NY Environmental Conservation Officers Seize Out Of Season and Endangered Fish
On March 15 and 16, ECOs conducted details along the Hudson River in Orange, Rockland, and Westchester counties in search of anglers taking striped bass out of season. In Orange and Rockland counties, Officers issued 10 tickets and seized six out-of-season striped bass. In Westchester County, ECO Franz observed a vehicle on the side of the road in a closed-off area and decided to investigate. While approaching the vehicle, the ECO discovered the driver with a large garbage bag containing out-of-season striped bass, two catfish, a white perch, and a fish later determined to be a shortnose sturgeon. Shortnose sturgeon are an endangered species and protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Officer Franz ticketed the angler for a host of Environmental Conservation Law violations and donated the striped bass to a local wolf conservation center. The sturgeon is being used for outreach and educational purposes.
Each year, DEC’s Division of Marine Resources monitors the health of New York’s spawning fish population. Using a 500-foot seine net and an electrofishing boat, employees catch spawning striped bass, record their weight, length, and sex, and tag the fish before returning them to the water. Taking striped bass out of season or fishing without a fishing license can affect the data collected, hampering DEC’s fisheries management. Some of the seized striped bass will be utilized during training for fish detection by DEC’s K-9 program.
ECOs in Orange and Rockland counties with illegally taken striped bass
ECO Franz with a Shortnose Sturgeon and 12 out-of-season striped bass
Last Updated on April 3, 2022 by Fish HV Contributors
