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FWC Law Enforcement Report: Fishing Violations, Alligator In A Garbage Bag

The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement recently reported the following activity:

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

Officers Allgood and Hahr worked offshore fishing activity and documented three vessels in violation of reef fish rules. One subject was cited for possession of an undersized red snapper and two other captains were cited for possession of undersized greater amberjack and greater amberjack out of season.

Officers Lugg and Burkhead were on vessel patrol near Bayou Grande when they noticed a vessel with fishing gear returning to a nearby boat landing. The officers conducted a resource inspection on the vessel and located an undersized amberjack in a cooler on board the vessel. The operator admitted to keeping the undersize greater amberjack. Officer Burkhead cited the operator for possession of undersize greater amberjack.

Officers Lugg and Burkhead were on vessel patrol in Pensacola Bay when a pontoon boat passed them under Bob Sikes Bridge at a high rate of speed with several people on board. As the subject passed the officers, he took both hands off the steering wheel while the vessel was still underway. The officers stopped the vessel for careless operation and located an empty beer can under the operator’s feet. When asked, the operator, who was under the age of 21, admitted to drinking alcohol. Officer Burkhead conducted field sobriety tasks on the operator, who performed poorly on the tasks and showed several signs of impairment. The officers placed the subject under arrest for operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol. The subject agreed to provide a breath sample in which the results were over the legal limit for blood alcohol concentration. The subject was transported and booked into the Escambia County jail.

Officers Ramos and Lugg were on vessel patrol near Pensacola Beach during the annual Operation Dry Water event and discovered a vessel with an operator who showed various signs of impairment. Officer Ramos conducted standardized field sobriety tasks and determined the operator was impaired. The vessel operator was arrested for boating under the influence and asked to provide a sample of his breath as required by law. The operator refused to submit a breath sample. He was issued a civil penalty for the refusal and booked into the county jail for BUI.

While on vessel patrol in Bayou Texar, Officers Lugg and Ramos conducted a marine fisheries inspection on a catamaran with fishing equipment that was pulling into a private wet slip. During the inspection, Officer Lugg located multiple species of regulated and unregulated species on the deck of the vessel that were filleted and not in whole condition. Multiple fillets of vermillion snapper appeared to have been under the legal limit of 10” based on the fillet length. The individual was cited for possession of fish not in whole condition.

SANTA ROSA COUNTY

Officer Bower was on patrol and observed a vessel in wrecked and junked condition. The vessel is hard aground and unable to be moved under its own power. It will need mechanical assistance to be removed from the shoreline. The owner was located was issued the derelict vessel notification of rights packet and notice to appear citations for storing a derelict vessel upon waters of the state and issued paperwork for an expired registration over 6 months.

Officers Burkhead and Lugg were on vessel patrol when they noticed several untagged bush hook lines in the water that appeared to have been recently placed there. The officers pulled into a nearby boat launch and located a man about to launch his vessel. The officers asked if he had been running lines and he responded he had put some out the night before. The officers located line in the boat that matched the bush hook lines in the water. The subject admitted to placing the untagged bush hooks on the river. Officer Lugg wrote the subject a notice to appear misdemeanor for using untagged bush hooks.

Officers Lugg, Burkhead, and Wilkinson received information from a deputy in Alabama regarding a traffic stop he conducted recently. The stop revealed a fresh, untagged alligator hide in a garbage bag located inside the subject’s vehicle. The subject told the deputy he was on his way to Florida and that the alligator was killed in Florida. The officers gathered information from the deputy and further interviewed the subject about the alligator. The subject admitted to having possession of the untagged alligator hide. Officer Lugg seized the hide and cited the subject with several violations related to the untagged hide.

This report represents some events the FWC handled during the time period; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. Information provided by FWC.

NorthEscambia.com photo.