Poacher defended

[finchaser]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/sun-investigates/bs-md-tilghman-island-20150221-story.html#page=1

[robmedina]

despicable.

[storminsteve]

OMG this turns my stomach. He's going to prison and will still be fire chief when he comes out????????? someone should sink this guys boat! What a scumbag!!!!!!!!!:mad:
Some of the most disturbing comments:

" The Tilghman Island Volunteer Fire Company recently decided that Lednum should continue as chief while he's in prison. Two marinas have offered to dock the Kristin Marie for free. A waterman friend will be mowing his lawn while he's gone.
(http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/sun-investigates/bs-md-tilghman-island-20150221-story.html#) "I don't know what the state of Maryland is trying to do," said Johnny Haddaway, 78, a third-generation waterman whose house sits in the shadow of the island's drawbridge. "They are trying to get rid of watermen is what they are trying to do."

Patricia McGlannan, co-owner of the Tilghman Island Country Store, notes that Lednum and the other men convicted in the poaching scheme "are the very same people who take care of the community and do all the volunteering. So there is your great irony. ... I'm not for illegal fishing, but you meet the guy and you say, 'Damn, it's just fish.'"

Lednum and Hayden admitted to illegally selling a total of 185,925 pounds of rockfish worth nearly $500,000, court records show.

Hayden and Lednum say 10 to 12 other boats had unattended nets in the area before the 2011 season opened. Hayden said that's why residents were not upset with them: "Everybody was doing it! Why would you argue if everybody is doing it?"



Despicable that's for sure! Eff you Fire Capt Billy Lednum you are a POS and a disgrace to firemen everywhere!!!

[hookset]

That lady reporter had her nose so far up his a** she probably tasted what he had for breakfast. what a puff piece. They minimized everything he and his buddies did. Everybody's doing it what's the big deal? What if everybody wants to be a pedophile or smoke pot at the football game in front of school kids? Would that be no big deal too?

[surferman]

Wow thats unbelievable. They make it sound like he's a guy who forgot to pay his takes he should not be treated so harshly. He poached 185 thousand pounds of stripers over a few years. It would take 20 of us about 50 years to catch that many. He should be punished. I am glad he got jail time but I think it's time to do something about that good ole boy network down in maryland. It seems like they are making a real dent in the striper population. And they seem to care so little about it they find all kinds of ways to justify it.

[finchaser]

Bass are doomed:waaah:

[dogfish]

^ I agree these bass just can't seem to catch a break.

[cowherder]

"Ronnie Reiss, 32, known locally as "Reissy Cup," lives about a mile north of the island's drawbridge. On a recent day, while repairing a pair of oyster hand tongs outside near a couple of dead geese, Reiss did not hesitate to share his thoughts about Lednum's and Hayden's anchor netting.
"What they were doing, there is nothing wrong with it!" Reiss said. "Every other state does it, why can't we?"

when you have guys with attitudes like this you know the problem is widespread because not one of them sees the harm they are doing.

[lostatsea]

That lady reporter had her nose so far up his a** she probably tasted what he had for breakfast. what a puff piece. They minimized everything he and his buddies did. Everybody's doing it what's the big deal?

I think you hit the nail on the head there, guy. They are so used to living like this they don't see the damage they are causing. I wouldn't go so far as to compare with pedophiles but I agree with your point. What if all of a sudden everyone in society decided they didn't want to pay property taxes. Or everyone disregarded stop signs and traffic signals. There would be chaos. I think when living in society you have to conform to certain sets of laws. When everyone conforms there is order. When you have a group that feels the laws don't apply to them you have to deal wiht it. This whole group of waterman seems like this is a way of life for them. If they get caught so what there neighbor will cut there lawn during lockup. I don't know if this can change but I think the officials down there should watch all of these weasels and bust them every time. My .02

[DarkSkies]

Thanks for raising awareness on that one, Fin...:thumbsup:

Fin has been saying all along that poaching will never be deterred until prosecutions are more aggressive and the punishment actually hurts.
Many criminal courts don't view these violations as seriously as the other crimes they are presented with....the offenders (usually) get off with a slap on the wrist or a plea bargain.

There are too many who still view the fines as a cost of doing business and worth the risk....ie all the folks who still dart in and out of the EEZ and play cat and mouse with the Coast Guard.......

I think the tide is beginning to turn.
A. They decided to make an example of Billy Lednum because of the extreme nature of his violations.
B. The comments about everyone doing it need to be looked at as well.

**Until the bulk of these guys think there is a chance of each of them personally getting prosecuted and going to jail, they will probably continue the behavior, and continue justifying it.

Fin is correct. There is no way striped bass have a real chance at recovery with poaching operations of this magnitude going on.....the bass simply cannot handle all this pressure Coastwide......

I'm grateful for the enforcement people and the tough job they have to do. :clapping:










**On a related note, there are lots of folks who complain about NJ possibly making them pay for a SW license.
However, I know from my contacts out there that in NJ our F&G personnel are stretched too thin. We really do need more enforcement.

Money for that doesn't come out of a magic hat, it has to be funded somehow.....
A SW license fee, with funds specifically tied to those uses, would go a long way towards stemming these abuses in NJ.

Folks will get mad at me for saying this.....
To those folks...I would invite them to take a trip to Fla.....

In Fla, LE has very high visibility when you are out fishing or hunting......
And the deterrent factor is huge.....
Most friends who fish Fla regularly say they would never think of taking a fish contrary to regs, because of the strong F&G presence. :learn:

Those who would be angry with paying to fish SW in NJ would be well-advised to look to Fla as an example,
1. how it has benefited their Fish and Wildlife programs, better enforcement...
2. Many more angler amenities, fishing ramps, cleaning stations, etc....
2. and benefited fish populations as a whole.


Again, this is just my opinion....would love to hear what the rest of ya's think......
Winter still has us in its grip.....might be a little while before we see some fish this Spring.....:fishing: :HappyWave:

[fishinmission78]

T

Fin has been saying all along that poaching will never be deterred until prosecutions are more aggressive and the punishment actually hurts.
Many criminal courts don't view these violations as seriously as the other crimes they are presented with....the offenders (usually) get off with a slap on the wrist or a plea bargain.

There are too many who still view the fines as a cost of doing business and worth the risk....ie all the folks who still dart in and out of the EEZ and play cat and mouse with the Coast Guard.......


**Until the bulk of these guys think there is a chance of each of them personally getting prosecuted and going to jail, they will probably continue the behavior, and continue justifying it.



X2 every year the eez is ridiculous. Cape May they had a ton of fish in december 2014. There were lots of boats out in the eez. Too many don't take it serious or respect the line. As for the saltwater license I have been against it because of the corruption in our state. They take money and put it in the general fund. Have done it over and over. If someone would come out and make it a law they would not touch the money and it would be all for the saltwater programs I would be onboard with it.

[buckethead]

We definitely need better enforcement and judges who will not let these guys plea out. The folks who do this for a living should know better. By increasing their take over limit they are robbing from peter to pay paul.

[captnemo]

Agreed. I also think when the general public hears of this rampant abuse and doesn't feel there is much done about it it is sort of a dis-incentive for all of us to comply with the law. I do think the laws can be too harsh at times particularly the fluke laws as to what we can take when the draggers can take them at 14". The important point as was pointed out is that better enforcement is needed so it's equal all over.

[basshunter]

Wow thats unbelievable. They make it sound like he's a guy who forgot to pay his takes he should not be treated so harshly. He poached 185 thousand pounds of stripers over a few years. It would take 20 of us about 50 years to catch that many. He should be punished.

Agreed the reporter made this guy sound like a boy scout. I fully expected to see her report on him helping old ladies across the street! Poaching is poaching. It doesn't matter if everyone condones it or not. It's bad for the stripers and he should have been busted end of story. Instead of cutting his grass someone should **** on that grass.

[surfstix1963]

The watermen and recs are destroying the fishery.Poaching is just plain despicable in any way shape or form.When the fish are no longer available they will decimate another species.Politics in motion pure greed..

[buckethead]

Politics in motion pure greed..

The worst part of it all is no one involved seems to see the long term damage they are doing. So they make 20k a year extra for a few years. When the bottom falls out of the fishery and it collapses as it has in the past they will be broke.