I DID read the whole story. Staking out the net for one night wasn't long enough. They should have stayed with it until they caught the perps. Whatever fish that would have been lost would be well worth it, if it amounted to catching the bad guys and getting a conviction. After all, they spent YEARS catching the guys operating in D.C..

Those rock fish spent MANY more years growing than any previous investigation lasted. The main job of the DNR is to protect the natural Resources and that is what they did. These fish are living creatures. Do you let all of them die waiting for a poacher that might show up? Whatever NRP does, it is not going to please everybody. When a fireman goes to a fire, they save the people first and then try to save the structure...................Gary

Looks like I need to send Marty Gary (DNR) a proposal on a piece of "white paper" to open PSCR back up without restrictions:D.
5th (Marty)

I tend to agree with this. I believe catching the people would have probably saved more fish in the long run. But hey, DNR made their call and possibly the fact that most convictions lead to a slap on the wrist played a part in it too.

Greg, This is a cat and mouse game. Often the mouse knows where the cat is and the cat knows where the mouse is. I have been on many stake outs and most times nothing happens because somewhere or some how there was a leak. NRP works off of intelligence collected and acts accordingly. I commend NRP for finding the 2 nets and removing them. The perpetrators will eventually get caught. Every one in a jail cell said, " I'll never get caught"...........Gary

When DNR had an air unit - it often flew from Easton air field.

Not a well kept secret - poachers would watch when the air unit was in the sky and when it was on the ground. They even knew roughly how long it could stay up there. When it was being prepared for a flight - poachers were alerted and started heading in.

I bet some one did tip off the poacher that DNR had found his nets. Really not that many boats out this time of year - small Whaler sticks out. The nets were reported to be anchored - boat holding over that spot had to alert the poacher that his nets were found.

I'd like to know what the small cabin style outboard boat was doing in the shipping channel, off of Bloody Point Monday morning.

The NRP have an ongoing investigation to find out who these nets belong to. Investigators will be talking to people and making some deals. They will be researching recent purchases of nets. People like to talk and that's what gets most of them caught. Just because they didn't get them red handed tending the nets, that doesn't mean that they won't be caught. More than anything else, the good, honest watermen will suffer the allocation loss and they too will talk. Let NRP work this investigation before judging their actions or motives. I believe good things will come from this and most of the fish were saved to sell............Gary

Not sure who is to blame. This was probably a commercial netter, but until someone is caught, we can't say for sure. Lets hope someone is caught and punished, this type of activity does not help the folks that follow the regulations.

Just wondering what's $6K to an organization like MSSA or even CCA? Probably a drop in the bucket?

What would stop someone in that group from buying 6000 ft of net. Setting out 3 -2000ft strings in different locations. Call DNR and give them the gps coordinates to the first one. Next day give them the gps coordinates to the 2nd one and then the same on the 3rd day.

How are they to lose?

It's a win, win, win situation -

1) Fish that are caught apparently get counted against the Commercial Quota so no more actual fish are taken from the water.

2) Money from those fish does not go to the honest Commercial fisherman, but to the DNR working to put the honest guy out of business.

3) Publicity - "Look at what those thieving Commercial waterman did, see what we are trying to stop"


But you're probably right Reds theory is just a conspiracy....yeah I bet.