Has anybody else seen it?

I fish off the public piers in the salt quite a bit during the summer (mainly to relive some of the memories of fishing them as a kid with my dad, not that there's much worth catching off them anymore) and I see a lot of juvenile salmon being kept. I've noticed it more and more since about 2008. I'm talking herring sized fish, not barely undersized. Most of the time it's been somebody who doesn't speak much English and is using a herring jig for shiner perch.

I make the call to the Dept. everytime I see it (which is everytime I go) and have only gotten a couple of responses with a warden coming out. Some days it's only a handful of fish kept, but I've seen people with Buckets over a 1/4 full.

Am I the only one that sees this happening regularly or is there a better way to get a officer out to handle it? I'm curious because it's getting close to time to dink around the piers again and I'm getting frustrated seeing all the poaching.

Push the poacher off the pier.

You were a bit cryptic as to location(s); how about citing where you have seen the worst of it so folks can be on the look-out and LE can perform some emphasis patrols?

After all, those could well be ESA listed wild Chinook or steelhead.

If you are in Lake Stevens my guess is Everett, Mukilteo or maybe the big fishing pier in Edmonds all of which are fairly close to the WDFW Mill Creek office.

Don't let them get away with it without at least saying something. They may not understand the language but you can make your displeasure abundantly clear.

A buddy and I came across a family of Asians on a dock when we pulled in who were crabbing. He looked in their bucket and proceeded to start tossing the crab out one at a time- "too small!, too small!, female!" etc. until there were none left. They gave us dirty wtf looks but oh well obey the law. Luckily everybody wasn't kung fu fighting on the dock.

Kung Fu fighting on the dock...............That was good. These people should get an ear full when out of compliance. Good luck,

SZ

since i moved to lake stevens in the beginning of '12, i've mainly fished edmonds or kayak pt. though i still get down to dash pt, les davis, pt defiance at least once a year (those are the piers i grew up on). i come across this everywhere i go, except pt defiance. that's why i didnt single out any particular dock.

i used to try educating folks and have dumped plenty of buckets over the side in the past. since my daughter was born 2 years ago, i usually have her with me. i go out of my way to avoid bs with her around and she doesnt need to see me getting into a fight. thats why i'm frustrated with the lack of any LE response when i report.

You could post a game warden at every pier 24 hours a day and they'd be undermanned.

ODH's clan I presume.

too avoid confrontation then--take some pixs and take them to the Fish and Game

I visit the piers pretty regularly, and have seen this on occasion. Whether it's under sized crabs, or some other violation, this is how I handle it:

I ask , in a nice way, if they are aware that there are regulations regarding what and when things can be harvested. (Believe it or not, many countries have NO regulations. That's why they are over fished). If they act like they don't speak English, I loudly ask for someone to interpret. They usually don't want the embarrassment and attention at that point.

Next, I let them know that they are in violation of the law, and that along with fines and possible lost gear, it could lead to embarrassing questions regarding citizenship, un-paid tickets etc.

Then I let them know that WDFW often sends officers under cover to find violators, and that they dress and look just like anyone who is on the pier right now...they look just like I do!

If at that point they want to argue or fight, I just walk away saying very loudly : POACHER!! as I point to them.. of course everyone turns to look at them, and it gives you a way to back out..

Usually, they throw back what they have...might be mad, might be grateful.

WDFW used to have staff that were dedicated to outreach to the immigrant communities, in their languages, trying to teach about the regulations and such. Sadly, this was, at least while I was there, a low priority concern that was dropped when the staff left.

In some cases it took years of effort to gain access to the communities, to gain their trust. Flushed down the porcelain god.

Lots of good stuff has been flushed due to budget issues and re-prioritization.

That said, at some point people should be expected to be aware that there are regulations and make an effort to access them and be compliant. I believe I can safely say that every recent immigrant community has folks within it who are aware and are a resource for others in that community. For many the "language barrier" and "cultural difference" are merely excuses.

WDFW has the choice of outreach, enforcement, or turning a blind eye. They chose door number 3.

Focusing on major $ poaching cases involving tribal crabbers and back door sales to restaurants and nail salons - with no discernible impact on the problem (as in, no court actions/penalties/jail time).

Makes for a better news bite than to have video of the arrest of some poor refugee just trying to feed his family.

An ounce of image is worth a pound of performance.

Sadly I'm pretty sure they know. There are enough people letting them know what's legal and what isn't. If they were not aware why do they start throwing their poached catches back when they see the man? If you watch nay of the wildlife law enforcement shows including the one from our state you will see that they do know they are doing wrong but don't give a ....... They usually play the i don't speak English game. Don't get me wrong there are plenty of locals that do the same thing!

Call Jessie!! Seems like the only thing people pay attention to anymore is media and their own image. If King 5 is doing reports on hatcheries, maybe competing stations would do stories on poaching and education?

Dooood......donchaknow Jessie is a KIRO7 man now?!

Jessie doesn't care about ALL of the facts. Little more than daytime soaps.

Dang! Pulled this one up thinking it was another squatch thread...