I own the pots. I actually own six of them. My dad and his girlfriend were using them. He has his own bouys. All four bouys were labeled with names city and state. They did not have an address on them. Becuase of that they are in violation. I don't dispute that. I went out to help him find the pots after he couldn't find them. What bothers me is.

1) Being called a poacher. I have fished and hunted Wa for 40 years. I have never had a violation of any kind nor has my dad who has fished for 70+years. The pots were legal, the season was open, only legal crabs were retained, cathes are always recorded and with the exception of the address the bouys were legal in terms of size and color.

2) They shouldn't be using this resource ( $400k boat and four officers) for enforce this type of violation.

3) If they are going to pull pots they should make an attempt to let people know. How about attaching a waterproof sticker with a warning.

4) They should have some kind of clue as how to return pots to people who would like them back.

Duct tape works great for labeling pots, plus a sharpie.

BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome) is best treated with a mild sedative. Do not take with alcohol, it only exacerbates the condition. Or, you could try dipping a line for a little tranquility.
Should we end up with a Cheny replacement in the form of a true sportsman (woman), I will say a prayer for you as you are carried off to the asylum. There will be no treatment for PDS. It's fatal.

*Poaching, the theft or illegal killing of animals or plants, or sometimes artifacts. A poacher is someone who engages in poaching.

If you harvest a fish using that barbed hook, the answer is yes

It would seem the police were in violation as they pulled pots that didn't have their names on them. (ha-Ha) If the regs were taken literally, you could set whoevers pots you wanted, you just have to have the owners at the pot when pulled. I wonder if they actually have the authority to salvage pots when ever they see fit. There doesn't seem to me to be any way for them to have had probable cause to pull the pots, how could they know who was setting the pots? My conspiracy suspicious nature makes me wonder who put them up to this? The TV channel may well be interested in the story.
And P.S. The RCWs I found on this state that the proceeds from confiscated gear sales is required to be turned over to the general fund for transfer to the WDFW. I wonder where the money goes from those police auctions?

Got the pots back today with help from the WDFW. THE WDFW was excellent. I must confess my dad didn't have the pots labeled very well. I will help him do a better job in the future. In his defense he is 78 has had two open heart surgeries, six by-passes and a stroke this spring. He started fishing at Pt Defiance in the late 30's using a row boat.

glad you got 'em back

Good news on getting them all back...

Fish on...

Todd

How is it that the WDFW helped you out? Jack

what an interesting thread...

a guy on my dock got a ticket while crabbing this year. I thought it was kind of funny that he was upset about it (not marking the crab immidiately after retained), -doesnt EVERYONE know better by now?????- but this whole thing is a little different. TPD and other police departments should leave the fish and game citations and confiscations to the WDFW.



glad to hear you got the pots back, what a cluster...

My dad is getting older too. I completely understand how they mess things up a little. I have to teach him how to turn the fishfinder on at the beginning of every season.

I give props to your dad for still getting out there too!