3 Anglers Cited For Overfishing In Long Island Sound: DEC

ROCKY POINT, NY — Three anglers aboard a small vessel in the water off of Hagerman Landing Beach in Rocky Point were ticketed in connection with overfishing after they were found with a number of fish that were over the legal limit and others that were too small in size earlier this month, state officials said Thursday.

The three anglers were seen for several hours near sunrise aboard a vessel, which did not have its navigation lights turned on, appearing to catch many porgy and black sea bass, the state's Department of Environmental Conservation said.

When Brookhaven Harbormaster Brennan Siele conducted a compliance check on the vessel and when it returned to shore, it was discovered that the anglers had 127 porgy and nine black sea bass, according to the DEC.

Thirty-seven of the porgy were over the possession limit and 33 were less than the legal size required in New York when fishing from a vessel, the DEC said. All nine black sea bass were under the legal size limit, according to the DEC.

An Environmental Conservation Officer issued three tickets to each angler for the fishing violations and Siele issued tickets to one for using an unregistered trailer and not having a visual signaling device or sound producing device aboard a vessel, the DEC said.

The seized fish were donated to Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown to feed raptors in their care, according to the DEC.