[Swimmer]

The EPO's budget probably does not provide for them to be answering calls from their home at night, in other words twenty-four hours a day. I'm not making any excuses for them or anyone in my field of employment related to mine who is ineffective, but lets face how many people here on this list go to work for nada?
That being said, if a law is being broken wherever you are, whether it has to do with seining herring in an unlawful manner or elvers for that matter call your local police departments. They work 24/7/365 days a year. What might happen when you call is that the person on the desk might say, "we do not enforce those laws," but they do. A state law is a state law is a state law. Any sworn law officer in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts can and has to enforce every law when called upon. Are they all trained in the law, no, but they all know how to look up each and every one of them and make a determination if in fact the complainant(you) was right when you called. What the officer really means is that they have little or no training in enforcing the laws as they pertain to herring, elvers, and the illegal taking of undersized stripers. What the caller should request at this juncture is a shift supervisor, then the onus for action or lack of is on the entire department or municipality, and for that supervisor when he arrives should take names to be summons to court at a later date after the supervisor researches and evaluates his options when he does look up the laws in regard to our concerns here on this list. In requesting a supervisor your placing that town on alert that your are going to follow up on the initial call when you requested the officer to begin with. ONE THING EVERYONE HAS TO BEWARE OF THIS WILL ALSO GENERATE A SUMMONS TO YOUR HOUSE BECAUSE YOU ARE THE WITNESS. THIS MEANS YOU WILL HAVE TO GO ON THE STAND AND BACKUP WHAT YOU SAW AND THAT YOU COMPLAINED ABOUT IT ENOUGH TO GENERATE THIS COURT ACTION AGAINST WHOMEVER WAS VIOLATING THE LAW. This is where it gets sticky. I have been a policeman for thirty years, and I dont go around letting everyone or anyone know this very often, I am here because I haven't met anyone on this list that I do not genuinely like. But when it comes time to go to court most people dont feel as strong about their original intentions as when it comes time to answer the question, Do you solemnly swear...................? And your reply is, "I do." Every action on you part in this regard will have a ripple effect.
If you have herring runs in the town you live in contact the local polce department and find out if they officers have been trained in these laws. Many of the laws are quite strong and allow for arrest, for offenses such as fishing without a license. I would strongly suggest that no one here takes any aggresive action streamside in the middle of the night. I dont know about anyone else here but with my luck that the putz I catch stealing the herring would be armed with a .44 nickel plated bulldog. CALL THE LOCAL POLICE WHEREVER YOU ARE. IF THEY ARE NOT TRAINED IN THE LAW THEN DEMAND THEY AT LEAST TAKE NAMES AND CONFISCATE THEIR EQUIPMENT FOR EVIDENTIARY PURPOSES. DONT WORRY ABOUT HURTING THE LOCAL OFFICERS FEELING WE GET PAID FOR THAT TO OCCUR. EVEN IF THE LOCALS DO NOT SUMMONS THE PERPS TO COURT AT LEAST IF THE LOCAL OFFICER LOGS THOSE NAMES THEY CAN BE TURNED OVER TO AN EPO DURING DAYTIME BUSINESS HOURS.
Just my long-winded two cents worth.