A fisherman has been accused of catching and illegally keeping 14 oversized striped bass off the coast of New Castle and Rye, New Hampshire, after boaters notified authorities.
The New Hampshire Department of Fish and Wildlife received a report of a fisherman who did not have lights on his boat at night. report Monday.
Lt. Delane Brown with the department said other fishermen had been catching and releasing the same type of fish at sea. The witness confronted the man, who told him he couldn’t keep the fish and was going to call authorities. The witness then appeared to tell the man to release the fish back into the sea.
image show The big catch:
Investigators say fishermen illegally caught more than a dozen oversized bass off the coast of New Hampshire. Click image to read full story https://t.co/vn5Qx6ThDn
— WMUR TV (@WMUR9) July 29, 2024
The media continues:
Officers from the Maine Marine Patrol, Massachusetts Environmental Police and local law enforcement began searching for the boater, and Portsmouth police eventually found him loading the boat onto a trailer and “in the process of discarding the fish.”
“The suspect knew he was caught red-handed and there were 12 witnesses,” Brown said, adding that the suspect admitted to catching the fish and that he intended to sell them using a Massachusetts commercial striped bass fishing license.
authorities Said The bass were well over the legal maximum striper size requirement, ranging in size from 37 to 47 inches. Portsmouth Herald It was reported on Wednesday.
According to the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Wildlife, the state “only issues recreational saltwater fishing licenses, which allow anglers to take one striped bass per day, which must be no smaller than 28 inches and no larger than 31 inches.”
Brown said the catch could be worth up to $1,600. Authorities charged the suspect with license violations and unlawful taking and possession of fish.
The fish is reportedly being stored in a freezer in case it is used as evidence in court, and according to Fish and Wildlife Service Capt. Kevin Jordan, it may later be donated to a food bank.
Click here here To learn more about New Hampshire fishing rules and regulations.
