered stealing from other fishermen.
Evidence of violations, including pictures and GPS coordinates, is collected for reporting.
Officer Arsenault discusses the severity of the violations and their federal implications.
The transcript highlights the ongoing efforts to enforce fishing regulations and protect marine life.
Transcripts
sergeant Adam Cheney and conservation
officer Chris McKee had two hooks at Dan
to investigate complaints of people
fishing over the limit
there's a guy down below I see fishing
tackle box lawn chair there's dad this
little kid will just want to check them
good yeah exactly
the other guy with you down there no
okay you gotta check guys and you're all
set so yeah you're all set come on good
job bud hey you doing you have any luck
how long you been out today
there you go
hey hey keeping any of them know how
many of you caught so far today I'm just
checking official I did your fishing
license oh yeah okay Parrish so what do
you have in the Prowler I asked him what
was in the bucket he told me it was his
food
the bucket is moving so there's some
sort of fishing there's something live
inside the bucket you said you had food
in the core how many bass do you have
these are these are baths these are all
bath how many do you have
okay you're only allowed to have 5i
you're only allowed to have five you
have at least 15 or so in here okay you
see clearly over his limit of Bassett
you can possess right now so we're gonna
take him back up to the vehicle and see
how many fish he actually has and have
them pick all his equipment up and check
them at the vehicle where it's a little
bit safer further away from the water
where we can kind of control the
situation
yeah I got to call the fish he ass eater
one back when we were there but everyone
was a smallmouth yeah he's coming up if
you want just wait for our wave go up
just count them okay now the limit from
smallmouth is 5 per person per day 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 17 18 so your 13 fish
over the limit right now alright I'll be
right back with your Oh quick
we want to make sure people aren't
taking over lists you know we want to
see the children down here like they are
and the dads taking their kids here they
take all the fish out there's gonna be
nothing left for anybody else to have so
yeah when I asked him what he had the
bucket he told me was food he said he's
got food in there so okay
he caught a bass falls there as soon as
I caught it he looked at me and threw it
back so he obviously knows I'll explain
that to him as well so all right so
basically you're gonna get a ticket for
having over a limit of fish okay all
right so we're gonna let you keep five
of the fish okay court sets a $524 for
having an over-limit of fish after that
every fish you possess is a $12 40 cent
fine so on top of that so the fines are
gonna end up being two hundred and
eighty-five dollars and 20 cents okay
you will have your fishing license
suspended for a period of one year once
they find you guilty on that okay you
have any questions for me or anything
okay I'll give you your your license
back here as well so don't keep down
Anya and the our estimate I'm gonna get
an evidence bag l will fish do you want
our G yeah you P you can pick them out
we're getting more and more people that
are coming in and starting to catch fish
and keep them as many as they can it's a
resource that is declining and it's
important to be able to preserve and
conserve those fish so that they're
there for the future actually this
doesn't this doesn't work this is not
good
he's got the hog rings but he's got a
half hitch down there so that no off the
New Hampshire Coast the conservation
officers check on lobster traps to make
sure the gears in compliance with
federal regulations this guy is
currently under suspension in New
Hampshire waters and now we found issues
with his gear out in federal water
it's got a tag last year we had a run-in
with this fisherman with some one tag
gear in state waters one trap on a
scroll that was untag so that put him
out of business in state waters he's
suspended for a number of years in state
due to all their violations that have
piled up before so that kind of forced
him into the federal waters side of
thing - stank bait in state waters
fishermen typically fish 10 traps on a
trawl we're out in federal waters right
now so this is probably going to be a 20
trapped raw which on this boat we don't
have much room for it but we can do it
[Applause]
no trap tag
[Applause]
no tag I don't know if you didn't think
we were gonna come out here and check
his traps again or if we didn't think we
had the equipment or the abilities to
get a trawl this size up on the mold or
what but I guess you decide to chance it
again Falcon a house more gear you know
if we can find another trawl by fishing
extra traction it's putting pressure
that wasn't planned for by the
scientists and by the biologists the
damages the resource by fishing extra
traps and it basically stealing from all
the other fisherman's law
[Music]
we clink
same as before there it is it's no red
taggle huh no tag no tag
egregious
like the blankie history so everything
we have here the pictures the GPS
coordinates are all evidence that we're
gonna put into a report and forward to
Noah with the evidence gathered and the
report filled out
officer arsenault talks to the violator
on the phone hey Ron arsenal fishing
game ya know the weak link was also
messed up on that that little toggle
buoy that you had and he had a
half-hitch through it so you can't have
that either yes the more so was the
issue of the trap tag says we've had an
issue with that in the past it was one
trap on two trawls that we we only
pulled two trawls of yours and they're
both the same
no one's gonna be in touch with there
cuz that's a federal offense it's not
it's not with us go on for the four
pleasures
but he didn't know hundreds of other
people
you
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