A fisherman was accused of catching and illegally keeping 14 oversized striped bass off the New Hampshire coast at New Castle and Rye after boaters alerted officials to the situation.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department received reports about a fisherman who was not using any lights at night while on his boat, WMUR reported Monday.
The agency’s Lt. Delayne Brown said others on the water were catching the same kind of fish but releasing them. The witnesses confronted the man, telling him they were going to call authorities because he could not keep the fish. They also apparently told him to release them into the water.
An image shows the massive catch:
Fisherman illegally catches over a dozen oversized bass off New Hampshire coast, investigators say | Click on the image to read our full story https://t.co/vn5Qx6ThDn
— WMUR TV (@WMUR9) July 29, 2024
The outlet continued:
Officers from Maine Marine Patrol, Massachusetts Environmental Police, alongside local police, began their lookout for the boater in question, before the Portsmouth Police Department eventually located him after he had loaded his boat onto a trailer and “was in the act of ditching the fish.”
“He knew that he was caught red-handed, and there were a dozen witnesses,” Brown said, adding that the suspect confessed to catching the fish, further admitting that he planned to sell them in Massachusetts under his Commercial Striped Bass Permit in the Commonwealth.
Authorities said the bass were significantly over the legal maximum striper size requirement, ranging in size from 37 to 47 inches, the Portsmouth Herald reported Wednesday.
According to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, the state “only issues a recreational license for saltwater fishing, which allows for one striped bass per angler per day that must be 28 inches to less than 31 inches.”
Brown said the catch may be worth up to $1,600. Authorities charged the suspect with licensing violations and for taking and possessing each of the fish unlawfully.
As for the fish, they are reportedly being held in freezers in the event they need to be used as evidence in court. According to Fish and Game Col. Kevin Jordan, the fish may later be donated to a food bank.
Please click here to learn more about fishing rules and regulations in New Hampshire.
