Environmental Conservation Police on Patrol

Striped bass season opened on April 1, and those fish caught in the Hudson River and tributaries north of the George Washington Bridge during the season may only be kept if they are between 23 inches and 28 inches long. When fishing with bait for striped bass, anglers must use a non-offset circle hook. On March 21, ECO Tompkins observed an angler near Crawbuckie Park in the town of Ossining, Westchester County, catch and keep at least four striped bass in less than 10 minutes, a week and a half before the April 1 season opener. Officer Tompkins quickly moved in after witnessing the illegal activity from a distance and discovered a large black garbage bag filled with 23 out-of-season striped bass. The ECO worked quickly to release fish likely to survive back into the water and issued six tickets to the angler, including one for 23 counts of possessing fish during the closed season, targeting fish during the closed season, failure to use non-offset circle hooks for striped bass, fishing without a license, failure to carry a marine registry, and the illegal take/possession of fish. The fish that did not survive were donated.  

Striped bass caught unlawfully in Westchester County

On March 29, ECOs Falkengren and Steffen received a tip from a concerned resident in the town of Haverstraw, Rockland County, regarding an individual stashing fish in a vehicle near the Hudson River. Officer Falkengren responded to the location and identified a vehicle and anglers matching the complainant’s description. A brief investigation and interviews led the ECO to confiscate two illegally caught striped bass and issue tickets to an angler for the illegal take of striped bass out of season, unlawful possession of fish out of season, unlawful intentional angling for fish species during the closed season, taking of fish contrary to DEC regulations, and failure to use a non-offset circle hook for striped bass.  

ECO Falkengren with illegally caught striped bass in Rockland County

On March 21, ECOs Farner and Pansini, members of the DEC Division of Law Enforcement Marine Enforcement Unit, partnered with members of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Law Enforcement to conduct joint inspections of vendors at the Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx, one of the oldest and largest seafood wholesalers in the nation. The operation resulted in the discovery of multiple violations of New York’s Environmental Conservation Law. Officers confiscated 48 undersized black sea bass (legal commercial size 11 inches), four undersized fluke (legal commercial size 14 inches), and one oversized striped bass (legal commercial size 26-38 inches) during the patrol. They issued tickets for the various commercial marine violations, returnable to Bronx County Criminal Court. 

ECOs Farner (left) and Pansini (right) with undersized fish confiscated during fish market patrol in Bronx County