FWC Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Highlights For Cases In Brevard County
By Space Coast Daily // July 26, 2016
subject arrested for fishing with entangling net
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – The following report highlights some cases the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission handled in Brevard County over the past week, but does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement.
• While on foot patrol, Officer Kearney observed a man catching undersized mangrove snapper and placing them in a nearby bucket. The officer approached the man and conducted a resource inspection. During the inspection, the officer discovered that the man was in possession of three undersized sheepshead and 28 undersized mangrove snapper, well over the legal bag limit of five mangrove snapper per person. Officer Kearney issued the man a notice to appear for over the bag limit of mangrove snapper, undersized mangrove snapper and undersized sheepshead. A warning was also issued for expired fishing license.
• Officer J. Humphrey was working land patrol on the north end of Brevard County when she observed several subjects quickly loading their fishing tackle into a truck to leave. She conducted a marine resource inspection and found seven oversized black drum in the bed of the truck still on stringers. The fish were claimed by three fishermen, putting the group four oversized black drum over their limit. A further investigation revealed two goliath grouper in a cooler. One of the subjects claimed both grouper. Appropriate citations were issued.
• While conducting patrols in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Officer Hallsten observed a man pulling a large monofilament net into his vessel. A fisheries inspection was conducted on the vessel a short time later and it was discovered that the cast net measured over 16 feet long with a stretch mesh of five inches and was being used as an entangling net. The subject was arrested for fishing with an entangling net in state waters and also for possession of an entangling net in state waters.
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