What do you think???
- Thread starter Bird Dog
- Start date
TurboK9
New Member
I'm a little confused as to why he gets an 18 month prison sentence when other more 'criminal' crimes (drugs, multiple DUI's, etc etc) get off with probation or house arrest... But no arguing he broke the law.
All watermen are in the same boat, no pun intended. They are part of a dying breed. Overfishing and pollution has decimated our fisheries. I don't consider either of these an excuse to break the law. Look at our County Commissioner President, Jackie Russell. This is what he is, a waterman. He saw the writing on the wall and converted his business to aquatourism. There is no reason that these other watermen couldn't devise other ideas to convert their businesses.
I don't think the penalty is too stiff, they broke the law and they deserve to pay the penalties. I bet you won't see anybody else doing it, so I think the sentence is appropriate.
I don't think the penalty is too stiff, they broke the law and they deserve to pay the penalties. I bet you won't see anybody else doing it, so I think the sentence is appropriate.
desertrat
0_0
Federal offense.
GWguy
*
Towns on Long Island went to court to block salt water licenses.
3 East End towns block state saltwater fishing law
3 East End towns block state saltwater fishing law
Watermen (not all) are of the "I better get them today since tomorrow they may be gone" mentality. I realize that they have boat payments, license fees, gear, insurance etc..., but so does every other businessman. As a recreational fisherman, I feel like he stole from me! The legal limit are his fish, anything above that is stealing from others. A just punishment IMHO. I am sure he is "sorry"! Every criminal says that when they get caught!
The watermen raped the bay for decades. Nobody had the nads to stop them or at least cut back on their harvest. They use to have crab picking houses on Solomons Island up until the late 1970s. People got greedy and everyone lost.
At least the rockfish made it back from the brink of extinction. That took legislation and a no harvest period. We need the same protection for the sturgeon, menhaden, crabs, shad and oysters. But it's too much of a hot potato politics wise, so we continue to do nothing and species may reach the point of no return.
My grandkids will probably have to go to a museum to see a Chesapeake bay oyster in the future. If my kids ever give me grandkids that is.
At least the rockfish made it back from the brink of extinction. That took legislation and a no harvest period. We need the same protection for the sturgeon, menhaden, crabs, shad and oysters. But it's too much of a hot potato politics wise, so we continue to do nothing and species may reach the point of no return.
My grandkids will probably have to go to a museum to see a Chesapeake bay oyster in the future. If my kids ever give me grandkids that is.
Attachments
I thought they had a good idea with the proposed oyster moratorium just recently but of course the watermen didn't want it and it was put down. I don't know why the industry can't realize that they need to take a break to bring populations back up. If we keep up at this rate the whole industry will go down the tubes instead of just taking a break for a couple of years.
Dukesdad
Well-Known Member
The part of the story that brought it home to me was 200 tons unreported. That's 400,000 pounds unreported. When sport fisherman can only take one or two fish per trip and they were over harvesting that much.... The sentence is not to tough. The fine isn't enough though.
GWguy
*
You're forgetting the canneries. Canning of whole fresh and smoked oyster for worldwide distribution was a big business then. Check out the museum on Solomons.