The part that blows my mind is that these guys apparently still have their vessel & are free to keep poaching as long as they don't get caught ... you want to get the laws changed for the better, take this article to your local senator, congressman, etc and ask why the criminals are allowed to walk away with nothing more than a rap sheet!

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Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot, (512) 389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us

June 19, 2006
Game Wardens Arrest Poachers With 800 Red Snapper

AUSTIN, Texas � Acting on an Operation Game Thief (OGT) hotline tip, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens apprehended seven individuals on June 8 with more than 2,000 pounds of illegally caught snapper. The case, one of the largest seizures in Texas in recent years, resulted in citations for 26 game law violations and could result in fines and restitution of upwards of $20,000.

According to TPWD Game Warden Lt. Alan Teague, officials received a call about anglers on a shrimp vessel who were retaining every fish they were landing near an oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico 20 miles south of Corpus Christi. Game wardens intercepted the vessel in state waters, but released it after determining the suspects carried the appropriate federal permit to retain red snapper they claimed were caught in federal waters.

�As long as they were in transit, they were okay,� said Teague. �But, they got greedy and we later caught them fishing off a rig in state waters, which meant they were in violation of Texas laws. Even if they had a Texas commercial finfish license, the maximum number of red snapper they could have retained would be 28. They had over 800 fish.�

The haul was confiscated by game wardens and sold dockside for more than $4,200.

Teague noted the individuals involved, along with the boat�s owner, have a rap sheet with a collective 62 game law violations. One of the suspects has 45 previous illegal red snapper cases pending with TPWD.

Operation Game Thief is Texas' Wildlife Crime-Stoppers Program, offering rewards of up to $1,000.00 for information leading to the arrest and conviction for a wildlife crime. Begun in 1981 as a result of laws passed by the 67th Legislature to help curtail poaching, the program, a function of the Law Enforcement division of The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, is highly successful, having been responsible for the payment of over $195,000.00 in rewards. Privately funded, the program is dependent on financial support from the public through the purchase of OGT merchandise and memberships, donations, sponsorships, and gifts. To report suspected game law violations call the OGT hotline at 1-800-792-GAME.

Commercial fishing has taxed us long enough, legal and illegal..


-Z-

So this is why I can only take home 4 snapper. . . It's people like this that ruin it for everyone. Forget about the fine, LOCK'EM UP!

Based on this statement, maybe we should be locking up the politicians and judges. They look like accessories to the crimes.

A four red snapper limit was changed this year. It is now a 2 red snapper per person per day limit. If you are out for two or more days, you can keep a two day limit, for a limit of 4.

I agree, the commercial fishing has really damaged the red snapper population. Just the by-catch alone is mortifying in the number of small snapper they kill once they are released.

When is enough enough? That is ridiculous. I think this is the part that blows my mind the most. Can you take away the opportunity to get the necessary permits/licenses? If so, why has it not been done "One of the suspects has 45 previous illegal red snapper cases pending with TPWD.". Incredible, simply incredible.

Hang em high

It's amazing how the size of the snapper seems to be getting smaller and smaller as well in just a few years. I know that there are a lot of honest commercial fisherman out there so I don't want to condemn them all but we can't just keep taking and taking without the risk of wiping out the resource. It's a shame.

There has to be a practical solution somewhere between 2 fish limits/6 months closed season & this insane non-stop poaching. I saw nothing wrong with a 4 or 5 fish limit for anglers, but personally would limit it to "first fish caught" to eliminate bycatch. I've written to various govt agencies without so much as a form letter response so far ... just means I have to keep trying.

SBursik, as far as snapper size goes, the gulf council is primarily concerned with 'maximum sustainable yield' - meaning a model that allows snapper to reproduce one or twice before being caught. Anglers on the other hand want 'maximum possible size', so the big fish can keep on cranking out more little ones.

Not sure how this will end ...

The commercial fishing is well funded and well connected. They also have the support of a lot of seafood dealers as well as restaurant associations. Much of the fish that ends up on a dinner plate at a restaurant goes unrecorded.

One of the most sickening things I have ever seen is a trail of dead snapper and other fish trailing behind a shrimp boat while sorting the catch, not to mention 13" fish thrown away by some commercials because they get a premium on bigger fish.

'Scuse me while I get my soap box into the middle of the stage. OK All set, here we go. Until we start seizing boats and locking up the poachers, this will never stop. Paying a fine that can be recouped the next trip out......while still using you equipment that was NOT taken, will not stop/slow down the poaching. This and the taking of snapper off the menu's of resturants will greatly aid in bigger sizes and numbers. My big question is why is there a limit of 2 fish per day for individuals, when commercial boats have such a high limit. The answer, the all mighty dollar I would guess.

I would buy a seized fishing boat..


Sink it and then have my own private reef somewhere 130 miles offshore.


Now that would be nice..



-Z-