Illegal Fishing Caught Under Wantagh Parkway: DEC

WANTAGH, NY — The state Department of Environmental Conservation Officers recently investigated illegal fishing under one of the bridges on the Wantagh Parkway.

Officers noticed a fisherman caught an out-of-season blackfish on Oct. 2, put it in a bag, and tossed the bag down into the rocks, the DEC said in a release.

However, when stopped by police, the man had no fish, just fishing equipment. When an investigation failed to uncover the fish, a K9 officer was brought to the area. On the opposite side of the bridge, the K9 discovered multiple black bags containing blackfish, the DEC said.

The man was ticketed for keeping out-of-season blackfish and failing to release the fish without undue harm.

The angler is scheduled to appear at Nassau County First District Court at a later date.