Tag Archives: Fish crime does not pay

Fish crime does not pay: Freeport fisherman Beau Gillis speaks about his heavy sentence

article_large gillis“It’s totally not worth it, fish crime does not pay,” said the Freeport fisherman. Gillis was recently sentenced to about $70,000 in penalties for not claiming 1,100 pounds of halibut he caught on June 10, 2015. “It was a great day … until it wasn’t,” said Gillis. “I got greedy. I did it. I pled guilty. “I do find it’s excessive but I’m a warning to others not to do this. It’s a conservation measure to protect a good fishery, it’s a laudable goal.” Fishery Officers found about 800 pounds of halibut on the truck Gillis was driving when they pulled him over and the rest they found aboard Gillis’ boat. Gillis received $10,000 in fines from the judge at sentencing on July 11. The judge also imposed a five-month suspension from ground fishing to be served in 2017, which will mean missing the whole season. (It gets real expensive as the story continues.)  Read the rest here 09:47