Poaching, a Local Problem

 

 

Mama Grizzly Bear and cub

 

 

Poaching. What is it? Simply put, poaching is taking fish or game illegally.

Some people may think that poaching is only a problem in Africa where poachers kill elephants for their ivory, or rhinoceros for the Chinese demand of the traditional medicine made from the rhino’s horn, but poaching happens everywhere. Yes even in your county.

Poaching takes on many forms, from taking of live seashells and under sized fish to baiting deer and bear out of season to numerous other methods. On July 13, 2018 a Texas woman was sentenced to fifteen days in jail for collecting 46 live queen conch shells in Key West Florida. Diani Fiscil-Gonzalez pled no contest. She will also serve six months probation and pay $768.00 in fines and court cost. www.nbc-2.com Mrs. Fiscil-Gonzalez was unaware of the Florida law preventing the taking of live seashells. Now while this is not an extreme case of poaching, it is still classified as poaching.

Have you ever been fishing on a pier or jetty and noticed a guy catch a 40-inch snook, grab his gear and run? I have, and in both cases, it was local men who seem to believe that the laws don’t apply to them. The slot size for snook on the gulf coast of Florida is 28-34 inches. Anything larger or smaller is an illegal fish and those men were poaching. The penalties for taking illegal fish includes, loss of license and fines as well as having your fishing equipment and vehicle confiscated. That’s why they ran so fast back to their car.

I personally know someone who lost his fishing privileges for a year because he was caught with three oversized trout. He didn’t know that for these fish you have to pinch the tail. The slot for trout is 15-20 inches. You are allowed one trout over 20 inches. With the pinched tail, he had 4 over 20 inches. Knowing the laws governing the activity you enjoy is very important.

 

 

Goliath Grouper

 

Recently The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) arrested four men in two boats for “possession of undersized fish and illegal species.” These poachers were stopped in Gordon Pass near Naples and Caxambas Pass in Marco Island. They were in possession of sea turtle parts and goliath grouper, both are federally protected. Eighty-five of eighty-six red grouper were undersized along with several oversized permit. www.floridasportsman.com The charges for these low lifes range from second degree misdemeanors to third degree felonies. With a possible jail term of 5 years and up to $5,000 in fines.

In Montana Outdoors Magazine, Sam Crutis tells us how poaching in that state is big business. Mr. Curtis relates a story of a CEO at an Illinois Company takes his employees on illegal hunts. The CEO uses an unscrupulous guide where a hunting license and tags were not needed. These poachers could take as many antelope as they wanted. Then the animals were sent to a taxidermist that they paid off so these “hunters” could show off their “skills.” In a state like Montana “poachers get plenty of opportunities to shoot big trophies, make big money and satisfy big egos.”
You can’t really profile a poacher. That’s because they come from all walks of life, rich and poor, they come from the country as well as the big city. Sometimes it’s generational. A father shows a young son how to spotlight a deer or that size and bag limits don’t apply to them, because their family was here long before the laws were. In these cases, the young man is hard to turn around, after all dad can do no wrong.

Why do people take fish and game animals illegally? Whether it’s a fish of a lifetime or a Boon and Crockett record deer, or maybe it’s just about the money, it all comes down to greed or worse. www.cnn.com tells us that in 2011 Al shabaab made up to $600,000 a month from elephant tusk, to help fund their terrorist activities. That’s just one of the terrorist groups poaching in the area.

So what can we, as law abiding citizens do to help combat poaching? The first thing we can do is instill a love of nature in our children and grandchildren and impress on them the importance of the laws that govern the outdoor sports that they love. Second, we all have phones. If you witness someone taking an out of slot fish or baiting deer or bear out of season, night hunting or any other unethical way of taking game call 911 or your local warden service.

www.wheresthewildlife.com has a few suggestions on how we can help prevent poaching.

·         Understand what poaching is, the unlawful taking of fish and game.

·         If you see something that you would like to hang over your mantle or in your office, say an alligator head, then find out what the laws are concerning the hunting and selling of that animal.

·         Volunteer with a reputable conservation organization. Do your homework though. Make sure you align yourself with an organization that has the same beliefs as you have.

Researching these organizations is very important. There are some nationally recognized names that are just out for the money. Some give as little as one percent of donations to the causes the money is collected for and don’t hold true to their mission statements. If you are going to give your money or time, give it to the local chapter. Your donations will be put to much better use than it is when given to that national charter.

No matter where you stand on our heritage of outdoor sports hunting, fishing and the like. There is one thing we can all agree on. The illegal taking of fish and game must stop.