Hot off the presses through RISAA. From Chief Hall, RI DEM:


"We arrested Albert Reeves, DOB 5-3-63, 254 Winthrop St. Rehoboth MA.
Officer John Gingerella and Sgt. Joseph Poccia boarded Reeves as he
landed in Galilee. The officers had information that Reeves was
illegally taking over limits of striped bass and hiding the illegal fish
in a hidden compartment on his boat and selling the fish to dealers in
Massachusetts. When encountered, Reeves was in possession of 8 striped
bass which would be a legal recreational catch due to the fact that
there had been 4 fishermen on the boat. Reeves insisted that he had no
more fish and allowed the officers to search the boat. Officers saw
wires running under the deck which they followed to a concealed switch.
When they threw the switch, a hidden compartment opened hydraulically.
There were ten additional illegal fish in the compartment. Reeves
will be arraigned on 9-1-10 for Exceeding the Limit of Stripped Bass.
Reeves pleaded NOLO in July of 2003 on the same charge and was fined $450.00."

Steven H. Hall
Chief
Division of Law Enforcement
RI Department of Environmental Management

What a loser this Reeves.

Dave

$450 for his last fine... :smash:

Maybe one day the regulatory bodies will get out of bed with the commercial sector (in all avenues of the economy) and actually penalize these people with something other than a slap on the wrist. I'm sure that $450 fine was recouped after a couple additional trips of illegally keeping bass.

First offense, hefty fine.
Second offense, even bigger fine and all fishing related possessions you have are sent off to the auction table.

Absolutely need to stiffen the fines and penalties.

Reeves doesn't have to look far to find out who dimed him out. Someone knew where he was, when he was arriving and that he had a secret 'hide' on his boat.

He got set up like a mo' fo'

wait till he loads boat on his trailer.
then confinscate the whole lot.
one of those would hurt.

real class act......NOT. i hope they throw the book at this clown.

throwing the book would feel like a swedish massage, because the penalty on the books is not that high... its worth the risk for these guys... get caught once a year, pay a fine, thats the cost of doing business....

Couldnt the presence of a specially designed poaching compartment be enough evidence to impose greater fines than for the 10 fish, seeing as it shows a habitual poacher?

This one guy will be replaced by some other scumbag doing the same thing. They need to crack down hard on the places that knowingly buy illegal fish, as well. If there weren't places buying through the back door, there wouldn't be as much of an incentive to poach. Attacking both ends of the problem will be more effective than just trying to stop the poachers.

Mass should revoke his license (for life). IF he has a RI license it should also be revoked. This year RI has issued approximately 250 PEL restricted finfish endorsement licenses - 100 are to non-residents.

Unbelievable.

DZ

Hope the jerk gets what's coming to him.

They need to crack down hard on the places that knowingly buy illegal fish, as well. If there weren't places buying through the back door, there wouldn't be as much of an incentive to poach. Attacking both ends of the problem will be more effective than just tryign to stop the poachers.

Well said. If all fish bought and sold are accounted for and count towards a quota, then serious commercial poaching becomes more about commercial fishermen cheating each other than harming the resource.

Better yet, the ASMFC could make a realistic estimate at the numbers of black market fish killed each year, subtract that from either the commercial or both quotas, and manage things from there. That they don't (as best I can tell), and even decline to do so (based on the discussion published in their last technical report) indicates to me that maintaining high user group catch numbers is a greater priority for the ASMFC (and perhaps the majority of fishermen) than resource conservation.

Reeves doesn't have to look far to find out who dimed him out. Someone knew where he was, when he was arriving and that he had a secret 'hide' on his boat.

He got set up like a mo' fo'

He deserved it. Wonder how long he's been taking advantage of that specially little compartment of his. Secret switch powering a hidden hydraulic trap door? Must have been profiting pretty good on his pouching activities to justify a system like that. What a POS.

a hydraulic hatch? Thats some james bond stuff right there..

a hydraulic hatch? Thats some james bond stuff right there..

sounds kind of funky to me as well... it ould be alot eaiser/more believable to make a "false" bottom on the deck, alot cheaper as well..

Scum,,,, This was obviously premeditated and since the states need $$$.. ...

First offense
$1000 fine
$1000 fine for each fish

Second offense
Loss of License in state and all surrounding states
$5000 fine
$2000 fine for each fish
LOSS of ALL EQUIPMENT

Need big consequences or people will just keep doing it,,,,

All this posting of this and that should happen falls on deaf ears posted on the web. Best bet is to send same to dem etcetc. in reality the fine will once again be less than the profit from the sale of said fish so really nothing resolved....
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..

All this posting of this and that should happen falls on deaf ears posted on the web. Best bet is to send same to dem etcetc. in reality the fine will once again be less than the profit from the sale of said fish so really nothing resolved....
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True,,, but you have to admit its fun to vent,,,, especially since I catch catch anything noteworthy this year...

If you think that he's the only RI or CT resident, with a Mass commercial license, loading his boat from RI, CT, NY or EEZ waters and bringing them to a Mass market, you're dreaming. He's the tip of a very large iceberg.

Do the math--at $3.50 a pound, a Tues-Thurs commercial limit can be a grand or more, and a $450 fine is well worth the risk.

Now if the fine was $450 per fish......... ;)

And Mass. DMF has acted in the past to forfeit gear, and even boats. But unless they see him coming from out of state or Federal waters, there isn't a damn thing they can do on an open day. Multi-state enforcement is tough. RI isn't in any better shape financially than Mass, probably even worse, and I can imagine that DEM's budget is stretched to the max. They have to patrol where and when they can.

And you can bet your bottom dollar that someone dimed this dude out. He shot his mouth off to the wrong person, or maybe a pissed off Mass. commercial saw him operate the hidey-hole at the dock.

Mike P

don,t limit it to those 3 states . come spend some time in RI waters / & you,ll notice alot of mass anglers /commercial ..fishing RI ,,,,,,,,, short ass run from westport to RI waters .

@ least in RI / you can,t just buy a license .. I think there are 308 total & most of them are [us] senior citizens .

In Mass .ya got the cash , ya get the license .................... I think a couple of years ago .I heard a number around 5000 ................................ if that the case just about every yahoo ..... that gets lucky & catches a 34" or over sells it .
there are some commando striper addicts on this site ..... I hear the stories of the hours . of no sleep , no food , driving miles & miles ...........in quest of Mrs. Cow .
most are young & all by choice .
try keeping up with a real commercial R&R ......... for the guy that is making a living on the water / not expenses ;;
I personally don,t know of any person ......that comes near to the time , effort , danger that these guys put in .
Its not like [[BACK IN THE DAY] .......you caught it >>>>>>>>>> you sold it .all it had to be was 16 " ...........Now ................... with open & close seasons & days of the week ....... you HAVE to go when its open ..no taking that day off cuz its raining & blowin 35 from the NE .
no sundays @ the beach with the family .in mass its a 5 fish limit on Sunday ......but when RI is open ..Sunday is a full day ....................... & friday & Saturday are the days you can,t fish commercially for Fluke or bass .
Its kinda like the deadliest Catch >>>>>> you snooze you loose .;;

been there / done that >>>>> now I pay the price ... no complaining ,.it was a choice I made many years ago .when I did have options :fishin:

How about Yakuza justice.
Every offense just cigar cutter a finger and send him on his way.
That'll learn ya.
R.L. Ermey would be the judge. :ninja:

Looks like Big Al will be using the money he made raping the bunker in Ct to help pay for his fines and lawyer

Yup lets all feel bad for Reeves being set up. Like feeling bad for a dope dealer. A criminal is a criminal.they should take his boat an gear too. Like they do to lobster poachers.

I believe that the way the law is written in RI /& the offense committed , that the price to pay ...can,t be that great .I think it has to have a change in the law to get more drastic :confused:

Reeves doesn't have to look far to find out who dimed him out. Someone knew where he was, when he was arriving and that he had a secret 'hide' on his boat.

He got set up like a mo' fo'

Set-up? word has it he took a charter client fishing the Block a short time ago. He loaded his hatch with 50 fish with the clients. Client tels someone, someone says wtf and calls dem with the scoop. end of that chapter, but i'm sure there will be a next chapter in his book

Set-up? word has it he took a charter client fishing the Block a short time ago. He loaded his hatch with 50 fish with the clients. Client tels someone, someone says wtf and calls dem with the scoop. end of that chapter, but i'm sure there will be a next chapter in his book

ya setup would not be a word I'd use at all .

he's a cocky moron imo
you'd have to be to do that sort of thing
take his boat, auction it off:smash::fury::wall:
the laws and punishments need something done about the slaps on the wrist that do nothing
judges need to put the hammer down

I get sick of hearing this stuff too just like everyone else.

The sense of entitlement of some of these clowns is stupefying.
Put him in an iron maiden, hanging in the harbor.

wonder how long he's been at it? if he's who i think he is he's been comm fishing for 25 yrs or so......

I want to apologise for my comment. In retrospect i regret posting it and understand why it was pulled. I feel very frustrated. People like this should be made an example of. Unfortunatly the legal system will not seriously punish this thief nor make him an example that would encourage others not to follow in his path. Charlie

it was premeditated that's for sure!

he's a repeat offender and needs some
JAIL TIME ......not just fines.:fury:

Don't sweat it.....No Biggie. everybody gets caught up in a moment sometimes....It might even happen to me once in awhile :hee:

I want to apologise for my comment. In retrospect i regret posting it and understand why it was pulled. I feel very frustrated. People like this should be made an example of. Unfortunatly the legal system will not seriously punish this thief nor make him an example that would encourage others not to follow in his path. Charlie

Require poachers to place a permanent glow in the dark sticker near the registration number on the bow of the boat the signifies the owner is a poacher.
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Require poachers to place a permanent glow in the dark sticker near the registration number on the bow of the boat the signifies the owner is a poacher.
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Love that idea. Take his boat and all of their tackle and rods too.

I was fishing Boston Harbor a few years ago and these guys next to us were poaching flounder. We explained the regulations to them in case they didn't know (in a not so polite way)... So they started reeling the small fish up on the other side of their boat. My friend wanted to "board them" but instead we called the Env Police. Got the run around at first but finally they got an officer on the line who cared and went over there and busted them with a cooler full of shorts. All they got was a little fine and a scolding.

How about they tatoo a big "P" on his forehead?

But seriously, there has to be some serious deterrent or nothing will change.

What SHOULD happen: If caught as a REPEAT offender, lose license FOREVER and lose all gear related to the act (Boat, transport vehicle, all tackle) and a fine.

What WILL happen: Absolutely nothing! Maybe a small fine and ANOTHER slap on the wrist.

Unless they stiffen th penalties, nothing will ever change.
This jackhole will only pass on the fine to his next charter by "slightly" increasing the price.

I say hit them where it will hurt: take them out of the business entirely and permanently!
(I'm not talking any form of violence, but rather legal action.)

Mike P

don,t limit it to those 3 states . come spend some time in RI waters / & you,ll notice alot of mass anglers /commercial ..fishing RI ,,,,,,,,, short ass run from westport to RI waters .

@ least in RI / you can,t just buy a license .. I think there are 308 total & most of them are [us] senior citizens .

In Mass .ya got the cash , ya get the license .................... I think a couple of years ago .I heard a number around 5000 ................................ if that the case just about every yahoo ..... that gets lucky & catches a 34" or over sells it .
there are some commando striper addicts on this site ..... I hear the stories of the hours . of no sleep , no food , driving miles & miles ...........in quest of Mrs. Cow .
most are young & all by choice .
try keeping up with a real commercial R&R ......... for the guy that is making a living on the water / not expenses ;;
I personally don,t know of any person ......that comes near to the time , effort , danger that these guys put in .
Its not like [[BACK IN THE DAY] .......you caught it >>>>>>>>>> you sold it .all it had to be was 16 " ...........Now ................... with open & close seasons & days of the week ....... you HAVE to go when its open ..no taking that day off cuz its raining & blowin 35 from the NE .
no sundays @ the beach with the family .in mass its a 5 fish limit on Sunday ......but when RI is open ..Sunday is a full day ....................... & friday & Saturday are the days you can,t fish commercially for Fluke or bass .
Its kinda like the deadliest Catch >>>>>> you snooze you loose .;;

been there / done that >>>>> now I pay the price ... no complaining ,.it was a choice I made many years ago .when I did have options :fishin:


Oh, I agree--I'm not singling out just the RI and CT--and even some NY guys--who have Mass licenses and bring in fish from their waters. There are at least as many SE Mass guys running out there, too.

I have always said that the Mass license is way too cheap, and way too easy to get. Some guys make a living commercial fishing--they get their boat license early in the year, they fish every species in season, they're grandfathered into the fluke fishery, and they also buy a master species commercial shellfish license. And many, many people just get the boat permit and striped bass endorsement and fish the second Tuesday in July until the season is closed, usually by the end of August.

I agree. The penalties need to be severe for a repeat offender, and like DZ mentioned, if they find a hidden box with fish in it, obviously intended for poaching, should be licence revoked for life, either jail time or a huge monetary fine, and all gear taken. I work in a prison, and I gotta say if that guy was in my jail, it'd be hard not to be the hand of justice myself...

a hydraulic hatch? Thats some james bond stuff right there..


I wonder if he has a hide in his car as well.

The officers could have confiscated his boat and all equipment as well. They could also issue summons to everyone that was on board because they particpated in the crime also.

I think the mere fact that he had an electronic hide for the poached/stolen (it was stolen from us) fish he should be bound over to superior court if at all possible. This smells of not just ...............well thats all I have to say

I wonder why he wasn't arrested. Poaching is a crime punishable by imprisonment, at leats I think it is, I'll have to look that up, I believe which makes what took place a misdomeanor in the presence of an officer.

Now see if he was a real commercial guy ie federal that lie wouldbof been ten gs.... Reality lieing to monitors or observers or feds is ten thousand finebfor us.....
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Oh and for the record yes i live in ri fish outta chatham... We rod and reel for bass and tuna as well as gillnet... But we fish mass waters only for bass.... As thumper can tell youvits a different kind of expierience....now the down side.... I make my living on the water not just on nice days... We are not fair weather fisherman... Oh it is blowin and crappy... Oh well it a 4-10 hour ride to the gear... Head down do it... The thing that gets me is how does mass have so many commercial guys??? Seriously chatham has been a fuster cluck to get in or out of lately... All bass guys... Just wondering what they do the other 11months a year to make their money....
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$450 - that's less than half of what a DEM enforcement guy costs state per day in salary, benefits, and the thirty+ years he'll spend in retirement. The only time they catch anyone is when a dime is dropped. BFD - they caught one poacher.

The thing that gets me is how does mass have so many commercial guys??? Seriously chatham has been a fuster cluck to get in or out of lately... All bass guys... Just wondering what they do the other 11months a year to make their money....
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They work for the phone company, N-star, they teach school, they're doctors, lawyers and Indian chiefs, they work in the trades, they sit behind a desk.

Welcome to Massachusetts, where any Tom #^&#^&#^&#^& or Harry can pony up $65 and be a "commercial fisherman".

Swimmer, I believe it is punishable by jail time. I took a guy to court one time and his charge on the paperwork read, "Posession of short lobster" so Id imagine it would be the same for fish.

Oh and for the record yes i live in ri fish outta chatham... We rod and reel for bass and tuna as well as gillnet... But we fish mass waters only for bass.... As thumper can tell youvits a different kind of expierience....now the down side.... I make my living on the water not just on nice days... We are not fair weather fisherman... Oh it is blowin and crappy... Oh well it a 4-10 hour ride to the gear... Head down do it... The thing that gets me is how does mass have so many commercial guys??? Seriously chatham has been a fuster cluck to get in or out of lately... All bass guys... Just wondering what they do the other 11months a year to make their money....
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device ya man it was a friggen zoo out there. I will tell you what tho nothin beats calling into work and fishing 13 14hrs and goin in the next day with 3rd degree sunburn. Just like mike p and ur paps said every tom, #^&#^&#^&#^& and harry is comm up there. What it came down to that day was fish every troll and ppl just staring like wtf r thoes guys doin?
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I understand that each coastal state has thier boundaries, but shouldnt this be a federal offense seeing how this is a migrating fish and each state has its offenders and victims. Victims being either the bass, the ecology, the recreational fisher, the commercial fisher, the b&t stores, tourism, etc..
I am no gem, but I dont take away from other peoples enjoyment and priveledges

.....but you don't spend the money in MA that you earn from catching fish in MA. Makes no economic sense at all for the state to let out of state commercials fish or sell here, unless they feel the MA commercial fleet by itself could not fill the state's quota. Gives away a significant part of the financial benefit from the state's commercial quota to neighboring states. Hard to see why they allow it.

.....but you don't spend the money in MA that you earn from catching fish in MA. Makes no economic sense at all for the state to let out of state commercials fish or sell here, unless they feel the MA commercial fleet by itself could not fill the state's quota. Gives away a significant part of the financial benefit from the state's commercial quota to neighboring states. Hard to see why they allow it.

Out of staters pay way more for a license, ($460 myself), then you spend money on Fuel, Lodging, Food, slip / ramp fees, tackle... How is that not an economic benefit???

If you didnt have out of staters than the rec guys would be bitchin' about the com guys a few more weeks as the season stays open! :-))))

Out of staters pay way more for a license, ($460 myself), then you spend money on Fuel, Lodging, Food, slip / ramp fees, tackle... How is that not an economic benefit???

If you didnt have out of staters than the rec guys would be bitchin' about the com guys a few more weeks as the season stays open!

As a rec only guy it makes no difference at all to me how long it takes the comm guys to fill the state quota. The quota doesn't change so what difference does it make how ling it takes to fill.

If we didn't have out of state guys filling our state quota, then the guys that do live here & fish commercially would get a few more weeks to catch & sell fish & they would make more money is a season.

Out of staters pay way more for a license, ($460 myself), then you spend money on Fuel, Lodging, Food, slip / ramp fees, tackle... How is that not an economic benefit???

If you didnt have out of staters than the rec guys would be bitchin' about the com guys a few more weeks as the season stays open!

A lot of what you post is self-serving, but this is ridiculous.

You make a profit in MA commercial fishing and you take it home with you.......otherwise you wouldn't be here. If you are as good as you make yourself out to be, then it is not a small profit either. That money benefits the state you spend it in. Presumably you pay taxes on it (although I'd bet many guys don't) and use the rest for your family's living expenses. That money in turn gets taxed and spent by others where you live (multiplier effect). If a million dollars leaves MA it results in several million dollars of lost economic activity. That is money that could be helping the people of MA.

So explain to me again how it is in the State's interest to allow out of state utilization of our commercial quota?

license is way too cheap for out of stater's. Hell you paid for that on a crappy trip with the price this year. I too don't care about time it takes to fill the limit. RI people aren't spending on food and lodging, etc.. I'd bet only a very small minority do as you do. Most just take a short trip over the border, make their $$ and spend all their cash in their own back yard. I guess you can tell I am against out of state use. Heck you may as well buy a summer home up here and become a resident for the summer.

This is nothing. There is way too much illegal fishing buying/selling going on and no one is enforcing much of anything. 450 buck fine is laughable and provides more incentive to fish illegally than deterrent.

Game-fish status is the simplest answer given the level of enforcement we will ever have. Any complex quotas or slot limits CAN NOT be enforced and are worthless.


Gamefish status, 1 fish rec take (any-size).

A lot of what you post is self-serving, but this is ridiculous.

You make a profit in MA commercial fishing and you take it home with you.......otherwise you wouldn't be here. If you are as good as you make yourself out to be, then it is not a small profit either. That money benefits the state you spend it in. Presumably you pay taxes on it (although I'd bet many guys don't) and use the rest for your family's living expenses. That money in turn gets taxed and spent by others where you live (multiplier effect). If a million dollars leaves MA it results in several million dollars of lost economic activity. That is money that could be helping the people of MA.

So explain to me again how it is in the State's interest to allow out of state utilization of our commercial quota?

I know I spend several thousand in mass on gas, food, lodging every year, every dollar spent in mass has an economic benefit. Any diferent than rec guys traveling to other states to recreationally fish. Cmon, We all know how expensive fishing is...
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I know I spend several thousand in mass on gas, food, lodging every year, every dollar spent in mass has an economic benefit. Any diferent than rec guys traveling to other states to recreationally fish. Cmon, We all know how expensive fishing is...
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You wouldn't be spending the money unless you were getting a return on the investment.

$460 is a few good fish.It really makes no sense for anyone in the commonwealth.I feel if there were reciprocation it would be worth considering,otherwise it is lose,lose for the state.Oh well,something else for people to whine about obviously.

I think this is getting off track.This is about a poaching dirtbag.Not about rec/comm.
Oh yeah,I say throw everything that they can,at him,including illegal charters if that's the case(I think I read he's not a Cpt,right)If he's chartering illegally,that fine would probably be more than the poaching fines.

I know I spend several thousand in mass on gas, food, lodging every year, every dollar spent in mass has an economic benefit. Any diferent than rec guys traveling to other states to recreationally fish. Cmon, We all know how expensive fishing is...
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The quota is worth a fixed number of dollars to the state. A guy who comes in and spends 2000 dollars and leaves with 8000 dollars reduces the value of that quota by 8000 dollars and creates a net loss for the state of 6000 dollars initially, but probably closer to 10,000 dollars after multiplier effects are accounted for.

So, again, as a citizen of MA why should my family, my neighbors, and myself lose 10,000 dollars of economic activity so you can come here and sell fish? Talk about a resource grab....this one is a grand-daddy.

The quota is worth a fixed number of dollars to the state. A guy who comes in and spends 2000 dollars and leaves with 8000 dollars reduces the value of that quota by 8000 dollars and creates a net loss for the state of 6000 dollars initially, but probably closer to 10,000 dollars after multiplier effects are accounted for.

So, again, as a citizen of MA why should my family, my neighbors, and myself lose 10,000 dollars of economic activity so you can come here and sell fish? Talk about a resource grab....this one is a grand-daddy.

Mass guys sell in Ri, Ct guys sell in ri, mass, Ri guys sell on mass and so on... It goes on with the bigger draggers, comm vessels selling out way more than a grand of fish in different states, ur talking millions. There were some scallops coming in from Va into mass??? Fluke draggers from nc selling out in Nj??? It's all really damn confusing..... Anyway, I gotta finish up the night shift and get ready for Tuesday, wed, thurs!!!!
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Mass guys sell in Ri, Ct guys sell in ri, mass, Ri guys sell on mass and so on... It goes on with the bigger draggers, comm vessels selling out way more than a grand of fish in different states, ur talking millions. There were some scallops coming in from Va into mass??? Fluke draggers from nc selling out in Nj? Then all the stripers sold in mass go to auction get shipped to Va, even Canada? Why are the stripers being sold to out of staters?? It's all really damn confusing..... Anyway, I gotta finish up the night shift and get ready for Tuesday, wed, thurs!!!!
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All this posting of this and that should happen falls on deaf ears posted on the web. Best bet is to send same to dem etcetc. in reality the fine will once again be less than the profit from the sale of said fish so really nothing resolved....
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Good point.

Good point.

It really sucks for the striped bass but it's job security for the ep's and fines are revenue for the state.... So habitual offenders generate revenue for the state and in return an economic benefit for the state??? In this incident wasn't it a mass boat taking bass out of Ri? It was Ri that economically benefited on this as i hear he was more than eager to pay the fine and move on...
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Mass guys sell in Ri, Ct guys sell in ri, mass, Ri guys sell on mass and so on... It goes on with the bigger draggers, comm vessels selling out way more than a grand of fish in different states, ur talking millions. There were some scallops coming in from Va into mass??? Fluke draggers from nc selling out in Nj??? It's all really damn confusing..... Anyway, I gotta finish up the night shift and get ready for Tuesday, wed, thurs!!!!
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

It is not confusing at all, and I'm sure you are smart enough to know that there is an interstate commerce in fish taken from federal waters that has nothing to do with state quotas, as well as an interstate commerce in fish caught legally in state waters but governed by a coast-wide quota.

You are also smart enough to know that you have no valid argument as to why the current system allowing you to profit from the quota allocated to the residents of MA should be allowed to stand. Hence your obvious obfuscations and sudden convenient confusion.

But for now, the system is what it is, you are well within your rights to fish here,.....and from my perspective dead fish are dead fish so I don't really care who kills them. Even though it would be nice to see more of the profit from killing them benefit the citizens of my state, it isn't happening anytime soon, so for now your can feel safe being smug........which obviously you also know.....but please spare us the phony rationalizations as to why it is all good and grand for the rest of us.

Well put, a striper is a migratory fish it should be managed by the feds, just like migratory birds like ducks. Another point remember that once migratory birds were legally hunted for proffit by market hunters. Market hunters have gone the way of the passenger pidgeon. Hopefully people will wake up and protect the striped bass from the vast majority of commercials and the recs who both take as many fish as they are legally entiltled to with no thought of the future or the health of the striped bass fishery. Who knows, during the current downward spiral (which is occurring ask any fisheries scientist or a reasonable person) we might be able to finish off striper this time. We came close in the eighties but this time it could be forever! Charlie

I think there is STILL ...........much to be learned

speaking of dead fish..... that includes the small fry encountering
pollution where they hatched out and how farmers need to prevent run off from reaching the breeding grounds.

when you consider how many eggs each Cow lays and how many dinks actually survive the Journey back to the sea....

much could be done to increase those odds in the Striper's favor.

It must suck to make a living always having to look over your shoulder wondering if your going to get caught, trying to figure out how your going to scam the system, what other sleazy thing you can think of to try to rip someone/something off.

.....but you don't spend the money in MA that you earn from catching fish in MA. Makes no economic sense at all for the state to let out of state commercials fish or sell here, unless they feel the MA commercial fleet by itself could not fill the state's quota. Gives away a significant part of the financial benefit from the state's commercial quota to neighboring states. Hard to see why they allow it.

I think what everybody fails to understand is that there is a reciprocity system in place between MA and RI commercial licensing; it has been in effect for as long as I can remember. Both states fishermen have been fishing/offloading/selling in each others states for years...draggers, ground gear, etc. Before the license moratorium in RI (several years ago, for ALL in state/out of state), MA guys could get a RI license (I know a number of MA guys who hold RI licenses). Back in the 70's, early 80's, everybody in RI sold their catch in MA...better prices than the Pt. Jude Co-op then....we pay the price now because of the way the catch history was used to set up state bass quotas after the commercial moratorium was set aside.

Also, look at the menhaden seining problem in Narragansett Bay....2 boats, both registered and docked in MA (but with RI seine licenses), seine approximately 100,000 lbs a day, each, till the RI biomass is below 50% (like someone is monitoring it)...calculate the dollars earned by both these boats, then tell me about a resource grab....

JMAC ,

IS CORRECT ON ...BACK IN THE DAY ......... IT TOOK SOME OF US A WHILE TO FIND OR FIGURE OUT on how much we were egtting screwed by the RI dealers . but by the time they shut done commercial back then . I would say 70% of the RI commerciLA WERE GOING TO WESTPORT OR nEW bEDFORD :fishin:

W OW ..THat was f ed up typing ><><>

Lets start another thread .........rec ,s taking undersize fluke . this thread \\\ has:wall: been well beaten ><>><><<><:jump1::jump1:

There's a well known story still being hashed out on the South Shore of someone selling illegal bluefin.

They don't %$%$%$%$ around with tuna. He's going to probably lose his boat.

Big fines.

This is how you deal with poaching.

Tuna buys lead to $100k in restaurant fines in Ogunquit | SeacoastOnline.com (http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090521-NEWS-905210361)

A lot of what you post is self-serving, but this is ridiculous.

You make a profit in MA commercial fishing and you take it home with you.......otherwise you wouldn't be here. If you are as good as you make yourself out to be, then it is not a small profit either. That money benefits the state you spend it in. Presumably you pay taxes on it (although I'd bet many guys don't) and use the rest for your family's living expenses. That money in turn gets taxed and spent by others where you live (multiplier effect). If a million dollars leaves MA it results in several million dollars of lost economic activity. That is money that could be helping the people of MA.

So explain to me again how it is in the State's interest to allow out of state utilization of our commercial quota?

How many products are made in Jersey and shipped up here for sale. Its no different than any other interstate commerce. Protected under federal law.

How many products are made in Jersey and shipped up here for sale. Its no different than any other interstate commerce. Protected under federal law.

There is no limit on those sales. The government can't go up to Apple and say "hey, you can only sell 2 million laptops tp Massachusetts and 4 million iPhones to New Jersey this year and then you're shut down."

On the other hand, and I think this is numbskull's point which I agree with, the government tells the commercial fishing sector that they can only catch so many lbs of fish. As such, there is a limit to how much money will be made from selling fish. By MA allowing out-of-state people to comm fish here, those people get paid by our local markets, and then they take that money to their home state to be used in the local economies of NY or NJ or wherever, as opposed to being used locally in our state.

If a MA market pays a MA fisherman $1000 for his catch, then the fisherman later uses that money to buy his local coffee at the mom and pop shop, at RedTop for extra tackle/bait and to pay his rent. That money stays locally, helps local businesses and is taxed locally.

On the other hand, if that same $1000 is paid to a NY fisherman, then that money leaves the state with him to stimulate *their* local economy as opposed to the benefits being preserved here.

This is like a micro version of our national trade situation. Every dollar we Americans use for imported goods is a dollar that stops being utilized domestically. With the current state of our economy and the number of people without jobs, every little bit helps.

Ideally, commercial licenses would only be renewed by filing a 1040/1099 indicating that at least 50% of the taxpayers' gross income was derived from the sale of fish. That's the way it has always been in NY and some other states that issue commercial licenses.

I also wonder how many non-residents are filing Mass tax returns. I have always had to file returns in every state in which I have earned income. Some markets pay by check--some pay by cash. My sense is a lot of cash transactions don't get reported to any state, or to the IRS.

I have no problems with reciprocity--but to me, the height of idiocy is Mass issuing licenses to anglers who either reside in gamefish states, or who live in grandfathered states where Mass anglers either couldn't get a license at all, or couldn't get bass tags.

I also have no problem with Mass grandfathering existing licenses to out-of-staters, but issuing new licenses to people who live in states where we can't get a commercial license is wrong.

It's a different game now, with ASMFC and hard commercial quotas. Mass is doing its full time commercials a disservice. DMF cares more about licensing fees than its own resident commercials who actually make a living from the sea. And that is wrong, any way you slice it.

I'm not pointing fingers at anyone who plays by the rules. Report your catches, pay your taxes, and my problem isn't with you--it's with the rule makers.