Coast Guard donates illegal fish catch to food bank

Posted to: News Virginia

By Jim Washington
The Virginian-Pilot
© February 8, 2008

CAPE CHARLES

Thursday afternoon the crew of a Coast Guard helicopter based in Elizabeth City spotted a charter boat about four miles off the Virginia coast.

The boat was fishing in the exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, which separates local waters from federal waters. The boat, based out of Oregon Inlet, N.C., was fishing Atlantic striped bass.

Fishing for Atlantic striped bass is allowed in state waters, but illegal in the EEZ.

A boat crew with Cape Charles Coast Guard Station seized 11 Atlantic striped bass from the boat and donated them to the Cape Charles Food Pantry. An investigation is ongoing.

The name of the charter boat?

Poacher.

Take his boat and license

Submitted by johnh31265 on Sat, 02/09/2008 at 2:50 am.

It's one thing to poach if your hungry. But it's another thing to do it for the money. This charter boat captain is stealing from every legit fishing person out there. There are many other Charter boat Captains proclaiming this guy a hero versus what he is a "poacher". We need higher fines and more patrols to stop this kind of stuff. Just today I read on the Virginia Beach Sport Fishing forum talk about this guy. Some of his friends proclaim how he is a legend and a great fisherman. By the way they talk you would think he did nothing wrong. Wake up you guys he's stealing from you too.