Anglers Nabbed In Montauk Fishing Compliance Checks By DEC

MONTAUK, NY — Anglers were nabbed recently during a fish compliance check in Suffolk County performed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

On July 20, while on boat patrol in Montauk, Environmental Conservation Officers DeVito, Della Rocco, and Simmons encountered anglers fishing from a vessel anchored outside the New York State boundary in federal waters, the DEC said.

The officers determined that the captain did not have a federal fishing permit and could not legally possess the 100 fish found on board, including black sea bass and porgy, the DEC said.

The captain faces federal charges from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the DEC said.

Next, On Aug. 2, ECOs DeVito and Hilton conducted commercial fishing checks in Montauk; during their inspection of one fish market, they discovered four totes of fish waiting to be packed by a dealer, the DEC said.

A closer look revealed that one tote contained 20 untagged tautog. The Officers also found 100 pounds of black sea bass packed in unlabeled containers. ECOs ticketed the market for the untagged fish and unlabeled food containers, the DEC said.