Natural Resources Police say 67-year-old Dolan Lee Hurley of Cambridge has been charged with failing to tag striped bass within 200 yards of his net. Natural Resources Police say Hurley was charged after officers found 500 pounds of untagged striped bass onboard a commercial vessel more than 1,000 yards from the net. The charges against 52-year-old Robert Hodge Newberry of Crumpton include possession of untagged and undersized striped bass. Natural Resources Police say Newberry was charged after the commercial fishing vessel Open Ticket was boarded Tuesday near Sharps Island.
An Aug. 17 trial date was scheduled for both in Dorchester County District Court.
from WTOP / Associated Press
Why are we so heavily regulating these watermen? It is really getting overboard now. The restrictions on size and number are so restrictive that these men can't even make a living. Do we realize how many people in Maryland who used to do watermen and farming jobs are gone!? The way of life for so many proud Marylanders are destroyed by our own government! I'm not a "redneck eastern shoreman" who is uneducated and unaware. Many of these jobs and the poultry farmers will be gone in a few years and we are going to wonder WHY we didn't do something about it.
ReplyDelete711-Oh please, quit with the apologetic angle. Marylanders realize that the past 100 years of massive overfishing/overcrabbing/overclamming has led us to where we are today, with fisheries that are severly under pressure, not only from enviromental problems, but from abusive overfishing. Ask any 50 year old on the Shore. I'm only 25, but I've seen it worsen in my lifetime, and many times I've sat around with older anglers and heard the same story over and over again. The government isn't destroying the way of life, the commercial fishing/crabbing has. I have no sympathy for those that harvest undersized crabs/fish. Personally, these two clowns should not only have their commercial licenses revoked, but they should be permanently banned commercially and individually. It's guys like this that ruin fisheries. Until a hard line is taken, it'll just continue to happen time and time again.
ReplyDelete7:11, I don't know about "redneck" but you are quite uneducated as it pertains to the striper fishery.
ReplyDeleteStriper numbers are at near historic highs including historic highs of large fish well over the limit. There is absolutely no reason beside greed and laziness to take fish under the limit. Not to mention the waterman have been making a pretty penny off of striper fishing since the recovery.
Guess what happened back when the fishery wasn't regulated? IT CRASHED! Which meant no fish for anybody, whether it was commercial guys out to make money or just the average Joe trying to show his kid a good time.
You guys can say what you want and try to impress people with your knowledge of the striped bass .
ReplyDeleteThe fact is that they BROKE the law.
Having been a waterman , I know some are crooked and will steal and cheat the system. They are the ones that need to be fined or whatever.
In the past it was "catch all you , buy some beer and do it again".
7:11 , take a nap
Poachers is what they are.
ReplyDelete735 you claim you know what you're talking about but I beg to differ. The GOVERNMENT is ruining the way of life. I agree completely with 711. Government policies are becoming too restrictive. You ask any of the watermen I come into contact with everyday and they will tell you there is an abundance of crab around; however, the government is still putting more and more restrictions acting as if there are hardly any. What is going on in this state is wrong and I (like 711) believe that in 10 years time we will see an even more significant decline in how watermen are regulated. They are eventually going to be wiped out.
ReplyDeleteBecause back in the day they would harvest as much as they possibly could in a day. Then start over the next day! At one point there was practically nothing left. The regulations were put into place so that they would stop raping mother nature. These resources don't belong exclusively to the commercial fishing industry. Some of us would like to be able to catch a few fish recreationally. These guys are a DISGRACE!! Nothing noble about breaking the law. If you understood the history of overharvesting with oysters, rockfish, and crabs you would not have to ask "why". They ought to SHUT DOWN THE SEASON! I know times are tight (and that is why these situations are on the rise) but it is a privilege to be able to earn a living harvesting mother nature's bounty NOT a right. When you overharvest you do not allow the next generation of that species to gain enough of a foothold to reproduce. The population declines as a result, then you have what we have: marine dead zone. Back in the 1970s the Chesapeake was one of the first identified as such. We have a history of commercial fishermen overharvesting. Its how we got here. The DNR is doing future generations a favor, both sportfishermen and commercial fishermen alike. We all need to abide by the rules. End this greed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with 711. There's a difference in regulations and licenses v. OVERregulating. MD has gone over the line. Agriculture, fishing, hunting, crabbing, clamming, etc. There are poachers and there are ignorant DNR police and regulations too. In 10 years time, you won't be able to do any of these things as recreation because it will be too expensive and those who make their living doing these things will all be gone. And freaks like 735 can look in the mirror and see the cause of it. Go to an Al Gore concert!
ReplyDeleteHey 7:50
ReplyDeleteIn the 70's I could catch 15 bushels of #1s over 5 1/2" by noon.
I don't know what watermen you talked to but crabs are not plentiful. Crabbers in my area are catching about 3 bushels daily.
You guys tickle me with vast knowledge of nothing.
Yeah, 8:04, we should let the watermen set the limit! We can go back to where we were without a damn thing living in the whole Chesapeake! Then the watermen would be crying about how there are no crabs, fish, and oysters. Who would they have to blame then?
ReplyDelete:op
it's because of aholes like these two that you can't take your kids down to the local pier and spend an afternoon with them having fun catching a few fish or crabs. The commercial guys are screwing all the recreational fisherman.
ReplyDeleteThese resources belong to all marylanders including our children.
Maybe DNR ought to confiscate their boats and vehicles. Then they won't be able to keep doing it!
And as far as the chicken farmers, well again this spring I drove past fields that were inundated with poultry manure! Good riddance to those polluters too!
Why should a privately held company be able to pollute our waters to the point we or our children can't enjoy them?
Clean up your acts and it wouldn't be a concern for the average citizen!
I can guarantee you that everyone of you who talk like "shut down the season" do not work on the water. You do not make your livings that way or else you would not be saying it. And hey 8:50 I'm not talking about YOU. The ones that I talk to are catching more that 3 measly bushels a day. So yes, crabs are plentiful where I am. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHey 8:43 confiscate their boats? Are you simple? THESE PEOPLE MAKES THEIR LIVING ON THE WATER AND YOU'RE TRYING TO TAKE THAT AWAY FROM THEM BECAUSE YOU WANT TO CATCH A COUPLE CRABS OFF THE DOCK?! You have got to be kidding me. And as far as chicken farmers go, they provide food for us to EAT. "No Farms, No Food." Ever heard of that slogan? It rings truth. You sound like anything that has to be done to provide food to the public is outrageous. Watermen and chicken farmers both provide food to the public whether you know it or not. Without those "commercial fisherman" and "poultry farmers" we would have no fish or no poultry. What would you suggest eating then? Canned hot dogs? Oh wait, you would probably say something about how the metal of the can causes pollution too. You're the "AHOLE"!
ReplyDelete70% of crab served in restaurants now comes from Asia. Same with shrimp. Duh
ReplyDeleteIt used to be that there were enough crabs in the Bay to pasturize for the whole winter season. Not anymore.
"I can guarantee you that everyone of you who talk like "shut down the season" do not work on the water. You do not make your livings. . ."
ReplyDeleteHold it right there, Skippy, these guys are breaking the law LEFT AND RIGHT!! What are we supposed to do?! Just let them keep taking and taking till its all gone?! Keeping baby rockfish?! Greedy fool. I don't like to punish everyone for the sins of a few. . .BUT if they are going to let these guys go back to their commercial gigs after keeping undersized fish and taking part in illegal gill netting operations I say SHUT IT DOWN!! They need to END the careers of these guys. They should not even be able to buy a recreational fishing license or pilot a boat on the water.
:o|
Oh please! It comes from Asia because it's the cheap stuff. Restaurants know that they can save money by buying it elsewhere. Local crab meat goes for $30 a pound when the Asian stuff is half that.
ReplyDelete9:07 Is Right!
ReplyDeleteHey 8:43 confiscate their boats? Are you simple? THESE PEOPLE MAKES THEIR LIVING ON THE WATER AND YOU'RE TRYING TO TAKE THAT AWAY FROM THEM BECAUSE YOU WANT TO CATCH A COUPLE CRABS OFF THE DOCK?! You have got to be kidding me. And as far as chicken farmers go, they provide food for us to EAT. "No Farms, No Food." Ever heard of that slogan? It rings truth. You sound like anything that has to be done to provide food to the public is outrageous. Watermen and chicken farmers both provide food to the public whether you know it or not. Without those "commercial fisherman" and "poultry farmers" we would have no fish or no poultry. What would you suggest eating then? Canned hot dogs? Oh wait, you would probably say something about how the metal of the can causes pollution too. You're the "AHOLE"!
ReplyDeleteYea and criminals make thier living stealing as well, would you not confiscate their tools ? Just because you earn your living on the water it does not give you the right to act how you please. the regulations may be over doing it, but there is a reason for them in the first place. I can completely understand wanting to make as much money as possible during the day to support your family, but what about the next waterman's family? The one who will come 15-20 years down the road? What can you tell them? If your not following the law you are breaking it end of story.
9:25 you say you don't like to punish everyone for the sins of a few and yet you're willing to do it? Well hold on there "Skippy." My point of contention is the regulations on the honest watermen. Regulating them as severely as the government has is ridiculous. I am not saying let it be a free-for-all but the watermen should be able to make a pretty decent living by catching crabs. What the men in this article have done is illegal and, I agree, they should be punished. However, as I said, my problem is the regulations of all watermen. Illegal is illegal I agree, but the fact that some watermen are limited to 5 bushels a day is just as atrocious. No need to punish everyone. You say to take their commercial fishing license away. Take it away from those who break the law this severely. For a guy that catches a few fish to eat and still take away his license? Stupid.
ReplyDelete952-So, 500 pounds of Rockfish isn't severe? Is that considered, just a "few fish to eat"? Come on man. Guys like this ruin it for the everyman.
ReplyDelete804-I'm no Al Gore fan. I'm a conservative and believe in conservation. What happened when we let the bay industries self-regulate? Got a massive decline in the Bay. Anyone with a set of eyes can see that. I'm all for commercial fishing/crabbing, but for guys that blatantly break the law and abuse the fishery, they deserve to have their licenses revoked and never get to work on the water again. Guys like this are a major problem, whether you take your blinders off or not, that's up to you.
"you say you don't like to punish everyone for the sins of a few and yet you're willing to do it?"
ReplyDeleteYes, as a last resort.
This season, more than any other in recent memory, has produced more crooked commercial fishermen than I would have expected. If they keep catching them, yes, shut the season down.
They shouldn't have to do that though if they make an example of the ones who break the law. Take their damn boat and their license to harvest and operate a vessel on OUR waterways. FINE THEM BADLY! If you don't like that: you're part of the problem, SKIPPY!
:o)
damn right, 10:28, that ain't "just a few fish to eat"
ReplyDelete500 lbs. . .disgraceful
The watermen have the watermen to
blame for their lot in life!
:o|
10:28 yes I said 500 lbs. is severe and they should be punished.
ReplyDeleteSo SKIPPY 10:37 you just said yourself what I said. Punish the ones who break the law! There is no need to shut it all down! If you shut it all down then what do you honestly think is going to happen? This problem will just go away? Um nope. It'll get worse because you're shutting the season down completely. Stupid stupid stupid! SKIPPY :)
@10:28
ReplyDeleteI was agreeing with you...the first paragraph i copied and pasted from a previous post. Read the whole comment....
there aren't enough dnr agents to police the whole state. Why when all those tons of rock fish were found in illegal gill nets no one came forward to speak out about it. The waterman know who the culprits are. They just won't talk. When we catch other criminals stealing we put them in jail. Like I said catch them take their tools of their trade away!
ReplyDeleteWe'll still have plenty of food from the ones who are fishing legally! These criminals impact everyone, esp the hardworking legit waterman! same for the chicken farmers folowing the laws on placing chicken manure on their fields. The ones who over do it are hurting not only the public with the excess pollution but the ones who follow the laws!
Damn lawbreakers have no respect for anyone or anything!
Look, SKIPPY, if this continues I DO feel there is a need to shut it all down. It has been done before when poaching became a problem! There is a reason for that: it's the safest thing to do to ensure that the illegal haul of rockfish doesn't put the state over the limit on how many can be caught sustainably. Sustainability is the concern here, and the DNR calculates this very carefully to ensure the rockfish population is there for us all to enjoy. If these guys keep doing this THEY are the ones to blame for the season shutdown: NOT THE DNR!! I bet it wouldn't get worse if they said we'll lock your ass up if we catch you fishing after we end the season.
ReplyDelete:o)
$ per fish and jail time.
ReplyDelete11:38, yep.
ReplyDeleteThe DNR are the real criminals.
ReplyDeleteThe innocent and honest should not be held accountable for the greedy cheats BUT that is the way of America these days. Instead of keeping the crooks off the water by suspending their rights for life, they will be allowed back and all of the upstanding watermen will end up having even more regulations that prevent them from earning an honest living. Hold the morons accountable and give the good guys their businesses and rights back.
ReplyDelete