Environment DEC
From the July 2007 issue
DEC Investigation Results in Arrests for Unlawful Harvest of Horseshoe Crabs
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the results of a department-organized enforcement detail involving several environmental conservation officers (ECO) and DEC's Marine Enforcement Unit (MEU). The investigation was organized in response to local complaints of unlawful harvest of horseshoe crabs along the north and south shores of the Long Island waters in the towns of Brookhaven, Smithtown and Islip, Suffolk County.
Due to unlawful harvesting of horseshoe crabs, pictured here, numerous arrests were made
The ECOs-in marked and unmarked vehicles and two patrol vessels-tracked both shores and arrested eight individuals. The officers issued a total of 12 Environmental Conservation Appearance Tickets (ECATs) for commercial fishing violations, including unpermitted taking, harvesting more than the allowable limit and several Navigation Law tickets for operating vessels at night without lights. In addition, an ECO made a felony DWI arrest during the detail.
Prior to the incident above, ECOs apprehended subjects who had docked their vessel in Great South Bay and offloaded unlawfully harvested horseshoe crabs into a shipper/dealer's truck.
If the value of a catch is more than $250, the charge is upgraded to a misdemeanor; if the value of a catch is more than $1,500, the charge is upgraded to a felony.
