State wildlife officers recently apprehended several squid fishers at the Tramp Harbor dock for breaking laws regarding limits and inspection of their catch.
Sgt. Erik Olson with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) said he and his team of officers received several complaints about suspected squid poaching from the Tramp Harbor dock. Those complaints resulted in a covert operation that included officers in unmarked cars, nighttime surveillance and the apprehension of six people on Dec. 1.
“We watched for a long time,” he said. “There were people who were massively over the limit. We got those people this time around.”
Ultimately, six people were cited for exceeding their daily bag limits. Three of them were also cited for failing to submit their catch for inspection to the officer, Olson said. He noted that recreational squidding licenses allow for as much as 10 pounds of squid per day. In this case, officers seized 200 extra pounds of squid.
The infractions are gross misdemeanors, which carry a penalty of up to a year in jail, Olson said, but punishment is expected to be less than that and will depend in part on if those accused have previous records. The judge will also impose fines.
Olson noted that about 60 people were squidding from the dock when the citations were made, and he stressed that many were abiding by the laws.
“Just because there are a lot of people out there does not mean they are out there poaching,” he said.
But some clearly were breaking the law — and had hidden their extra catch in vehicles and ditches.
The number of complaints WDFW received influenced the enforcement action, where Olson said he brought the whole detachment together to “hit this and hit it hard.”
He referred to poaching as a “compounding problem.”
“One guy takes over the limit, and that is not a big hit to the resource. But if you have 60 people, and they are all over the limit, that is a pretty big hit,” he said.
He encouraged islanders to continue to report suspicious activity, and he noted that if islanders can safely obtain license numbers, to do so, as they are helpful to law enforcement’s investigative efforts.
To report poaching, call WDFW at 877-933-9847 or make a report online at the WDFW website. Outside of normal business hours, islanders should call the state patrol, which will contact WDFW.
— Susan Riemer
