ECOs Ticket Multiple Tautog Poachers on Long Island
In October, officers ticketed multiple anglers for possessing blackfish out of season, possession of undersized blackfish, and exceeding the possession limit.
Throughout the month of October, New York State Environmental Conservation Officers patrolled and enforced tautog regulations in both the Long Island Sound and New York Bight regions. During their patrols in Suffolk County and Eastern Long Island Sound, ECOs observed and ticketed multiple anglers for taking/possessing blackfish out of season, possession of undersized blackfish, and exceeding the possession limit.
While there is a uniform minimum size for keeper blackfish in New York, the state’s blackfish seasons and bag limits differ between the Long Island Sound and NY Bight.
Long Island Sound Region
Marine and coastal district waters lying east of the Throgs Neck Bridge and west of a line that runs from Orient Point, NY to Watch Hill, RI.
Minimum Size Limit (total length in inches): 16 inches
Open Seasons
April 1 – April 30: 2 fish/angler per day
October 11 – December 9: 3 fish/angler per day
New York Bight Region
Marine and coastal district waters lying outside of the Long Island Sound Region.
Minimum Size Limit (total length in inches): 16 inches
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. Here are some of the more notable cases:
On Oct. 10, ECOs McGhee and Simmons performed numerous recreational fishing compliance checks on vessels in New York waters in and around Long Island, specifically Plum and Fishers Islands. The Officers boarded several boats and observed anglers with tautog (blackfish) on board. The season for catching blackfish in the Long Island Sound region opened the next day, on Oct. 11, with a minimum size limit of 16 inches and possession limit of four fish per person. While the blackfish season in nearby Connecticut opened on the day of this patrol, boats fishing in New York waters are required to follow New York’s rules and regulations. ECOs McGhee and Simmons ticketed several anglers for taking blackfish out of season, returnable to Southold Town Justice Court. For more information on New York’s recreational saltwater fishing regulations, visit the DEC website.
Blackfish taken out of season in the Long Island Sound region. (Photo via NYSDEC)
On Oct. 11, ECO DeRose patrolled the south shore of Suffolk County along the shoreline of Robert Moses State Park in an area along the Atlantic Coast known as the New York Bight, extending from the southern tip of Cape May, New Jersey, to the southeastern coast of Long Island. Open season for tautog (blackfish) in that area is Oct. 15 to Dec. 22. Officer DeRose observed two groups catching multiple blackfish and failing to return them to the waters of the state. While dealing with the first group, ECO DeRose observed a member of the second group attempting to leave the area with a backpack cooler, ignoring commands to stop. Officer DeRose caught up with the angler in a nearby parking lot, checked his catch, and found the subject in possession of nine out-of-season blackfish. Additionally, another angler in the subjects’ fishing party possessed an undersized black sea bass. ECO DeRose ticketed all anglers for taking/possessing blackfish out of season and issued an additional ticket to one angler for the undersized black sea bass. The angler who tried to flee also received an additional ticket for failure to obey a lawful order of an Environmental Conservation Police Officer. For more information on New York’s recreational saltwater fishing regulations, visit the DEC website.
Blackfish taken out of season in New York Bight, Suffolk County. (Photo via NYSDEC)
On Oct. 25, ECO Dickerson responded to a complaint about four individuals keeping undersized tautog (blackfish) and storing them in a vehicle at Shinnecock Inlet in Southampton, Suffolk County. Officer Dickerson and Southampton Town Marine Patrol arrived and observed a group fishing near the vehicle matching the complaint’s description. Officers conducted a marine fishing compliance check, identified the registered owner of the vehicle, and inquired about the group’s catches. The vehicle owner denied that they had caught any fish and opened the trunk revealing three empty coolers. Recalling that the complainant reported the group hiding the fish inside the vehicle and after observing a fish tail sticking out of a plastic bag near the driver’s seat, the Officers asked the owner to open all vehicle doors. The owner complied and the Officers located 14 blackfish stuffed underneath the driver, passenger, and back seats of the vehicle. Twelve of the 14 fish discovered were shorter than the legal-size limit. The Officers ticketed the owner of the vehicle for possession of undersized blackfish and exceeding the possession limit. For more information on New York’s recreational saltwater fishing regulations, visit the DEC website.
Undersized and over the limit of blackfish discovered in Suffolk County. (Photo via NYSDEC)
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).
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