On May 20, Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) DeVito, Simmons, and Della Rocco boarded multiple commercial and recreational fishing vessels while on patrol in Montauk. The Officers boarded a returning commercial boat loaded with totes of striped bass on the stern to check for compliance with State fishing regulations.
While interviewing the boat captain, Officers discovered the striped bass harvest tag on each fish belonged to another individual who was not on board, rendering all the fish on the vessel illegal. The ECOs seized the striped bass as evidence for documentation and counted 37 fish, totaling more than 350 pounds, each tagged with the improper permit number.
The Officers issued several tickets to the captain for the violations, returnable to East Hampton Town Court.