...cops won 
Last night me and my friend were night fishing for Catfish at the local lake (Clove lake for anyone in the NY area) and there was a lady with some kids there who were keeping fish to put in a tank... keeping freshwater fish is illegal in New York City. Now, we arent talking responsible fishkeepers here... if these were responsible, knowledgeable aquarists, I would have happily turned a blind eye. But from what they said, they had several native fish from the lake, plus a SNAPPING TURTLE... a protected species in New York... also from the lake. So, this is, by definition, an act of poaching. On a small scale, sure, but poaching nonetheless. Last night we politely suggested to them numerous times that they release the fish they had, all of which were ignored.
Tonight they were there again, and at the same crap again, and they blatantly ignored everything we said. At one point her oldest son pulled up a Catfish and kinda dangled it in the air, seemingly afraid to touch it. I offered to unhook it for him, and after I did, he said "alright, drop it in the bucket." To which I replied "I'm not gonna put it in the bucket. You do it." He refused and again told me to do so. I told him that I wouldnt, that if he didnt take it and put it in the bucket himself, I was gonna throw it back. He was so afraid to actually touch it that he just told me to "do whatever you wanna do..." so of course I threw it back. But they already had one small Catfish in their bucket. Me and my friend were thinking what to do next when miraculously, out of nowhere... two police cruisers pulled up in the parking lot behind us. The officers seemed to be talking about something or other, not really paying attention. My friend again suggested that she release the fish, but this time he mentioned that she would get stuck with a hefty fine if the officers were to check her bucket. Now, all hell broke loose. The woman absolutely lost her stuff, and went off on us in broken english about how she was obviously ignoring us, how we're annoying her, how we should mind our own business, how we shouldnt tell her children what to do (we didnt) and how we were being disrespectful to our elders (we werent). I had been holding back and letting my friend do the talking because I tend to get heated in situations like this, but now I argued with her... granted, I was never disrespectful, actually relatively calm and polite, and I explained that we, too, enjoy using the lake and the fish in it, and that if people take the fish home, it's less for the public to enjoy. I also told her that I might not be as bothered by it if she was taking the fish to eat, but she had clearly stated that she wasnt. This was followed by a rant about how this is a free country, and how she is allowed to do anything she wants, to which I replied that although this is a free country, there are laws to keep right and wrong clear, and that includes wildlife laws... which brought on more accusations of us being annoying and rude and blah blah blah. This finally pissed me off to the point where I said "speaking of which... there are some officers right over there... would you mind if we got their opinions on the matter...?" She obliged. So we did. The cops were great, they told her that we were doing the right thing and that laws are laws... and, they made her release the fish.
To reiterate, before anyone starts flaming me, this was not a situation where I prevented a responsible fishkeeper from taking an animal that they wanted and would properly house. This was a case of irresponsible people treating natural resources... live animals, in fact... as unlimited and nonliving things that are free for the taking. If it was a case of someone who would treat the animals well and act responsibly, I would happily turn a blind eye to their actions. But these fish were likely doomed to die in a tiny tank.
That's my story. Peace and love everybody, and dont forget - protect your earth, you only get one.
Last night me and my friend were night fishing for Catfish at the local lake (Clove lake for anyone in the NY area) and there was a lady with some kids there who were keeping fish to put in a tank... keeping freshwater fish is illegal in New York City. Now, we arent talking responsible fishkeepers here... if these were responsible, knowledgeable aquarists, I would have happily turned a blind eye. But from what they said, they had several native fish from the lake, plus a SNAPPING TURTLE... a protected species in New York... also from the lake. So, this is, by definition, an act of poaching. On a small scale, sure, but poaching nonetheless. Last night we politely suggested to them numerous times that they release the fish they had, all of which were ignored.
Tonight they were there again, and at the same crap again, and they blatantly ignored everything we said. At one point her oldest son pulled up a Catfish and kinda dangled it in the air, seemingly afraid to touch it. I offered to unhook it for him, and after I did, he said "alright, drop it in the bucket." To which I replied "I'm not gonna put it in the bucket. You do it." He refused and again told me to do so. I told him that I wouldnt, that if he didnt take it and put it in the bucket himself, I was gonna throw it back. He was so afraid to actually touch it that he just told me to "do whatever you wanna do..." so of course I threw it back. But they already had one small Catfish in their bucket. Me and my friend were thinking what to do next when miraculously, out of nowhere... two police cruisers pulled up in the parking lot behind us. The officers seemed to be talking about something or other, not really paying attention. My friend again suggested that she release the fish, but this time he mentioned that she would get stuck with a hefty fine if the officers were to check her bucket. Now, all hell broke loose. The woman absolutely lost her stuff, and went off on us in broken english about how she was obviously ignoring us, how we're annoying her, how we should mind our own business, how we shouldnt tell her children what to do (we didnt) and how we were being disrespectful to our elders (we werent). I had been holding back and letting my friend do the talking because I tend to get heated in situations like this, but now I argued with her... granted, I was never disrespectful, actually relatively calm and polite, and I explained that we, too, enjoy using the lake and the fish in it, and that if people take the fish home, it's less for the public to enjoy. I also told her that I might not be as bothered by it if she was taking the fish to eat, but she had clearly stated that she wasnt. This was followed by a rant about how this is a free country, and how she is allowed to do anything she wants, to which I replied that although this is a free country, there are laws to keep right and wrong clear, and that includes wildlife laws... which brought on more accusations of us being annoying and rude and blah blah blah. This finally pissed me off to the point where I said "speaking of which... there are some officers right over there... would you mind if we got their opinions on the matter...?" She obliged. So we did. The cops were great, they told her that we were doing the right thing and that laws are laws... and, they made her release the fish.
To reiterate, before anyone starts flaming me, this was not a situation where I prevented a responsible fishkeeper from taking an animal that they wanted and would properly house. This was a case of irresponsible people treating natural resources... live animals, in fact... as unlimited and nonliving things that are free for the taking. If it was a case of someone who would treat the animals well and act responsibly, I would happily turn a blind eye to their actions. But these fish were likely doomed to die in a tiny tank.
That's my story. Peace and love everybody, and dont forget - protect your earth, you only get one.
