During a recent patrol at the U.S. Coast Guard Station at Fire Island, ECOs Cacciola and Perkins observed a fisherman casting a line into the Fire Island Inlet. The Officers checked in with the angler and discovered that he possessed a black plastic bag in a cooler with one bluefish and one tautog. Not currently in season, the tautog was also undersized at 14 inches. The ECOs charged the angler with taking a fish out of season and possession of an undersized fish.
On June 11, while on an early morning patrol in East Hampton, ECO Boyes checked several popular fishing locations. While checking a group of commercial fishermen, the ECO watched as an angler down the beach caught a fish and placed it in a cooler. The Officer went down to the beach to see how the angler was making out and found a cooler with several porgies and an undersized fluke. The angler was ticketed for possession of undersized fluke, returnable to Town of East Hampton Court.
On June 11, during a striped bass enforcement detail, ECO McCabe spent the late-night hours checking anglers at popular spots in Southampton. Using a night vision scope, the ECO observed several anglers who did not return their striped bass to the water. The Officer also nabbed two fishermen with undersized striped bass. All violators were written tickets, returnable to Southampton Town Court.
Striped Bass are a highly sought-after fish, accessible from shore, as well as boats. Anglers targeting striped bass are often rewarded with a tough fight and a delicious meal. DEC regulations allow anglers to only keep one striped bass between 28 and 35 inches in length and circle hooks are required when using bait.
On June 12, ECOs Dickson and Cacciola conducted a boat patrol for marine fishing enforcement on the Long Island Sound near Stony Brook, the same day a fluke tournament was being hosted by a local yacht club. During the tournament, the ECOs discovered one of the boats in possession of two undersized fluke measuring 16.5 and 18 inches. The captain of the vessel said he was unaware that the minimum size of fluke is 19 inches. Officers issued the subject a ticket for possession of undersized fluke returnable to Suffolk First District Court.
