Merwin Poaching Update

[Don Wittenberger]

I received a call this morning from my friend Mike at Merwin with an update on this situation. The group we've been concerned about was observed putting in at a launch area, law enforcement was alerted, and the Sheriff's Marine Patrol with a WDFW game warden aboard intercepted them and found spearing equipment aboard their boat. No arrests were made, as they weren't caught in the act, but they got a verbal warning that spearing fish is illegal. A couple of them have prior poaching violations, so I feel sure they're not going to stop. This group is putting in at Cresap Bay and working the Canyon Creek area (the inlet river past the bridge, up by the dam), so if you're in that area be on the lookout for them, but don't approach them; use your cell phone to call 911.

According to Mike there's now a second group, also from the Portland-Vancouver emigre community and presumably acquainted with the first group, who are using a small rental boat and putting in at Speelyai. If you're at Speelyai, be on the lookout for anything unusual and take down license numbers, boat numbers, and descriptions if you can, but again don't confront them, just get useful information to law enforcement.

[natetreat]

Why would someone poach Muskies?

[Don Wittenberger]

They're probably eating them. Being foreigners, they belong to a tight-knit community where everyone knows everyone else, and Bruce Bolding guessed they're probably distributing the fish to families at their churches. That seems logical to me. They're working too hard at this to just be doing it for fun. I think they've gotta be meat hunters.

[Dex]

Good update Don....


thx