Two charged in illegal stripedbass sales

[Swimmer]

Clinton, Conn.
Two connecticut men face charges after environmental protection officials say they truck 800 pounds of stripedbass to Massachusetts and sold it without the proper permits. J... Z...., Jr. "age 77" of East Haven and B....... R...... Jr., 51, of New Haven were charged with numerous fishing violations in Massachusetts, and the Coonecticuty Department of Environmental Protection said it also expects to file more charges. DEP Police Captain Rick Lewis said police staked out Clinto harboron tuesday based on a tip. Officer said they wacthed Z.... and R...... unload 33 stripedbass and 91 scup from thier boats, then put them in a cooler and drive away in a pickup. Police tailed the pair to New Bedford, where they alledgedly sold the fish to an unidentified dealer. Recreational fishermen are prohibited from selling stripedbass in Connecticut.

This article was hidden in the first section of the Boston Globe today. I wonder if the police confiscated thier truck and thier boats. Anyone here from Connecticut hear anything about this?

[Youngmoon74]

I hope they did! I wonder how long these guys have been doing this. 800lbs is a lot of fish and if they have been doing this for years.....that's adds up to way too much

[Nebe]

Wow..that takes major balls to try to hauk 800 lbs at once. Those guys are going to loose their boat, and face huge $$$$

[ThrowingTimber]

I fuggin' LOVE IT!

[likwid]

Originally Posted by Swimmer

I wonder if the police confiscated thier truck and thier boats.

The state did yes.

[Iwannakeeper]

Originally Posted by likwid

The state did yes.

Make 'em pay out the nose

[outfished]

Off with their heads

[Striper1rn]

without being too harsh...they should castrate the barstids.

[LeCounts1099]

Let Omega Protein Co. grind them up for "Reduction" purposes, & save 400+ lbs. of valuable live Menhaden!

[BigFish]

My guess is even though they should be drawn and quartered that they will get no more than a slap on the wrists!

[Slipknot]

Hopefully the damage to the guys reputation will keep him and others from doing the same.

[Swimmer]

How about punishing the company that did or was going to buy them. And bigfish said about the wrist slap, we have to remember that judges in Massachusetts are the best defense attorney's criminals don't have to hire.

[Mr. Sandman]

http://www.nhregister.com/site/news....d=517515&rfi=8

[NIB]

interesting article.I'm surprised it doesn't happen more.I think it does an they just don't get caught.i would bet this is by no means the first haul for these self--proclaimed comms.if no one called they would have been off again for the next haul.33 at a little over 24 lbs average.theres some good ones in there too.

[teaser]

Being as I lived in New Bedford for quite a while up to 12 years ago, I got to hear of a few places that operate like that. No I have never contributed to this practice, usually anything I am not going to eat myself gets released.

But the most common place to sell undersized fish is a place called "Porky's" on Cove Road right by the water, boats usually pull right up to the back door and unload their catch. He's been caught several times already and is still in business, go figure.

The other place is "De Mello's Market" about 1/4 mile away from Porky's, owned by two brothers. I've heard all you have to do is pull up to the back door and your in the money, no questions asked. Same senario as Porky's, been caught and still in business.

Maybe one day someone will actually enforce the law to it's fullest and shut places like this down for good, but till then all we can do is watch it happen over and over again.

It's just like drug dealers if you think about it, if a dealer gets caught and by some strange twist actually goes to jail, minutes after he's gone someone else is there to replace him.

It's the same with places like these, shut one down there's another waiting to do it. It's too easy to do and get away with and the moneys too good.

Who says crime don't pay?