Poaching is no secret, But Understaffed DFG Doesn’t Help
Have you ever called DFG Cal Tip Line? The response time is unbelievable. In Fact it is like calling you’re the phone company and playing the electronic cat and mouse game. Earlier this year, one call I made ended up being a round robin adventure that eventually ended up connected with the San Joaquin Sheriff that said, “We have no one available”.
For years anglers on the Delta have seen, reported and witnessed poaching by thieves of our resources. The day I tied to report young Asian men and women loading a ford van with 22 illegal size stripers that we saw caught, landed an thrown in buckets in the van. These poaching rings are taking striped bass, black bass and just about everything else that is in our Bay-Delta system, selling their illegally caught bounty for large sums of money and leaving the resource in shambles.
This last month, 14 suspects in a Sacramento-based Asian poaching circuit were arrested, but California Department of Fish and Game wardens fear this case represents only the tip of a very large iceberg. While wardens feel that this case only the “tip of the Iceberg” Anglers spending anytime on the water will tell you, they have seen this first Hnd, wether it be stripers, blacks or anything else.
Anglers will tell you, “It's going on everywhere. Poaching is rampant ". DFG wardens freely admit inadequate pay, poor morale and low retention are major issues facing Fish and Game and its efforts to recruit and retain wardens. Meanwhile, the declining Bay-Delta fishery is getting hammered. Wardens patrol alone, often in remote locations with minimal backup. Although wardens receive specialized training in the Fish and Game Academy which prepares them for these activities. Training alone is not enough and must be combined with common sense and good people skills to achieve rapport with the community and accomplish the job safely. The first move needs to be get the wardens the pay they deserve, especially the odds of them contacting suspects armed or not alone in remote areas is very high. I’m certainly not taking anything away from CHP, Police or correctional officers, but in many cases these agencies can back up each other much easier. Governor Arnold step up and protect our resources.
The Sacramento bust culminated a two-month investigation when 60 wardens took part in a takedown that seized five fishing boats and arrested suspects at a supermarket, a restaurant and at individual residences, including husband-and-wife teams. Almost one-third of the wardens in California took part in the operation.
Even though my recent call to CalTip didn’t seem to get a response, This poaching ring met its downfall because of a citizen's phone call to CalTip - (888) DFG Cal Tip - the statewide confidential witness hotline that goes directly to wardens. The anonymous caller complained about groups of fishermen taking overlimits of striped bass in the Rio Vista area. That triggered undercover wardens to start observing the suspicious activity, then move upriver, following the migratory bass and the poachers, as they moved toward Sacramento.
Wardens, though severely understaffed, the wardens are doing what they can. We’ve seen them in recent years bust Abalone poachers, Sturgeon poachers. Earlier this year warden’s busted even a baby leopard shark ring in the bay that sold them to pet stores.
So when you step up and pay for that new 2007 license quit whining and do it with pride. The wardens are doing what they can get the government at higher levels to know that this matters to you the outdoorsmen and women of California. The warden have these challenges.
California - 159,000 square miles of area.
- A growing human population of 40 million.
- Habitat and wildlife diversity that is unequaled by any other state.
- More than 1,100 miles of coastline.
- 30,000 miles of rivers and streams; 4,800 lakes and reservoirs; 80 major rivers.
- Three of the four North American Desert habitats; and scores of high mountain peaks.
- More than 1,000 native fish and wildlife species.
- More than 6,300 native plant species.
- Approximately 360 threatened or endangered species.
- Approximately three million licenses and permits issued by DFG each year.
- Over 300 million pounds of fish landed commercially in California each year
Quit complaining and let them know you appreciate there efforts.
Dan
Mathisen
FishDelta.com
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