Minnesota Angler Faces Nearly $4,500 in Fines and Restitution

[Rick]

Minnesota angler faces nearly $4,500 in fines and restitution

A Minnesota man faces nearly $4,500 in fines and restitution resulting from a Turn in Poacher (TIP) call. The call provided information about an overlimit of fish in a garage and apartment freezer, vehicle information, and times when the suspect usually went fishing on Medicine Lake in Plymouth.

On March 17, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officers Thephong Le and Jackie Glaser responded to the call. When they arrived at the suspect's apartment, the officers inadvertently met James Louis Bernier, 48, New Hope, driving in the parking lot.

"Bernier had been fishing on Medicine Lake in Plymouth and admitted to having an overlimit of sunfish in his vehicle, including 51 sunfish in the back seat," Glaser said. "Bernier said he knew he had an overlimit of sunfish and gave us permission to look in a freezer in his garage as well as the freezer in his apartment."

The officers discovered a total of 173 sunfish, 81 crappies and four bass. The sunfish daily possession limit is 20 while the crappie possession limit is 10. The bass season closed on Feb. 20.

Charges of a gross overlimit of sunfish, overlimit of crappies, and taking bass in a closed season have been filed in Hennepin County District Court. The suspect's angling license was also seized. If convicted, Bernier faces a fine of $3,000 and restitution of $1,330.

Le said time is the most important factor when reporting poaching activity. "If you see or hear something, call right away, it is so critical," he said. "If you wait until morning, it may be too late to catch the person responsible. Timing is everything."

The TIP line is available 24-hours a day. The information is forwarded to a conservation officer.

Calls regarding violations can be placed anonymously at 1-800-652-9093. Cash rewards are given for tips.

[lotalota]

And that's no April Fools...book 'em Dano!!!

Lota Lota...

[sami0115]

lets hope the justice system does ITS job now!!! what is it with these people?? someone like this needs to have his boat (if he has one), all his fishing gear and his first born taken from him.

its really dissapointing that there are people like this in the world!!!

cudos to the person who turned him in.

[cyberamish]

Should be a mandatory loss of ALL outdoor privledges (fishing,hunting,boating,atv,etc) for a minimum of 5 yrs. In addition to the current penalties. Either that or buy him a wedding dress, a banjo, and ship 'em to Stillwater for a year

[MNice]

GREAT!! I see Jackie every now & then and I'll give her a great big THANK YOU!! I'd love to see the penalties even stiffer than they are to maybe make people think before they do these things.

[Guest]

He should never be able to fish AGAIN. Its time to put a stop to these thieves. You can give them a fine a 1 or 2 year no fish penalty,but will it do any good? When people find out you could never fish again, it would probably stop some, the rest would have to learn the hard way.A few will ruin it for the majority.Its not like he was 1 fish over his limit, he new what he was doing.

[Ice9]

I disagree. Taking boats and cars and revoking privileges for extended periods is too harsh a penalty. Penalties should fit the crime. He should have stiff fines and move on with his life. We're po'd that a guy would so baldly violate the game laws...but they are only sunfish and crappies. No violence, no damage to life or limb. He didn't resist officers, threaten anybody. He is (I assume) repentant and will (I assume) accept the consequences of his actions and not repeat them. I wouldn't go so far as to suggest that anything worse is "cruel and unusual" but let's be reasonable. Would these penalties dissuade other anglers from the same crime? YOu bet they would. Should they be broadly published, and the victim be humiliated? Yep. But keep penalties reasonable or the whole system gets out of balance. Maybe more creative penalties...a sandwich board that says, "Gross Overlimit" and a five-mile walk on the ice? LEctures at elementary schools? sure. But knee-jerk pile-it-on penalties out of sight is unreasonable.

ice

[katoguy]

Ice, your assumptions are just that - you do not know what is going through this criminal's mind. Stealing is wrong. He should be made an example to help dissaude others.

[Fishing-Around]

Ice, i'm with you on this one. Yes it is very disgusting, in my opinion, what this guy did but ease up on the building of the gallows here. No fishing for a while, make restitution to the DNR so they can re-stock what he stole, pay for all of his court costs and a "just cause your stupid" fine would be good enough...

Good work to who ever called it in!!!

[Eric Wettschreck]

Excellent work to the person who called TIP. Good to see that it works.

I guess I agree that the penalty should fit the crime. Maybe put his picture in the 2006 fishing regs book under a "Don't let this happen to you." heading. Publish the names and the fines. I think they should do that for all the people caught with gross over limits. Make the fines big enough to make the offender realize that, boy, did I ever screw up.

[metrojoe]

There is a section in the Outdoor news called Cuffs and Collars.

I like the poster boy idea.

[Captain B.R.K]

I think TIP is working...but I believe the sanctions, penalities, etc. are not as stiff as they should be.

I mean who is to say that the guy, after his rights to a fishing license in MN for 5 years is yanked, that he won't be out on your local water fishing without a license?

Just unfortunate that we have these people around that think gross over limits of fish are something to brag about!

[City_Slicker]

How about if a guy is charged with poaching his license plate would have have a P. Kind of like whiskey plates for people charge with DUI

[fishnhooks]

Poaching plates, I can see it. "IMP" plates. I M Poaching. IMP 1001. I like that idea.

"hooks"

[Netman]

As a man who has swum (swam?) in the metro lakes, I think this fella has done us a great service. Those darn sunnies bite!! And it Hurts!! They often will work a mole until they draw blood!! just think if these lakes were full of ten inch 'gills; we couldn't go into the water at all!!

But rules are rules I guess, so I say let's put him in...oh I don't know...how about Lake Owasso. Let's make sure he's in his birthday suit and let's not let him out until he's either crying for mercy or half eaten.

[hitthebricks]

Great humor! I do like it. I do agree, let him make restitution, mark him for future searches, let him move on,learn, and teach! Gluteny is one of the seven deadly sins...most everybody knows whats RIGHT, let those that won't, PAY! instead of the ones that do whats right. But this is only a voiced opinion fron one person

[uffdapete]

If somebody is caught crossing back into the US from Canada with gross violations like this they are very likely to lose whatever they drive on the road and the water.

Just take a tour of the impound lot in International Falls sometime.

[Froggy4371]

I guess I just want to put my 2 cents in on this. I hope the courts do there job. I also believe they should fine this person more then what he faces. I agree that he should be able to pay a fine but that is not much of a fine for Gross Overlimit. He is stealing from all of us! The one problem I have is even if his fishing privliges get taken away what is stopping him from still going out fishing? I work in law enforcement and see where people have there drivers license taken away and it does not even stop them from driving. What is going to stop him from fishing. I think Wardens are great but they are to far and few inbetween. Just my 2 cents.

By the way thanks to whoever called him in!

Froggy

[crappieflop1212]

"poacher plates" Thats a great idea. I just don't know how effective it would be.

[farmislandeye]

lock him up.

[jimh874]

Quote:

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How about if a guy is charged with poaching his license plate would have have a P. Kind of like whiskey plates for people charge with DUI

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Quote:

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Poaching plates, I can see it. "IMP" plates. I M Poaching. IMP 1001. I like that idea.

"hooks"

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Quote:

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"poacher plates" Thats a great idea. I just don't know how effective it would be.

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someone must have read my post in the alexandria forum.http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=528049&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1 i brought this idea up kind of as a joke, but then thought seriously about it. i passed it around at easter with some family members. im actually kind of impressed that so far nobody has hesistated to say anything except it sounds like a perfect idea.

i have to come up with a planed presentation so i can present this to a head dnr offical. i have lots of ideas and thought in to this and would like to eventually get a petition going. there is a lot more to it then just the plates on a vehicle. there is a need to make sure that all bases are covered because its not just the over harvest of fish, its the other animals we covet so dearly also.

a guy who takes a trophy buck just for the rack, should beable to display the same plates proudly as a guy who decides to keep 60-70 or more crappies, a guy who takes 15-20 or more ducks then he should. and should also be the same for a guy who decides to shoot something thats on the endangered list like those swans we have, or even a bald eagle.

i dont want to get to detailed, but i want to beable to try and make it work. i figure this would be a good place to start for support.

jim

[jimh874]

Quote:

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"poacher plates" Thats a great idea. I just don't know how effective it would be.

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food for thought.

if you pull in to a access and check plates for the sign, see one truck with them on it. your going to know to watch out on the lake for a boat that has something on the side of it to identify it with truck. more then likely you will be watched by other anglers on the lake.

if someone is catching fish, you will get noticed. if someone is catching a lot of fish, you will be watched.

jim

[crappieflop1212]

I understand the part about seeing the plates at an access, but there are ways around that. Such as going fishing with a buddy. Hopefully a buddy that wouldn't allow someone to poach from his boat, but we all have seen the articles about the "party poachers".

Maybe if we are all so concered about this, the DNR could set up a volunteer program where citizens could post at the boat ramp and check anglers harvest. If there is more incentive needed. Give the volunteer a discount on their DNR liscences.

I know the idea is far fetched, because of the training that would be required as well as other legal issues. But I know I would certainly be willing to give some time to meet new people and help protect our lakes at the same time.

As far as the poacher plates go, I would love to sign any petition. I've said I don't know how effective it would be, but it would certainly be a good start, and cheap too.

[City_Slicker]

Nope Jim I didnt read your other post. I just think great minds think alike I think the not only could there be poacher plates. How about a poacher stamp your drivers license so that resort owners or even bait shop owners could check license and if they had the poacher stamp they could refuse to allow them to stay at there resort or sell bait. It sounds a little far fetch but I love to fish and we have to protect this great resource from scum!!

[pikeprowler]

Seems like this is happening more and more all of the time. It's really a shame to see it. I'm 20 years old and I was brought up with the catch and release method. If these people getting caught are this arrogant to keep this many fish and ruin that lake for everyone else, they probably don't deserve to own a fishing license. Just my thought on the subject.