Hat's off to CT & RI environmental police

http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?Q=423486&A=2711

September 24, 2008
Two Men Arrested In Connection with
Illegal Landing and Sale of Striped Bass
Case involves Pawcatuck Fisherman and Rhode Island Seafood Dealer
The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) says a Pawcatuck, CT fisherman and a South Kingstown, RI seafood dealer have both been arrested in connection with the illegal landing and sale of striped bass.

The fisherman, Sean W. Bradshaw (DOB: 01/06/64) of Pawcatuck Ave., Pawcatuck, was charged with the landing/ sale of striped bass without a commercial license, commercial fishing without a vessel permit, possession of untagged striped bass and the commercial sale of scup without a license and during the closed season.

The seafood dealer, John J. Guerrieri (DOB: 03/31/58) of Sand Plains Road, South Kingstown, RI, was charged with buying seafood without a Connecticut seafood dealers license and operating a motor vehicle without a license.

The arrests took place Monday at Bradshaw’s home in Pawcatuck following an investigation by the DEP’s Environmental Conservation (ENCon) Police unit and the Rhode Island Environmental Police.

The Connecticut and Rhode Island environmental police acted on information that Bradshaw was catching bass and bringing striped bass back to his dock in the Pawcatuck River near his home. He would ice and store the fish at his home and Guerrieri, the Rhode Island seafood dealer, would then come to his house and buy them.

At the time of the arrest, Connecticut and Rhode Island officers seized 42 striped bass, total weight 971 pounds and 89 scup, total weight 87 pounds. With the fair market value for commercial striped bass at around $3.00 per pound, the estimated value of this bass was $2,913. All of the fish was donated to the Amos House in Providence, Rhode Island.

Excellent. It will be interesting to see what type of fines and penalties these two end up paying. I'm glad someone turned these folks in. I'd do it in a New York second. I'm also pleased that the fish were donated and not simply discarded.

Fishman Found With $3K Of Illegal Bass, Officials SayPOSTED: 12:54 pm EDT September 24, 2008
HARTFORD, Conn. -- A Connecticut fisherman and a Rhode Island seafood dealer were arrested, accused of the illegal sale of striped bass. The fisherman, Sean Bradshaw, 44, of Pawcatuck, was charged with the landing and sale of striped bass without a commercial license, commercial fishing without a vessel permit, possession of untagged striped bass and the commercial sale of scup without a license and during the closed season. The seafood dealer, John Guerrieri, 50, of South Kingstown, R.I., was charged with buying seafood without a Connecticut seafood dealers license and operating a motor vehicle without a license. The Connecticut and Rhode Island environmental police acted on information that Bradshaw was catching bass and bringing striped bass back to his dock in the Pawcatuck River near his home. He would ice and store the fish at his home and Guerrieri, the Rhode Island seafood dealer, would then come to his house and buy them, officials said. The DEP’s Environmental Conservation Police unit and the Rhode Island Environmental Police investigated and both men were arrested Monday at Bradshaw’s home. At the time of the arrest, Connecticut and Rhode Island officers seized 42 striped bass, total weight 971 pounds and 89 scup, total weight 87 pounds. With the fair market value for commercial striped bass at around $3 per pound, the estimated value of this bass was $2,913. All of the fish was donated to the Amos House in Providence, Rhode Island.Source NBC30.com, Hartford, CT

:claps:

42 bass with an average weight of 23 pounds.
Poachers are the best fishermen.

42 bass with an average weight of 23 pounds.
Poachers are the best fishermen.

I was thinking the same thing, 23lbs is a pretty good average !

What's most sad is that you know the guy is an outstanding fisherman. You usually never hear of these guys until they are caught. The poachers are scary good - true professionals, they've just crossed the line. Thirty years ago, he would have been folk hero -today, he's wearing bracelets.

Hats off to the authorities; myopic greed will eliminate entire fisheries eventually.

The abuse starts at grassroot levels. I know someone who fishes an area that I fish a lot and not only is he chunking with only treble hooks, but I've NEVER seen him throw a fish back in the water. It's a small community and people have said things to him (delicately), but he ignores it and continues his practice.

The only good thing is that he doeesn't catch a lot of bass....but he abuses the Tautog and Scup.

Hats off to the authorities; myopic greed will eliminate entire fisheries eventually.

The abuse starts at grassroot levels. I know someone who fishes an area that I fish a lot and not only is he chunking with only treble hooks, but I've NEVER seen him throw a fish back in the water. It's a small community and people have said things to him (delicately), but he ignores it and continues his practice.

The only good thing is that he doeesn't catch a lot of bass....but he abuses the Tautog and Scup.

Call DEM if he is exceeding bags or keeping shorts

they cull.....

I hope they throw the book at him!

What is sad? Sad is the fact that, imo, Team Striper is now tainted.

Don't even know if that is the same guy yet....

and I wouldn't hold anything against the team...not their fault

Sean is a nice guy. He fishes quite a bit and has a good degree of success. I have no sympathy for him if these charges are true. It's tough to earn a living on the water but that's no excuse. If you folks met him, you would come to the conclusion that he is a hard working regular guy like the majority of anglers on the board. He certainly is not breaking the bank with his efforts. To hold Team Striper accountable for the charges is a juvenile way of thinking. Almost akin to blaming the Patriots because Faulk got busted with weed. This is the same old story we see each year with a new name attatched.I would have to guess there could be more than one member of other team's including S-B that has bent the regulations of the fishery in the past. Whether it be keeping shorts, selling fish in the black market, or even using bait that is out of season. The law will take its course here, so don't rush to judgement regarding this.

George--quoting someone's post and editing it to add your comments is wrong. It puts words in his mouth that he never said, in the eyes of people who look casually at it.

You can add your own comments under Chris' post--as he originally stated.

To hold Team Striper accountable for the charges is a juvenile way of thinking.

The reasoning behind my thought: Team Striper, much like our team, was a hand picked team to contend for the Cup. SB.com, RISAA, etc are pretty much whoever wants to signup teams, hude memberships, not exclusive teams. The "captain" of our team made it very clear how the game was to be played "no tomfoolery whatsoever." If I am incorrect in assessment of team Striper please correct me. I am by no means insinuating that the team is "bad", simply accountable. Art

This happened after the Striper Cup was over. I'm a little unclear as to how a team should be accountable after the contest the team was assembled for is over :huh:

Maybe it would be different if it could be shown that cheating was done during the tournament, but in that instance, I would think that they captain would step forward and withdraw the suspect fish. Which is all I think that a team should be responsible for in a team contest--remove the tainted fish, bounce the offender and move on.

I don't think that anyone on SB would want to win the Cup on a technicality like that.

I am by no means insinuating that the team is "bad", simply accountable. Art

I just don't see how you can even hold the team accountable....its not anybody's fault but the person who did it.

I just don't see how you can even hold the team accountable....its not anybody's fault but the person who did it.

I agree.

Dangles;
I'm sure he is a nice guy, but I don't see many ways it can be spun other than he had 42 fish, out of any season that would let him possess anything near that amount. Just because other people have dirty sheets, it doesn't make it ok...

George--quoting someone's post and editing it to add your comments is wrong. It puts words in his mouth that he never said, in the eyes of people who look casually at it.

You can add your own comments under Chris' post--as he originally stated.

Spoil-sport ;)

I'll bet thse fish came from Fishers Island,which is another story.They're all nice guys.The old guy from East Haven that got caught a few years back attended church every Sunday and was an active member of the church ,he was a nice guy.The two guys that got caught in the Pawcatuck years ago are great guys.Being a good guy doesn't excuse bad behavior!

Poachers are scumbags......I don't care how nice they are. Hopefully( but doubtful), they get the full penalties.

"Poachers are not sports minded-they are theives.Those....who destroy our enviroment are criminals."

I agree.

Dangles;
I'm sure he is a nice guy, but I don't see many ways it can be spun other than he had 42 fish, out of any season that would let him possess anything near that amount. Just because other people have dirty sheets, it doesn't make it ok...

Where did I come remotely close to calling it OK?

Where did I come remotely close to calling it OK?

I may have assumed;
but you implied not to rush to judgment. I assumed you were referring to the angler in question; i.e. not judging him guilty. I was saying there is no way I know of to spin that if he had 42 bass....
if you were referring to Team Striper as a whole not being judged, then I apologize. You know what they say about assuming...

Poachers are scumbags......I don't care how nice they are. Hopefully( but doubtful), they get the full penalties.

Nicely stated. I couldn't agree more.

I also would hope that everyone that knows about any poaching going on drops a dime.

What I won't say is that if you know about it and do nothing you're part of the problem, but that would sound way too much like something my dad would say. :uhuh:

To hold Team Striper accountable for the charges is a juvenile way of thinking.

The reasoning behind my thought: Team Striper, much like our team, was a hand picked team to contend for the Cup. SB.com, RISAA, etc are pretty much whoever wants to signup teams, hude memberships, not exclusive teams. The "captain" of our team made it very clear how the game was to be played "no tomfoolery whatsoever." If I am incorrect in assessment of team Striper please correct me. I am by no means insinuating that the team is "bad", simply accountable. Art

Since when did "Who signed up to fish in the cup" become handpicked. I don't think JohnR expects any tomfoolery. I also don't think it is fair to imply any of the other Teams' captains would encourage illegal activities. We have to remember that we are dealing with adults, who like most folks, make bad decisions occasionally.

It's tough to earn a living on the water but that's no excuse.

Much like the draggers, they'll ignore reality until they're arrested doing this or standing in the unemployment line.

42 bass with an average weight of 23 pounds.
Poachers are the best fishermen.

Ah, BFD - they were using a boat, Joe - ya gotta re-read the details.

Oooops...sorry, my apologies to our floating bretheren.

:hidin:

he got caught this time, how long has he been doin it unchecked and how many lbs did he sell before he got caught?

he got caught this time, how long has he been doin it unchecked and how many lbs did he sell before he got caught?

This part of the CT DEP statement could indicate this may have been going on for a while: "The Connecticut and Rhode Island environmental police acted on information that Bradshaw was catching bass and bringing striped bass back to his dock in the Pawcatuck River near his home. He would ice and store the fish at his home and Guerrieri, the Rhode Island seafood dealer, would then come to his house and buy them."

Since when did "Who signed up to fish in the cup" become handpicked. I don't think JohnR expects any tomfoolery. I also don't think it is fair to imply any of the other Teams' captains would encourage illegal activities. We have to remember that we are dealing with adults, who like most folks, make bad decisions occasionally.

And Bill Belichek didn't know the Patroits were filming other teams signals.Whoops!:humpty:

What is the penelty? Probably a $100-$1000 fine. whoopdedo. That will be paid and they will continue doing it. you need to :hang:

What's most sad is that you know the guy is an outstanding fisherman. You usually never hear of these guys until they are caught. The poachers are scary good - true professionals, they've just crossed the line. Thirty years ago, he would have been folk hero -today, he's wearing bracelets.

Exactly,,, and Everyone here would have read the books they wrote too,,,

What is the penelty? Probably a $100-$1000 fine. whoopdedo. That will be paid and they will continue doing it. you need to :hang:

prolly more like 4000.00 and to pay for it he'll have to fish a coupla extra days... word is he made 25 times the fine selling fish this year..so a 4% loss to a fine with no other repercussions makes good business sense to keep doin it...... love how the law makes it a reality.
worse part is that he is just one of dozens who do the same thing, poaching on a comm. license. All the guys that do multiple trips per day, killing their 5 each trip, they are selling them somewhere too. I have seen the same boat go in and out of the river with the guys limit over and over day after day.
how many guys catch their fish in r.i. and run them to mass? I know a couple who do. Best excuse i have heard is that " I only do it when I need drinking money". that is without a comm license, so someone somewhere is buyin those fish totally illegally. Lots and lots of "black market" unregulated poaching, buying and selling goin on
it is impossible to regulate, make em a gamefish and be done with it. No poaching if there is no market for ther fish

Loss of their boats and gear would sting a lot more than the fine, or even a short stay at the ACI.

It's more than a few RI guys running RI fish to Mass, too.

Im just glad the fish were donated. Something good from something bad... Now if we could only figure out that bailout thing. To confiscate their gear would be a little like confiscating the assets of the CEO's. Ahhh sorry, not trying to hijack, just have politics on the brain.... :)

prolly more like 4000.00 and to pay for it he'll have to fish a coupla extra days... word is he made 25 times the fine selling fish this year..so a 4% loss to a fine with no other repercussions makes good business sense to keep doin it...... love how the law makes it a reality.
worse part is that he is just one of dozens who do the same thing, poaching on a comm. license. All the guys that do multiple trips per day, killing their 5 each trip, they are selling them somewhere too. I have seen the same boat go in and out of the river with the guys limit over and over day after day.
how many guys catch their fish in r.i. and run them to mass? I know a couple who do. Best excuse i have heard is that " I only do it when I need drinking money". that is without a comm license, so someone somewhere is buyin those fish totally illegally. Lots and lots of "black market" unregulated poaching, buying and selling goin on
it is impossible to regulate, make em a gamefish and be done with it. No poaching if there is no market for ther fish

It's common practice when RI commercial season closes and MASS opens the RI guys don't change fishing grounds they just change where they bring the fish.They do hold MASS licenses.The mentality is the fine won't make a dent in the profits and the odds of getting caught are slim to none.

It's common practice when RI commercial season closes and MASS opens the RI guys don't change fishing grounds they just change where they bring the fish.They do hold MASS licenses.The mentality is the fine won't make a dent in the profits and the odds of getting caught are slim to none.

Just goes to show you what kind of chumps we are here. Our DMF knows this is happening, and yet makes the license and bass endorsement available to any out of stater who wants one, for less than the cost of one day's fuel.

IMO if your state won't grant a Mass resident a commercial license (either because they're grandfathered like Rhody, or you're in a gamefish state like CT, NH and Maine), you shouldn't be able to get one here.

Not that those RI fish were going to migrate up here anyway, but it's just the principle of it. But if you take 200,000 lbs of RI fish out of the market, our season lasts a couple of weeks longer :(

I get pissed off when I see people keep every single SCUP they catch at the east wall... never mind taking 42 bass!!! Im sure he's never done ANYTHING like this before... first time... just made a bad mistake...

I get pissed off when I see people keep every single SCUP they catch at the east wall... never mind taking 42 bass!!! Im sure he's never done ANYTHING like this before... first time... just made a bad mistake...
I bet the fine he gets thats this was not a one time thing and that he has been doing it for a long long summer. Like a hundred+ days straight doing multiple trips....

My previous post was packed with more sarcasm than his boat was with bass... Theres no way he got busted the very first time he decided to take over 3 dozen bass... Poachers are scumbags... bottom line...

One never knows who's watching and taking notes. I hope it sends out a message, to whomever.