Why Mississippi DMR paid $291K for a boat fishermen dream of

This is not Bill Walker’s Department of Marine Resources. The DMR just bought a 39-foot, offshore boat, but it won’t be used for the legislative fishing trips, fishing tournaments and birthday outings that Bill Walker sanctioned under his regime, Executive Director Jamie Miller told the Sun Herald. DMR intends to use the boat for collecting finfish samples offshore, most notably red snapper, Miller said when the Sun Herald interviewed him this week at the DMR’s reef staging site on the Industrial Seaway, where the boat is stored. Miller said the DMR wants hard data to prove what most offshore fishermen will already tell you: Red snapper are more plentiful than the federal government’s stingy fishing limits indicate. (Oh, and one other thing. Miller said the boat “absolutely” will be used in undercover operations to nab fishermen with illegal catches. The Contender will be marked as a DMR boat, but its 70-mph top speed means enforcers will be on top of those fishing illegally before they can dispose of their catches.) Video, Read the story here 14:32

 

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