# Ga fishermen charged in Louisiana



## Wild Turkey (May 2, 2008)

909 snapper on one boat. Anybody know these goobers.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agents wrote over 100 fishing citations to 20 men on Bayou Fourchon located in Lafourche Parish on Monday, April 28.

Agents stopped the charter boat, "The Captain Charlie", which was occupied by 18 paid fishermen, the captain and one deck hand. Agents boarded the vessel to conduct a creel and license check of the fish and persons aboard. Upon receiving consent from the captain of the vessel, agents allegedly found 27 ice chests holding 909 red snapper. 

Agents counted and measured every fish aboard the vessel and found that of the 909 red snapper aboard the vessel, 287 of them were under the minimum 16-inch size requirement. 

The recreational limit for red snapper is two per fisherman, and the captain and deckhands are not allowed to possess a limit. Agents also discovered that none of the 18 fishermen were Louisiana residents nor did they possess valid Louisiana non-resident basic and saltwater fishing licenses.

The 18 subjects that chartered the vessel, along with the captain and deckhand of the vessel were cited for 106 alleged violations. The citations included angling without a non-resident basic and saltwater fishing license, federal charges for possessing undersized and over the limit of red snapper, and taking red snapper during a closed season. The red snapper season is closed until June 1, 2008.

The following fishermen were charged:

David Harrelson, 52, Lockport, La., (Captain)
Donald R. Humphrey, 45, Golden Meadow, La., (Deckhand)
Artesza Portee, 35, Autell, Ga.
Glover Jefferson Jr., 69, Atlanta, Ga.
Walter Bailey Jr., 61, Atlanta, Ga.
Robert Kemp, 72, Atlanta, Ga.
James E. Williams, 65, Callaway, Fla.
Clyde E. Raiford, 68, Fayetteville, Ga.
Baxter R. Maddox, 67, Atlanta, Ga.
Leslie H. Durham, 45, Douglasville, Ga.
Cleveland B. Kemp Jr., 56, Conyers, Ga.
Harry Crosland, 67, Decatur, Ga.
Willie T. Epps, 72, College Park, Ga.
Lawrence Kendrick, 60, Atlanta, Ga.
Walter L. Gibson Jr., 38, Union City, Ga.
Warren R. Brownlee, 36, Palmetto, Ga.
Andrew R. Smith, 70, Decatur, Ga.
Kym D. Haywood, 44, Hapeville, Ga.
Charlie W. Patrick 68, Stone Mountain, Ga.
Earnest Sessoms, 79, Atlanta, Ga.

Agents seized the 909 red snapper, which weighed 2459 pounds, and were sold for a total of $9221.25.


----------



## dawg2 (May 2, 2008)

Whew....was looking for my name.


JUST kidding!  I noticed they are all OLD enough to KNOW better


----------



## Trizey (May 2, 2008)

WOW

I thought you were covered with a fishing license on a charter boat?  I know in FL you are.


----------



## bulletproof1510 (May 2, 2008)

Sounds as if someone did not do their homework. 106 violations, well LA should not be hurting for revenue after that is all over.


----------



## Wild Turkey (May 2, 2008)

The charter boat must have a blanket license that covers it's guests. You would be amazed how many dont have one and dont tell you either.

Closed season, 4 over the limit per person, short fish. The captain should be stripped of his captians license. Imagine how many times he has done this without being caught. This is why we cant keep over 2 anymore. A pose is in order to remove the scum that threaten our fishing rights.


----------



## caught (May 2, 2008)

HERES THE LINK. THESE GUYS WILL BE TOAST IN COURT!
http://www.wlf.state.la.us/news/?id=957


----------



## capt stan (May 2, 2008)

Fry Um!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## rip18 (May 2, 2008)

Trizey said:


> I thought you were covered with a fishing license on a charter boat?  I know in FL you are.



A blanket license doesn't cover you if you don't obey the regulations...


----------



## caught (May 2, 2008)

I Bet One Of These Guys Is On This Board Or Someone Here Knows One Of Them. Just Please Ask Them Or Tell Me.....
 How You Could Be That Dum?


----------



## germag (May 2, 2008)

Stupid. Just plain stupid. This shows no inkling of any regard for the fisheries, just pure unadulterated greed. I'd be in favor of permanently revoking all of their fishing priveleges in every state in the U.S., and permanently revoking the captain's skipper's license.


----------



## taylornelms (May 3, 2008)

HANG EM jk but seriously


----------



## sureshot375 (May 3, 2008)

Do you think the guys that paid for the boat knew what they were doing or do you think maybe the captain lead them?  Besides, shouldn't a commercial captain be responsible for making sure his clients comply with the laws?  the whole thing is just sickening.


----------



## pottydoc (May 3, 2008)

Wild Turkey said:


> The charter boat must have a blanket license that covers it's guests. either.
> 
> 
> 
> > Not in LA. One of my best friends is a charter captain out of Venice. You have to buy a special license to fish from a charter boat. When you buy it, you have to give them the Captains state id number. The license only costs about $4.00, but I guess if you were going to keep over the limit, out of season, and short snapper there would be no particular reason to spend $4.00 on a license.


----------



## germag (May 4, 2008)

sureshot375 said:


> Do you think the guys that paid for the boat knew what they were doing or do you think maybe the captain lead them?  Besides, shouldn't a commercial captain be responsible for making sure his clients comply with the laws?  the whole thing is just sickening.




I think every single person on that boat, including the captain, the mate, and every single one of the fisherman knew exactly what was going on. I don't see how they could  _not_ know.


----------



## caught (May 4, 2008)

Yea, You dont take 27 coolers without a plan!


----------



## larpyn (May 4, 2008)

i wonder if they used corn for bait??? 

maybe some fulldraw farms - snapper slapper blend?


----------



## huntfish (May 5, 2008)

sureshot375 said:


> Do you think the guys that paid for the boat knew what they were doing or do you think maybe the captain lead them?  Besides, shouldn't a commercial captain be responsible for making sure his clients comply with the laws?  the whole thing is just sickening.


IMHO the client should know the rules and follow them.   Just because the guide says it's alright doesn't mean that it is.  There are plenty of "bad" guides both on the water and land.


----------



## leroy (May 18, 2008)

I bet it was fun though  , thats about 50 fish a peice


----------



## 11P&YBOWHUNTER (May 18, 2008)

I bet it was fun too...thing is as Dawg2 pointed out...they were ALL old enough to know they were  in someone elses swimming pool.  They knew better, and i bet the captain told them so as well...matter of fact i remember reading about this on one of the news websites and it even said that the Captain told them they were illegal.  He was not worried though obviously because he was hauling in the all mighty dollar!!!


----------



## germag (May 19, 2008)

Oh, yeah...I'll bet it was a rip-roarin', snortin, good time......right up until they saw those uniforms boarding the boat.


----------



## Wood Smoke (May 19, 2008)

That ain't exactly a group of spring chickens either!  They should have just stopped in Biloxi, got the senior discount buffet at a casino, played the slots and blackjack tables, and just stayed there!  Gambling losses probably would have been cheaper!


----------



## mikelogg (May 19, 2008)

Wow ! What a bunch of IGITS!


----------



## jamie.brett.sr (Jun 22, 2008)

Wild Turkey said:


> 909 snapper on one boat. Anybody know these goobers.
> 
> Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agents wrote over 100 fishing citations to 20 men on Bayou Fourchon located in Lafourche Parish on Monday, April 28.
> 
> ...



No wonder most were probably city boys from Atlanta and didnt know better


----------



## Gmonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

I wonder if the guys really knew better or not.  Of course they're gonna plead ignorance.   The captain should be permanently stripped of his license.  Think how many times he's done this without getting caught.  He give rec. fisherman a bad name, plus played a part in hurting all other Gluf Coast capt's by having the snapper limit reduced to near 0.  We should all get to give him a big spankin.


----------



## Jim Thompson (Jun 23, 2008)

just think someone will be along shortly and say that its ok for them to do this or that its not that bad that they did or that they know someone who did it...

or maybe "wow you guys must never speed on the way to the lake" etc etc etc

garbage


----------



## Beehaw (Jun 24, 2008)

I bet they were just culling, and got stopped before they finished...


----------



## bighonkinjeep (Jun 24, 2008)

Gmonkey said:


> The captain should be permanently stripped of his license.  Think how many times he's done this without getting caught.
> 
> I hope they seized his boat and all the gear aboard.
> Plain and simple POACHERS not fishermen
> These guys give sportsmen a black eye


----------



## Rem270 (Jun 25, 2008)

*Hand Cramp*

I know being a game warden is a risky job as it is but now you are going to have to add carpel tunnel syndrome to the list of occupationial hazards.  I bet them boys had a hand cramp for over a month after writing those tickets!!


----------



## discounthunter (Jun 25, 2008)

wow thats ALOT of dumb! 18 guys charter a trip in la ,drive or fly there from ga, (im guesing) not ONE bothers to check the regs for seasons or limits, thats alot of money to be that stupid. the captain, well , greed pure and simple, at the cost of all fisherman . how scary is it that 18 people can all agree to poach( make that 20, but 2 were a given) not one honest person in the bunch. im curious as to what these guys do for a living, lawyers?, stock market? bankers?


----------



## halrowland (Jun 26, 2008)

Meanwhile, half a million or so illegal aliens in LA went about their business unmolested, violating federal and state laws by their presence alone....using our roads, schools and hospitals every minute of every day of every month of every year.   Talk about selective law enforcement...


----------



## Gmonkey (Jun 27, 2008)

halrowland said:


> Meanwhile, half a million or so illegal aliens in LA went about their business unmolested, violating federal and state laws by their presence alone....using our roads, schools and hospitals every minute of every day of every month of every year.   Talk about selective law enforcement...



Good point.
But what about the ones that do get arrested, or pulled over for petty things around here, and get turned loose becaused it's too much trouble to send these guys through the system.  It's UNBELIEVEABLE !!


----------



## germag (Jul 14, 2008)

halrowland said:


> Meanwhile, half a million or so illegal aliens in LA went about their business unmolested, violating federal and state laws by their presence alone....using our roads, schools and hospitals every minute of every day of every month of every year.   Talk about selective law enforcement...



One has nothing to do with the other....they are two different agencies. The LA Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and USFWS are not there to enforce immigration laws. Their job is to enforce wildlife laws. The Immigration and Naturalization Service and Border Patrol is there to enforce immigration laws. It sounds to me like the Fish and Wildlife guys were doing exactly what they were supposed to be doing....and doing their job quite well at that. I would imagine that the INS and Border Patrol were out doing their respective jobs as well, but since these guys were apparently not illegal aliens...well....that's a different news story. 

So...what are you suggesting? That these poachers should be released because there are illlegal aliens running around? That they should shut down the wildlife enforcement agencies and transfer all of the manpower to INS and just forget about enforcing game and fish laws?


----------



## rip18 (Jul 15, 2008)

A quick reminder from our Rules & Guidelines: 





> If you cannot communicate without using profanity or vulgarity then this is not the place for you. If you occasionally feel the need to be emphatic about making your point then use one or more of the many emoticons we have available, but do not resort to profanity.


  The full text - including that about typing around the censor - can be found here: http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?p=916#post916


----------



## caught (Jul 18, 2008)

*Update On This Case Copied From SPEARFISHINGPLANET.COM*

NOAA SETS ASSESSMENT ON 909 RED SNAPPER CASE
Release Date: 07/03/2008
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States Department of Commerce, General Council for Enforcement and Litigation, Southeast Region, handed down a Notice of Violation Assessment (NOVA) on a red snapper case made on April 28, 2008.
The NOVA stemmed from the case made on the vessel Captain Charlie which was captained by David T. Harrelson, 52, of Lockport, Louisiana. The boat was chartered by one Florida and 17 Georgia fishermen. 
The vessel Captain Charlie was found to have a total of 909 red snapper which were taken during closed season on board the vessel when boarded by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Agents working under a Joint Enforcement Agreement between NOAA and the State of Louisiana. The recreational red snapper season was not set to open until June 1, 2008, and the recreational limit during open season is two red snapper per person per day. In addition, 287 of the red snapper were under the minimum 16 inch size limit. None of the 18 non-resident fishermen possessed a Louisiana basic or saltwater license.
The NOVA issued was in the amount of $80,000, and a 210-day Notice of Permit Sanction (NOPS) for the violation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act regulations was issued to the owner and operator David T. Harrelson of Rebel Charter Services, LLC.
Also, a joint and several NOVAs in the amount of $45,450 was given to all of the fishermen aboard the vessel Captain Charlie. In addition, the owner, operator and all fishermen were issued a Notice of Proposed Forfeiture for the red snapper. 
The following is a list of the Captain, deckhand, and fishermen:
David Harrelson, 52, Lockport, La., (Captain)
Donald R. Humphrey, 45, Golden Meadow, La., (Deckhand)
Artesza Portee, 35, Autell, Ga.
Glover Jefferson Jr., 69, Atlanta, Ga.
Walter Bailey Jr., 61, Atlanta, Ga.
Robert Kemp, 72, Atlanta, Ga.
James E. Williams, 65, Callaway, Fla.
Clyde E. Raiford, 68, Fayetteville, Ga.
Baxter R. Maddox, 67, Atlanta, Ga.
Leslie H. Durham, 45, Douglasville, Ga.
Cleveland B. Kemp Jr., 56, Conyers, Ga.
Harry Crosland, 67, Decatur, Ga.
Willie T. Epps, 72, College Park, Ga.
Lawrence Kendrick, 60, Atlanta, Ga.
Walter L. Gibson Jr., 38, Union City, Ga.
Warren R. Brownlee, 36, Palmetto, Ga.
Andrew R. Smith, 70, Decatur, Ga.
Kym D. Haywood, 44, Hapeville, Ga.
Charlie W. Patrick 68, Stone Mountain, Ga.
Earnest Sessoms, 79, Atlanta, Ga.
"We would like to commend our agents for doing an outstanding job in protecting our state and federal fisheries resources," said Colonel Winton Vidrine, Chief Law Enforcement Office for the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. 
A response from the respondents is anticipated within the next 30 to 40 days.
For more information, contact Major Joey Broussard at 225-765-2980 or jbroussard@wlf.louisiana.gov.
2008-193


----------



## germag (Jul 18, 2008)

That's a total of only $138.00 per fish......it costs me about that much to fish legally by the time you figure the cost of fuel, bait, the boat, fishing equipment.......


----------



## EMC-GUN (Jul 19, 2008)

See the age on some of the fellas? Were they on a day trip from Shady Acres?


----------



## Phishdoc (Aug 4, 2008)

All of this is disgraceful for a supposed professional guide and speaks to the supreme greed of some  people who  can not be called anglers. No one who makes a living on the water or enjoys the pleasure of angling would do such a thing. Stick with a real pro if you are paying someone to take you fishing so that we may all enjoy the sport for years to come. They should be flogged 'round the fleet (Articles of War; Royal Navy).


----------



## Workin2Hunt (Aug 5, 2008)

EMC-GUN said:


> See the age on some of the fellas? Were they on a day trip from Shady Acres?





Yep and as stated above, all were old enough to know better.


----------



## Vernon Holt (Aug 5, 2008)

Why would age raise one to a higher standard??  This seems to imply that the younger generation should expect a free ride.


----------

