For almost 2 weeks these boats were pounding our shores really close...dragging. There were at one time 18 boats from all over the place, NY, RI... While enjoying a day at the beach I watched with my binoc's and said to my wife...those guys are catching something, they are out there every day all day and night dragging the hell out of that area. Herein lies the problem, commercial fishermen have little respect for the law, they exploit anything they can get away with and know that not much is enforced or can be done. I doubt this guy even shows up and they probably give him a fine so lame it doesn't even cover the cost of the fuel used for the chopper. IMO, you make a "mistake" like this and that is it, you are done comm fishing forever. Take his lic away! You don't suppose he dragged up any SB in those squid nets off of squibby this time of year do you?
A fleet of fishing boats south of Chilmark generated a lot of curiosity. The boats were all fishing for squid but not all of the captains were playing by the rules.
Alerted to the presence of the boats, Environmental Police Sergeant Matt Bass hooked a ride with the Coast Guard onboard a Jayhawk helicopter.
The flyover inspection turned up a Rhode Island fishing boat squid fishing inside Massachusetts's three-mile limit. The captain did not have a state coastal access permit and he was using an improper net mesh, Sergeant Bass said.
The boat left quickly, but did not escape the long arm of Mr. Bass who contacted Rhode Island environmental police.
Anthony Faciano of Wakefield, R.I., received a summons to appear in Edgartown District Court in connection with the fisheries rules violations.
Threaded Mode