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Tuesday, September 30, 2014

NRP Uses State Police Helicopter to Catch Illegal Clammers

Two Queen Anne’s County men were charged with illegal clamming Monday after a Maryland Natural Resources Police officer spotted them while on surveillance patrol aboard a State Police helicopter.

Observers aboard Trooper 6 spotted the watermen before 8 a.m. as they harvested clams on and near oyster beds in Eastern Bay.

Edward Ellsworth Grimes Jr. 63, of Stevensville*, and Bryan Richard Grimes, 39, of Chester, were each charged with dredging for soft clams within 150 feet of a natural oyster bar and dredging for clams on a natural oyster bar.

The men are scheduled to appear in Queen Anne’s District Court on Nov. 5. If found guilty on all charges, they could face fines exceeding $1,000 each.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

$1,000 fines? They'll be back out clamming the next day. Until the fines/penalties are harsh enough to discourage such illegal harvesting, such illegal harvesting will continue, unabated.

Anonymous said...

Just like using Homeland Security to enforce EPA laws.