Four Busted for Illegally collecting in FL Keys

spawner · #1 11/02/2006, 06:22 PM

Four face local fisheries charges

By Jessica Machetta jmachetta@keynoter.com

Authorities find ‘elaborate setup' at fishing lodge

According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Bob Dube, agency officers Rama Shuster and John Jacox have issued citations for fisheries violations that could lead to something much bigger.

Dube said officers were making a routine check of four divers at the south end of Bahia Honda around 4:30 p.m. Monday when while they were looking through the divers' vehicle, they noticed a hat from DBA Pets Palace, a store in Louisville, Ky.

“They followed them back to their campsite at the Big Pine Fishing Lodge, where they uncovered an elaborate system for live rock, small corals and tropical fish,” Dube said. “There was over 20 containers or vats with all the tropical fish, Gargonian corals, stone crabs - they had a plethora of marine life in there.”

Dube said the Louisville, Ky., men apparently have been coming to the Keys for more than eight years and initially told officers they are recreational divers, but changed their story once their portable holding facility was discovered.

Edward A. Hockersmith and his brother, Timothy J. Hockersmith, were charged with misdemeanor possession of whole body and egg-bearing stone crab, undersized blue angelfish, undersized French angelfish and live rock, Dube said, as well as “the biggie,” which is commercial harvest with no saltwater product license with intent to sell - considered a major violation.

The names of the other two men involved were not available at press time, but Dube said all four face the possibility of further charges because of the large amount of equipment and marine life they possessed.

FWC officers David Dipre and Matthew Cushing and Special Agent Kenny Blackburn with the National Marine Fisheries Service aided in the investigation.

Galloyien · #2 11/02/2006, 06:58 PM

Wow, and I was planning a trip to Louisville in 3 weeks to visit fish stores since we have none in Lexington. I know one place I WONT be visiting. Thanks for the heads up.

kiknchikn · #3 11/02/2006, 07:01 PM

I hope they're charged to the full extent of the law. Sickening.

spawner · #4 11/02/2006, 07:05 PM

I'm bettting 3 days in jail which they will get out of, and a $100 fine, maybe a $1,000. Not a bad trade for 8 years of collection work.

wetcarpet · #5 11/02/2006, 07:37 PM

Throw the book at 'em!!!! I hate when people can't abide by the same rules the rest of us do. What a bunch of losers. Another black eye for the hobby.

sean48183 · #6 11/02/2006, 08:02 PM

Try 90 days and over $5000. Anyone want to take bets.

spawner · #7 11/02/2006, 08:06 PM

Yeap, put me down for an ice cold Coke (well diet coke) for 3 days (defered) and 100-1000 bucks. I've lived down here to long to believe 90 days and 5,000.

DSparks · #8 11/02/2006, 08:18 PM

Wowzers! I've been in that place before. Never bought anything though. Nail 'em I say.

justinm0424 · #9 11/02/2006, 08:23 PM

Man, I was just thinking about going to florida to capture my own fish/ live rock.

Also lexington has a couple fish stores. Have you been to just fish?? they're site is www.justfish.biz they seem to have some stuff.

weaver5 · #10 11/02/2006, 08:24 PM

I would hope the justice system realizes that if they do not punish them hard they are only looking for alot more people coming to try there luck.I mean if the most you get if you should get caught is a couple days in lock up than I think alot of people might just take their chance.Well lets hope for year and a 10,000 fine payable to reef preserve Scott

goodblasson · #11 11/02/2006, 08:36 PM

no one will agree with me but i think what they are doing is perfectly fair. Whether you want to believe it or not, every level of govt, buisness, religion, and family is in someway corrupted. If its not regular people out illegaly collecting marine livestock, then its the game wardens or higher doing it. Sorry for my opinion, but if money can be made legally or illegaly someone will do it.

onehundred20 · #12 11/02/2006, 08:43 PM

They arent nice about that stuff down there, especially the locals....I had to go to court for a traffic ticket in key weset, and there were a couple in jail for the same thing, if I remember they got 30-90 days and a hefty fine.

how could they even operate a shop with such lack of respect for the reefs.

SDguy · #13 11/02/2006, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by goodblasson
no one will agree with me but i think what they are doing is perfectly fair. Whether you want to believe it or not, every level of govt, buisness, religion, and family is in someway corrupted. If its not regular people out illegaly collecting marine livestock, then its the game wardens or higher doing it. Sorry for my opinion, but if money can be made legally or illegaly someone will do it.

So because other people do bad things it's ok for you to do bad things too? Great mantra to live by there bub

Ryanqk · #14 11/02/2006, 09:35 PM

this is bigtime bad. there are locals down here in the hobby that go collecting but only for small amounts of things like hermit crabs and snails, macroalgaes, and an occasional small fish but nothing on that scale, and most def not in order to profit from it! that is just sickening and they should get the book thrown at em!

earraval · #15 11/02/2006, 09:55 PM

nice place for diving......... but too bad for them !!

kryppy · #16 11/02/2006, 10:02 PM

It will be very interesting to see what these scum receive.
I have been in court there for traffic stuff and a bunch of people were being charged with illegal lobsters, the fines were pathetic.
Heck, they don't even show up here:
http://www.keysso.net/dll/webquery.dll

Maybe on the fwc page.

kiknchikn · #17 11/02/2006, 10:12 PM

If they don't get what us reefers would consider fair punishment there are other ways to punish them. Give their business a serious black eye publicly

Make sure the news papers print up stories about it... perhaps even put up fliers or picket infront of the store if anyone is that motivated. There are plenty of legal (and I'd say FAIR) ways to punish them if the law doesn't do it properly.

DamnDamsel · #18 11/02/2006, 10:22 PM

First I don't condone what they were caught doing. That out of the way...

I have seen posts from people on here having repeated tank crashes with total loss of livestock. Repeatedly and refuse to learn.

Anchors are dropped on reefs daily.

Divers break coral with there fins daily.

City sewer plants dump treated water into the ocean.

Comercial fishing nets kill tons and tons of animals they don't even keep when mistakingly stuck in there nets.

Have you ever seen a body of water without some form of litter in it?

How many animals does red tide kill wastefully?

I am sure you can think of many other wastefull and wrong practices that hurt the reefs and the animals who dwell there. We (almost all of us) all have non captive bread animals/rock in our tanks. They come from someplace. Is it fine if its a place we don't live? Or a place we can't put our laws on?

Kent E · #19 11/02/2006, 10:30 PM

The law needs to be changed. I'm not for destroying the reefs at all but I think the preceeding post puts it in perspective.

This over preservation melarchy has gotten freaky weird. Those who have a distain for this practice, I recomend you stop reefing and return your inhabitants back to their respective habitat where they will be promptly eaten.

DamnDamsel · #20 11/02/2006, 10:33 PM

Agreed I would love to be able to go collect my own someday without worrying about the law.

kiknchikn · #21 11/02/2006, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kent E
The law needs to be changed. I'm not for destroying the reefs at all but I think the preceeding post puts it in perspective.

This over preservation melarchy has gotten freaky weird. Those who have a distain for this practice, I recomend you stop reefing and return your inhabitants back to their respective habitat where they will be promptly eaten.

The laws aren't "over preservation melarchy" or "freaky weird" they're there to limit the amount taken. If everyone were allowed to harvest whatever they wanted there wouldn't be anything left. There are only so many reefs with so many inhabitants. It would be too easy to wipe them out in 10 years or less.

reefdadx2 · #22 11/02/2006, 10:52 PM

I'm with DamnDamsel! Michael R

scaryperson27 · #23 11/02/2006, 10:55 PM

Even though they occupy only a small amount of reef life compared to reef life that is destroyed daily, they should still get the book thrown at them and a pineapple shoved up there... well you know. Saying they shouldn't be punished to harshly would only expose that the law system is very lenient on the subject of collecting reef wildlife thus creating a larger problem. I wouldn't mind having the law compensate a little by maybe setting a limit on how many, how rare, and/or what physical features of the animal you can collect rather than not being able to collect anything. Seems like it would be a fun hobby.

Quote:

Originally posted by kiknchikn
The laws aren't "over preservation melarchy" or "freaky weird" they're there to limit the amount taken. If everyone were allowed to harvest whatever they wanted there wouldn't be anything left. There are only so many reefs with so many inhabitants. It would be too easy to wipe them out in 10 years or less.

I agree. Earths equilibrium has allready been knocked one way and then the other, I think we ought to not destroy our reefs. Did anyone catch the Reef documentry on Discovery HD tonight? I thought it was awesome.

scaryperson27 · #24 11/02/2006, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by reefdadx2
I'm with DamnDamsel! Michael R

My names also Michael R

blstravler · #25 11/02/2006, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Have you ever seen a body of water without some form of litter in it?

Yes Curacao & Bonaire, tyring getting out of the tri-state area and it's a totally different world. The other side of the rocks in the below pitcure puts all of our tanks to shame, trust me.

Go to Newark and you can take a $500 flight to Caracao and take a $20 cab ride to over 37 incredible dive spots or just walk into the water and stick your head in and open your eyes.

Bon Bini !!!!!