This is what I mean, What does Sonny know about the importance of sturgeon?
Maybe the constiuents he talked to are sport fisherman and they think its
ugly and eats fish eggs and would be happy with it disapearring. I'm not
sure on that, but if locally the bowfin was endangered, I am more than
certain the sports fisherman in general would be glad if it was wiped from
the face of the earth. You would be surprised how many verbal even
escalating to physical confrontations I have had with fisher ( uh, jerks,
these arent fishermen) over there abuse of bowfin when caught.
> Ray, they're just covering their ass. And yours. If you intentionally seek
and
> catch an endangered fish, even just to look at it, without the proper
permit,
> then you are guilty of "take" -- which includeshandling the fish in any
way.
> And, unfortunately, it's easier for them and less paperwork to say "No"
rather
> than "Yes, help yourself."
I don't necassarily mean cathing them deliberatly. I catch fundulus dispar
in nets trying for shrimp or orange spotted sunfish. If they just made note
when I would talk to them that I witnessed 35 specimans in May or something
in the area in question, they could have a data base compiled so when
something was going to be done, they'd have some solid leads.
> If a fish is collected legally, then just about any natural history
collection
> would love to receive it as a voucher specimen. Remeber, conservation and
> DNR-types are not always the ones doing the biodivesity surveys.
Universities
> and natural history museums are. Have you tried contacting any of them? In
fact,
> a major ichthyological curation center is in WS at the Milwaukee Public
Museum.
> Contact them. Volunteer.
I have plans in the works for this, they just haven't come to fruitition
yet.
> What privileges? What rights? The "right" to collect any fish you want?
Please
> explain.
I was talking in general. The agencies in question can confiscate your
vehicle, and other property if used in conjunction with this activity or
many others. That is against the law. Somehow though it is an excepted
practice that frightens me to think what it may lead to in the future if a
"tree hugger type" ( don't stone me on that, I have planted and care for
more trees than many so called T. H .'s could admit to) is in charge of the
policies that govern what happens in these cases. I think it is ridiculous
that someone is in more trouble for killing a bald eagle than committing
murder one. I know humans are much more abundant, and might be the one
species anti- hunters would like to see hunted ( as long as it weren't
them ) HAHA, but this is what I see happening. As far as privileges, being
able to take "game" is a privilege. It is constantly being bashed on one
way or the other by these "environmental groups". Sure its mostly hunting
and trapping now, but they are starting on hook and line fishing. We are
all on the same page pretty much, and very few sportsmen are poachers and
whatever, just as collectors try to follow the muddled laws that are drawn
up for sportfishing or frog and crawfish harvest. On and on with that , but
I think you see what I was meaning.
Ray
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