Probe Into Fish Poaching

[Lee Borgersen]

    DNR Concludes Multi-State Probe Into Fish Poaching

Wisconsin DNR Partnered With Michigan And
Illinois Departments In Investigation
 
  .....
MADISON, Wis. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), along with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, concluded a multi-year law enforcement investigation into the poaching and over-harvesting of hundreds of vulnerable spawning lake whitefish from the Menominee River.

The multi-state investigation concluded with court-ordered seizures and rights revocations against individuals from Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois.

Law enforcement officials from the Wisconsin and Michigan natural resources agencies, with logistical help from the Illinois department, teamed up to track confirmed violations on the popular border river between Menominee, Michigan and Marinette, Wisconsin.

Among the violators, 11 were from Illinois, with one from Michigan and one from Wisconsin. The investigation also found most of the individuals were repeat violators.

Our joint investigation found these violators were organized, strategic and intentional,said DNR Marine Warden Jeff Lautenslager. The lake whitefish in this river are particularly vulnerable during the late-year months. They congregate in the up-river systems in Wisconsin every fall for their annual spawn.

All court proceedings for this case recently concluded. Twenty-nine citations were issued, with 91 whitefish seized and confiscated by the court, which also ordered a total of 24 years of rights revocation. The citations included exceeding the daily bag limit of whitefish, intentionally snagging fish and failing to release foul-hooked fish.

The DNR wardens and investigators in this case remain hopeful the removal of these numerous violators will make room for the legal and ethical individuals who enjoy viewing and legally fishing lake whitefish. The laws we have are specifically to protect this valued and vulnerable fish species, Lautenslager said. People who fish and enjoy observing wildlife should know their state conservation officers often work together to protect our resources and the people who enjoy them. We hope this case deters egregious and blatant violating of fishing laws.

The case began in 2019 when wardens and officers became aware of these organized attacks on the lake whitefish. Officers from the three states joined forces and continued their focused investigation through 2020 into 2021, leading to the court adjudication.

The investigation also led to a 2020 Michigan case in which Michigan residents were found to have shined and shot deer in the area while holding a flashlight in their mouth, killing deer at night and hunting deer without a license. Enforcement action was taken through the Michigan court system on the cases.

[LPS]

SO what I get out of this is 11 came from Illinoise.  Only 1 from Wisconsin and 1 from Michigan.  HHmmm.

[snow1]

I find it suspicious when these articles are void of names,bet your ass if this clan was scadihoovien we'd have the peterson's and johnson's all over the news.Kudos to the CO's for a job well done.

[LPS]

Ya I too had read this.  Good job you guys. I see the old Baudette CO that is now in the Red Lake area busted some guys from Wis. that were staying in a camper at Squaw Lake with 67 walleyes over their limit.  Checked them at the access but was suspicious so him and another CO followed them to their camper and found the other fish there.  SO each of them pay a ticket for 67 illegal fish.  Even the legal fish are then part of the illegal bag.  $2010 each and they may lose the boat and equipment depending on what the judge wants to do. 

[Steve-o]

I find it suspicious when these articles are void of names,bet your ass if this clan was scadihoovien we'd have the peterson's and johnson's all over the news.Kudos to the CO's for a job well done.

I know most Interweb news "reporting" is just reposting someone else's story, but I couldn't find any news outlet willing to print the names of the convicted offenders.

Other stories, however, talked about how the offenders scattered at the time of arrest, hid in the woods, and were found to be hiding fish under a false floorboard in a vehicle.

[LPS]

I have read that they can't release names until they are at a certain point in the process.

[Pulleye16]

I have read that they can't release names until they are at a certain point in the process.

Which should be the case in all legal cases, IMO.

[Steve-o]

I have read that they can't release names until they are at a certain point in the process.

Which should be the case in all legal cases, IMO.

"All court proceedings for this case recently concluded. "

You'd think that since the cases were closed and sentences were handed out and made public, that the names of the offenders were also available. 

Still, your point is taken.  What good fruit would come from publishing their names?

[Jerkbiat]

Wish they would do that with the nut job mass shooters. Their names should never be spoken. No name no fame.

[dutchboy]

Wish they would do that with the nut job mass shooters. Their names should never be spoken. No name no fame.

I agree 1000%.

But in the case of poachers they seldom get jail time. Generally only fines. Public humiliation I think is warranted. Let their families, neighbors, co workers know what low life people they really are. Billboards in their hometown with names & photos would be a good start. The cost of the billboards would be added to the fines. For this I'm thinking gross violations, not for some guy who miscounted by 1 or his measurement was a 1/2" off.

[Leech~~]

All poachers should be Probed!  IMO      

[snow1]

steve-o,

few years back a good,now retired CO/friend duluth areacaught wind of a good,better than average walleye bite on the st louise river,below the dam,he made several contacts,made several citation's most of which was over limits,shore fishing,most offenders were from st paul area,some offenders ran off in the nearby woods whilst he was making shoreline sweeps leaving stringer's full of walleye attached to the rocky shoreline,some claimed
no english" or "not my stringer"no excuse for this abuse,makjes ya wonder how many offenders got away.

[Steve-o]

Yeah, I know that "no english" thing still happens a lot.  I have seen it first-hand too.

[snow1]

I had many encounter's with none speaking english ppl over the years,even blocked vehicles in as I our local CO was in route,these folks keep a watchful eye out for CO trucks as they shore fish in some area's and will make a run for it right away when they spot one coming,stringer and buckets of out of season game fish,weighted treble hooks...everyone of these non-speaking ppl sang english whilst being handcuffed,now we have a few hmong CO's which helps alot in my area,I've watched these CO's do they're job,from my observation they do a good job,alot of regulation education happens,I always thought it should be mandatory to speak/read english in order to obtain a drivers license/fish n game,just MPO.

[Steve-o]

Back when I was a kid, it seems to me that everyone talked about how if you got poaching fish or game, they'd take your boat and/or vehicle and all your gear.  That - to me - seemed to be an effective deterrent for committing those types of crimes.

When did that stop (assuming it was ever true in the first place)?

[LPS]

They still confiscate lots of stuff.  They have a big auction every year I think to sell it.