On May 1, the first day of the season for summer flounder (fluke), ECO Perkins received a complaint from a fisherman at the Robert Moses State Park boat basin about a man and woman inside a vehicle who took an undersized fluke. ECO Perkins searched the car and located the undersized fluke in a clear plastic bag underneath a pile of groceries in the trunk. ECO Perkins placed the fluke on the gravel lot and continued to search the vehicle for additional fish. As he searched, the suspect grabbed the fish and proceeded to sprint for approximately 60 yards toward the water. ECO Perkins repeatedly ordered the subject to stop and not dump the fish as the subject completely disregarded the ECO’s orders and threw the fish back into the water. The fisherman’s poor judgement and actions resulted in three tickets for possession of undersized fluke, failure to release without undue harm, and dumping upon signal to stop from a police officer. All tickets are returnable to 1st District Court in Suffolk County.
