Rhode Island Striper Poachers Busted

Environmental Police Officers found several boats to be in illegal possession of striped bass in the EEZ.

by Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
Block Island EEZ bust

This week while patrolling federal waters off Block Island with officers from NOAA Office of Law Enforcement, Environmental Police Officers boarded several commercial and recreational vessels. Officers found several boats to be in illegal possession of striped bass in the EEZ – a portion of federal waters reserved for conserving and managing fishery stocks.

Officers issued large fines. The stripers were seized and donated to the Amos House, a nonprofit social service agency that provides direct support for men, women, and children in Rhode Island who are hungry, homeless and in crisis.
 
Adhering to the rules is not only good for the health of our fisheries; it’s the law. Rhode Island environmental police will continue their efforts to combat illegal fishing activity in both state and federal waters.

Help the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management protect what is yours. Report violations to their 24-hour dispatch center at (401) 222-3070

31 on “Rhode Island Striper Poachers Busted”

  1. Carl Johansen

    Thank you environment police officers , These folks should be charged also with a crime against the environment they are violating . It is time to also take every thing to court they use in the catching of these illegal fish like the boats and car and trucks along with the fishing gear perhaps the word would get out faster that you all mean business.

    1. Mark L

      I agree Carl, thanks to the officers for this good work. The penalties are still not stiff enough. If you are convicted of poaching you should lose your boat and everything on it. That would start to put a real dent in the poaching problem.

  2. Rome

    To all the Enforcement Officers who took part, THANK YOU for your work. As you can read, this keeps happening. Whatever they are doing isn’t working. Fines seem to just be a slap on the wrist. NOAA and our court system needs to get their head out of their ***. When are we going to start really punishing these people? Jail time and start confiscating boats and equipment, really lay down the law. Right now, those clowns are laughing at everyone. Also, go after the buyers too. The ridiculous judges are also the problem. We need to replace them with people that are really going to uphold the law. Don’t make us take the law into our own hands.

    1. Bobm

      This is a story that should/could be repeated everyday. Great work by environment police, to the poachers who firstly don’t give a crap about conserving a resource for future generations and secondly are too self centered to read this… I hope am joined by many sportsmen and women to say we will report you!

  5. Tony Cabral

    Yes if you impound all their stuff the fear will begin to set in that it is not worth keeping the fish so why can fishermen vote on the Penalties

    1. Butch

      1st offense seize gear and boat
      2nd offense 1 year mandatory prison sentence

  7. Carlos Ramos

    How is the rules ovethere how many inches is the legal size and how many fish u have to get

    2. Check Your REGS Gents

      In the EEZ, federal waters outside 3 mile line on your Marine chart, there is no commercial fishing and recreational bag limit is 1 fish per person that measures between 28” and under 35”.

  9. Edwin Smalley

    Keep up the good work stripper population is nothing like it use to be last week I saw oversize strippers taken out of the canal I think we need more warden’s

  10. Andy

    NOAA and the Environmental Police are doing a great job! All of the law abiding sport fisherfolks appreciate the effort to keep the fish stocks healthy for the future.

  12. Clammer

    great JOB …….just keep it up , &&&&&&&& just maybe they will get the hint .we have to get the state to in crease the fines .I remember back in the day , shellfisherman caught >>. there would be a auction & their boats & gear would be auction be DEM , that & the criminal charges finally got yo them >

  13. Henry Wykowski

    Great jobs officers we need you to get more of these bad people there not even sportsmen

  14. andre’

    Here we go again , I can not understand how these people always end up with there boats after being busted They have to have something to stop this. Does any body have a tape to measure these fish? TAKE THERE BOATS and put there names and pictures in the paper . hats off to the Environmental Police good job ‘

  18. Ranger Rick

    Why can’t the state seized their fishing equipment and boats ?

    Who can I contact to support that remedy ???

  19. Joe

    I was out at block island the other night and was bored by dem quick check of my fish and on there way..Asked them about all the boats over the eez line fishin on the ledge and why there not checkin them they said dont worry about them and they proceeded to continue checkin boats on the good side of the line?? By time they checked 5 or 6 on the good side the 15 + boats over the line had left? Makes no sense

  22. Roman

    When are we really going to try to put an end to this? All we do is give them a slap on the wrist. Law Enforcement is out there risking their lives to do their jobs and these criminals just get away with a slap on the wrist. When are we going to start confiscating equipment and property and not just the fish? When are we going to put these criminals behind bars? People know that nothing is really going to happen to them so they keep doing it. We need to start prosecuting these people!!

  23. RPH III

    Publish the loser’s names and boat number so they can be watched and shamed by all.
    State and local police regularly post names of alleged criminals in the newspapers, why don’t the fish cops do the same?

  25. JoKa

    Great work, make the others think twice about the risks and maybe we will have a better tomorrow.

  26. Peter

    Thank you RI DEM! However, I see the same scumbag I have reported for years, yo-yo fishing and culling his catch in the Upper Bay. I gave up on giving him the business about it, he just doesn’t give a crap. Maybe if the DEM seized his boat, he might not poach and cull anymore?

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