Illegal striped bass harvest means trouble for N.C. commercial fishermen – By Fred Bonner
Apparently, the good management practices worked because today the population of Atlantic striped bass is now considered to be “fully recovered.” This is why many North Carolinians, including many sport as well as commercial fishermen, were upset when 13 commercial fishermen in North Carolina and Georgia were charged in federal court in Raleigh for their role in the illegal harvest, sale and false reporting of approximately 90,000 pounds of Atlantic striped bass. Read the rest here 16:28
While some may be guilty, some probably are not, but the media and social media have already convicted them. There is a short snippet near the end of the article saying they are not guilty till convicted, it will be dismissed by most. When VTRs were rammed down our throats we were told they would not be used for enforcement, weight was suppose to be an estimate and area fished was to be approximate. That lasted about a month. Amazingly only the commercial have been targeted, apparently recreational and the charter/party boat people have been exempt from the same rules that apply to all. The same people convicting these guys live by do as I say not as I do.
I wonder if the same people that have convicted these people will apologize and put the same effort into repairing their names. Mark Phillips
Not your usual Dragnet Episode…