Anyone who poaches fish, for whatever reason, is performing a criminal act against our aquatic resources and should be dealt with accordingly. In my opinion, they should also be charged with a crime against the environment.
I learned at an early age that poaching isn’t an acceptable practice. However, during my lifetime I’ve seen many types of poaching. Why is that? Is it an ethical issue, or is it a law enforcement issue, or a combination of both? Laws are put in place to protect the resource, and we as users of the resource must follow them…do we have the ethical fortitude to do so?
Most poachers start out doing the proper thing, purchasing the permits needed to catch and sell their fish and following the regulations, but the lack of enforcement emboldened many law-abiding fishermen to eventually violate the laws. The reasons I’ve heard for poaching are the standard ones:
1. Everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn’t I.
2. I need to feed my family.
3. I need to pay for new fishing gear.
4. I am only small potatoes compared to the illegal activities of others.
There doesn’t seem to be any concern among poachers for respecting the laws that are in place, or preserving a lifelong culture of recreational and commercial fishing.
If you feel the laws are wrong, then you need to legislate, with documentation, for what you feel is more appropriate. It is black and white. Poaching is illegal, no exceptions.
We need to understand that poaching hurts everyone—especially the fishermen who follow the rules, buy the permits, and make every attempt to be resource conscious. When we allow poaching, we hurt not only the seafood industry, but the image of fishing gets tarnished as a greedy community where it is all about the almighty dollar.
The culture of poaching in the Massachusetts commercial striped bass fishery has been a scourge for many years. The two-day selling season for striped bass in Massachusetts has been a boon to keeping the price of whole fish stable, but it has brought an inferior product to the market because of illegal activities. The regulations state that you can only legally catch and sell fish on those specific two days, but in actuality, bass are being caught seven days a week and held in coolers. Imagine what the unsuspecting buyer is getting at the fish store when they buy it to eat!
Another practice that has become commonplace is commercial fishermen have been purchasing fresh-caught bass from recreational fishermen, offering them cash on the spot, and then reselling the fish to a local buyer. Keep in mind the original person who caught the fish did not have a permit to sell any of his catch and the person buying the fish did not have a dealer’s permit to buy them. (I guess two wrongs make it right, as the saying goes?)
There are also those who have a permit to catch and sell two fish from shore on the two sell days, but instead catch fish all week long and find some one with the proper boat permits to sell the catch, sharing in the illegal gained profit for both.
What about those who use others’ boat permits to sell their catch? Why is it not required for them to show a picture ID when selling fish? Finally, how does just registering a boat that has an identification number on it, but no motor, meet the intent of the law?
Whose fault is it that the act of poaching is so prevalent today? We make laws for society to follow and we make ethical decisions whether we want to follow them. Law enforcement can also take some of the responsibility. The lack of officers results in more poaching, and in many cases, those who are caught are just given a slap on the wrist and are free to continue poaching.
The laws that apply to the resource need to have some teeth if they are to protect our fragile resource. We all need to try to have the court system look at poaching as a crime against the environment and the public.
As caring individuals and law-abiding citizens, it is up to us to set the example for the future generations. I make no distinction between commercial and recreational fishermen as we are united in preserving traditions for the benefit of all. One makes a living selling the product and the other enjoys the brotherhood of fishing for recreational purposes. Think what a world awaits those in the future without these valuable resources. We can do better. We should all strive to be law-abiding citizens who lead by example. We should report poachers, whether they are buyers or sellers.
These actions will have rewards for everyone, generations of both commercial and recreational users can still share a mutual love and respect for what they do.