Tag: illegal fishing

Snook poacher nabbed after an attempt to ‘slip away’

A Florida wildlife officer acting on a tip and vehicle description located a poaching suspect who was found in possession of 35 out-of-season and undersized snook.

A Florida wildlife officer acting on a tip and vehicle description located a poaching suspect who was found in possession of 35 out-of-season and undersized snook.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stated Monday that the unidentified suspect also was cited for the illegal use of a cast net.

If it were open season on snook, only hook-and-line fishing would be allowed, and the bag limit would be one snook per day.

The FWC stated that the officer who responded to a tip arrived at the unidentified Lee County location to find that “the snook stealer [had] slipped away.”

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But after receiving a description of the suspect and vehicle, the officer located the “wet and sandy” suspect and discovered a cast net and 35 snook, plus a mangrove snapper, in the truck’s bed.

Snook fishing in the region, from Sarasota Bay through Gordon Pass in Collier County, is catch-and-release only through Aug. 31.

Angler jailed for possessing protected goliath grouper

A Florida man was jailed Wednesday night after he was found to be in possession of a protected goliath grouper.

A Florida man was jailed Wednesday night after he was found to be in possession of a protected goliath grouper.

In a news release issued Thursday, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office stated that Marine Deputy Willie Guerra spotted Ming Horng Yin walking from the Channel #2 Bridge in Islamorada to his vehicle with a fishing rod and cooler.

Guerra inspected the cooler and found the grouper, still alive. Guerra released the grouper and arrested Yin. It was not clear how long Yin, 52, was held.

Goliath grouper have been protected in state and federal waters off Florida since 1990. In state waters, harvesting goliath grouper is punishable by a fine up to $500 per fish and up to 60 days in jail.

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Many anglers still target goliath grouper while catch-and-release fishing. But rules are strict and fish “must be immediately returned to the water free, alive and unharmed,” according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The goliath grouper is the largest grouper species in the Atlantic and can weigh nearly 800 pounds. According to NOAA Fisheries, its range includes the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Keys in the U.S., the Bahamas and most of the Caribbean, and coastal waters off Brazil.

–Goliath grouper image courtesy of NOAA Fisheries