New Rochelle Man Accused Of Illegal Fishing In Greenwich: PD

GREENWICH, CT — A 61-year-old New Rochelle man was arrested on a warrant this week charging him with violating commercial fishing regulations and other offenses for allegedly catching too many blackfish within the jurisdictional waters of Greenwich, according to police.

The incident occurred on Oct. 17, when Lawrence McLoughlin, of Stonelea Place, was operating a boat in Greenwich waters and was stopped by Greenwich Police Department Marine officers for a safety inspection due to rough seas that day.

McLoughlin agreed to pull his 24-foot boat over to a local dock, "but while en-route he was observed to leave the helm and throw several bags of fish over the side of the boat," wrote police in a statement. "Later McLoughlin explained that he was throwing fishing bait overboard."

During the safety inspection, McLoughlin was given an infraction for an expired vessel registration, but officers later searched the area where McLoughlin was seen dumping and found several bags containing at least 14 blackfish, according to police.

"There were more fish than allowed by regulations (10 per day) and were smaller than the allowed minimum length," wrote police.

Greenwich police obtained a warrant for McLoughlin's arrest, and he surrendered to police on Thursday. He was charged with:

• Littering on public land/water
• Violating commercial fishing regulations
• Violating regulations regarding sport/commercial fishing
• Tampering with physical evidence
• Interfering with an officer

He was held in lieu of bail of $75,000 and was scheduled to appear in Stamford Superior Court on Nov. 1.

Photo credit: Renee Schiavone/Patch