Two anglers returning to the Smugglers Beach boat ramp in South Yarmouth late Saturday night told Massachusetts Environmental Police they had caught and kept two striped bass. Officers found 13.
According to a post from the Massachusetts Environmental Police, the boarding took place at 11:45 p.m. on Saturday, September 19. After the two fishermen declared their two fish, officers continued inspecting the vessel and located a hidden compartment beneath a storage box in the bow. Inside were 11 more striped bass.
What Officers Found
Officers measured all 13 striped bass recovered from the boat. Seven were longer than the 31-inch maximum, and one was shorter than the 28-inch minimum. With a possession limit of one fish per recreational angler, 11 of the 13 fish put the pair over the legal limit. The search didn’t stop at stripers. Officers also found an undersized cod in a bait bucket.
The Charges
Both men were arrested and taken to the Massachusetts State Police barracks in Yarmouth, where they were booked on five charges:- Possession over the recreational limit of striped bass
- Possession of oversized striped bass
- Possession of undersized striped bass
- Failure to display catch upon demand
- Possession of cod in Southern New England waters
Hopefully the judge puts the hammer down on them!!
Good job, EPs. This needs to happen more often. I know the EPs are short staffed and that leaves us to Police our own. Those that threaten the responsible ones for protecting our fisheries, need to keep in mind the more they stop us from protecting of fisheries the less fish and more regulations are placed on us.! Thanks for posting, Kevin. Tight Lines my friend!
It should be a $2000 fine for every illegal fish and license revoked for 5 years.