After six Colorado anglers admitted to poaching over 460 pounds of salmon from a river in Michigan last year, they were sentenced to pay thousands of dollars in fines.
The men were accused of illegally catching 463 pounds of salmon in the Manistee River around the Tippy Dam at Dickson Township in October last year. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reveals this.
Fines
The District Court in Manistee County handed the fines to the group, whose ages vary from 29 to 56. There are six males, three from Denver and three from Aurora.
6 Colorado anglers plead guilty to poaching 460+ pounds of salmon from MI river https://t.co/0TmwWHJ7F0
— Brian Poe Criminal Lawyer – Federal Nationwide Law (@PoeLawyer) March 24, 2023
The males were reportedly fishing without permits and using unlawful equipment, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Another angler who was there at the time of the incident reported it to the government’s wildlife department. Officers who arrived on the scene said they witnessed the males “tear off their fishing lines” in an effort to conceal their unlawful equipment.
They were caught with 17 fish that had been captured through illicit means, but they finally confessed. They found another 40-50 salmon in coolers in the suspects’ vehicles; part of the fish had been filleted.
Lack of Licenses
If the males had valid licenses, the state of Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources says they could have kept 30 fish altogether. Before arrangements, each man could have been fined more than $4,630 plus restitution and other charges.
6 Colorado men fined $6,600 for poaching 460 pounds of salmon in Northern Michigan https://t.co/GMjsJPms3v pic.twitter.com/e2UOtU5M6F
— AlphapupLucca (@AlphapupLucca) March 24, 2023
According to the Manistee County Sheriff’s Office, the 463 pounds of coho and Chinook salmon were delivered to local families the same day they were retrieved. That’s since they are “a valued, public natural resource,” according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Poaching fish in Michigan is considered a serious offense because of the value the state places on its fish and other natural resources.
To guarantee the sustainability of these resources for future generations, it is imperative that anglers get the appropriate licenses and employ legal tackle.
This article appeared in NewsHouse and has been published here with permission.
