RJ
07-02-2008, 04:10 PM
I received this letter from a Ms. Nancy Locke of Massapequa Long Island who also sent it ot the DEC Law Enforcement division here on Long Island.
It is disturbing and not the first time ECO's have not been aware of measuring rules or even species for that fact. It is tough when many marine Bureau ECO's come from way upstate.
June 26, 2008
From:
Nancy Locke
Massapequa, NY 11758
Dear Rich:
I have been fishing on local party boats since 1980. Fishing is both my passion and my therapy. I have been to Alaska 11 times, strictly to fish. The fishing there is fantastic due to the conservation laws and regulations on all species and areas of fishing. In fact, I have even been written up in Alaska magazine, because I have caught 3 halibut weighing over 300 pounds on 3 different trips!
I started fishing with Captain James Schneider around 1987, when he was the Captain of the Speedy Junior. Ever since I stepped foot on his boat, it was the only boat I would look forward to going on. Captain James is a phenomenal Captain in every way, and his crew is the best on Long Island. In my 20 years of fishing with Captain James, I have never seen him or his crew, allow a fish that was not within regulations of the species, be kept. They would be thrown back.
As I said in the beginning, fishing is my therapy, you see, I have Multiple Sclerosis and over the years it has progressed that I can no longer work, and I am considered “disabled”. So fishing is the one thing I have not had to abandon, at least for now. I try to go once a week, and consider that day my little weekly vacation, where I can truly relax, be among great friends, and not worry about having an anxiety attack, a panic attack, or any other of my daily symptoms that I have to deal with.
On June 12, 2008 I was aboard the James Joseph II for a day of fluke fishing. The fishing was great, there were many large fluke caught, as well as many short fluke thrown back. As the boat was moving to it’s next location to fish, a Police boat, lights flashing approached the James Joseph II. It was the DEC coming aboard to check that the fluke caught were within NY regulations. I was very interested at first, to watch them do their job, I was in the stern watching one of the officer’s measure every fish on board. He was very professional.
In the meantime, a second officer was in the bow of the boat, not being very professional! One of the crew called for the Captain, it seems there was a problem. He was claiming he found fluke that were not 20.5 inches in some customer’s buckets. I followed Captain James to the bow to see what was going on. I was appalled at the way this officer treated the Captain, the crew and even the customers! He would not listen to anyone, and I truly found this to be very disturbing!
This particular officer didn’t even know the correct way to measure a fish, He was not laying the fish out flat to be measured, he was jamming the fish onto the measuring board. So after a lesson on how to measure a fluke properly, his story changes, now only one fluke is not of legal size. The fish, when caught, was measured, it was 20.5 inches, so in the bucket it went, very early in the day. Since the legal size of a keeper fish is what it is, the tail of the fish, usually is exposed to the hot sun, which dries and shrinks the tail of the fish.
What started out as a learning experience, turned out to be extremely upsetting. This police officer seemed to come on board with the pre-meditated idea of finding something, anything, in order to fine Captain James Schneider. It looked like a personal vendetta against the Captain and it totally changed the atmosphere on the boat for the rest of the trip. For me, my one day vacation for that week, was totally ruined. I ended up having an anxiety attack, leg spasms that were so bad, I had to wait an hour in the parking lot before I could drive home. I hope in the future, never to cross paths with that particular officer.
Sincerely,
Nancy Locke
Massapequa, NY
It is disturbing and not the first time ECO's have not been aware of measuring rules or even species for that fact. It is tough when many marine Bureau ECO's come from way upstate.
June 26, 2008
From:
Nancy Locke
Massapequa, NY 11758
Dear Rich:
I have been fishing on local party boats since 1980. Fishing is both my passion and my therapy. I have been to Alaska 11 times, strictly to fish. The fishing there is fantastic due to the conservation laws and regulations on all species and areas of fishing. In fact, I have even been written up in Alaska magazine, because I have caught 3 halibut weighing over 300 pounds on 3 different trips!
I started fishing with Captain James Schneider around 1987, when he was the Captain of the Speedy Junior. Ever since I stepped foot on his boat, it was the only boat I would look forward to going on. Captain James is a phenomenal Captain in every way, and his crew is the best on Long Island. In my 20 years of fishing with Captain James, I have never seen him or his crew, allow a fish that was not within regulations of the species, be kept. They would be thrown back.
As I said in the beginning, fishing is my therapy, you see, I have Multiple Sclerosis and over the years it has progressed that I can no longer work, and I am considered “disabled”. So fishing is the one thing I have not had to abandon, at least for now. I try to go once a week, and consider that day my little weekly vacation, where I can truly relax, be among great friends, and not worry about having an anxiety attack, a panic attack, or any other of my daily symptoms that I have to deal with.
On June 12, 2008 I was aboard the James Joseph II for a day of fluke fishing. The fishing was great, there were many large fluke caught, as well as many short fluke thrown back. As the boat was moving to it’s next location to fish, a Police boat, lights flashing approached the James Joseph II. It was the DEC coming aboard to check that the fluke caught were within NY regulations. I was very interested at first, to watch them do their job, I was in the stern watching one of the officer’s measure every fish on board. He was very professional.
In the meantime, a second officer was in the bow of the boat, not being very professional! One of the crew called for the Captain, it seems there was a problem. He was claiming he found fluke that were not 20.5 inches in some customer’s buckets. I followed Captain James to the bow to see what was going on. I was appalled at the way this officer treated the Captain, the crew and even the customers! He would not listen to anyone, and I truly found this to be very disturbing!
This particular officer didn’t even know the correct way to measure a fish, He was not laying the fish out flat to be measured, he was jamming the fish onto the measuring board. So after a lesson on how to measure a fluke properly, his story changes, now only one fluke is not of legal size. The fish, when caught, was measured, it was 20.5 inches, so in the bucket it went, very early in the day. Since the legal size of a keeper fish is what it is, the tail of the fish, usually is exposed to the hot sun, which dries and shrinks the tail of the fish.
What started out as a learning experience, turned out to be extremely upsetting. This police officer seemed to come on board with the pre-meditated idea of finding something, anything, in order to fine Captain James Schneider. It looked like a personal vendetta against the Captain and it totally changed the atmosphere on the boat for the rest of the trip. For me, my one day vacation for that week, was totally ruined. I ended up having an anxiety attack, leg spasms that were so bad, I had to wait an hour in the parking lot before I could drive home. I hope in the future, never to cross paths with that particular officer.
Sincerely,
Nancy Locke
Massapequa, NY