Commercial Fishermen off NY Caught with 135 Untagged Striped Bass

October was a busy month for New York State Environmental Conservation Officers on Long Island. According to a November 5 press release, ECOs conducting fishing compliance checks on October 16 in Suffolk County boarded several commercial striped bass boats and on one vessel, discovered a total of 247 striped bass of which only 112 were tagged legally. The boat was escorted back to the dock where officers proceeded to count and document 135 untagged fish, in violation of law.

Check out the partial press release from NYSDEC below.

Fishing Compliance Checks – Long Island and Orange County

Too early, undersized, and over the limit are just some of the violations ECOs encountered during recent fishing compliance checks on Long Island and in Orange County.

On Oct. 16, ECOs Della Rocco, DeVito, and Simmons participated in a joint boat patrol with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Officer Lepre focused on commercial fishing boats in Suffolk County. The team boarded several vessels during their fishing compliance checks and discovered violations on one boat headed to a dock to sell fish commercially. The vessel contained multiple untagged striped bass.

The team escorted the boat back to the dock to properly count and document the illegal fish. Officers counted a total of 247 striped bass, with only 112 of them tagged legally. One hundred and thirty-five striped bass were untagged in violation of law. ECOs ticketed the anglers on board for commercial possession of untagged striped bass, returnable to Southampton Town Justice Court.

To contact an ECO to report an environmental crime or to report an incident, call 1-844-DEC-ECOS for 24-hour dispatch or email (for non-urgent violations).

» Click here to read the full press release