Yellowtail bite was ‘hot.’ But they were in a no-take zone in Dry Tortugas, police said
The yellowtail were biting like crazy in this tropical spot.
That’s because it’s a federally protected “no-take” zone in the waters of the Dry Tortugas.
Six people were caught on a center console fishing in a no-take zone on Wednesday, having snatched more than 100 yellowtail snapper among other types of fish, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
One of the passengers told officers that it took them three hours to get to the Dry Tortugas from Naples, FWC said.
“And that this was their first and only spot they fished due to the yellowtail bite being so hot,” said Robert Dube, spokesman for FWC.
Aboard the center console were: Katay Kimoka Soundara, 42, of Fort Myers; Juan Carlos Rivero, 55, of Lehigh Acres; Jerod Alan Edgington, 42, of Fort Myers; Curtis Walker Smith, 39, of Fort Myers; Caroline Jane Anderson, 38, of Geneva, Illinois; and Sean Thomas Anderson, 18, of Fort Myers.
Each was given a notice to appear for criminal violations: tampering with evidence, interference with an FWC officer, possession of over the bag limit of aggregate snapper, possession of an undersized vermilion snapper, 17 counts of possession of out-of-season grouper and fishing inside the Tortugas North Ecological Reserve.
Officers also found several guns on the boat that had been recently fired, FWC said, and most had empty magazines. One spent shotgun shell was found on the vessel’s deck, police said.
Each boater faces one felony charge and 21 misdemeanor charges.
The boat’s owner/operator, Brian James Baugher, 49, of Naples, was issued a federal notice of violation and assessment for violating firearms rules, entering the area without a valid access permit and anchoring in the area.
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They were cited, not arrested, due to the coronavirus pandemic, FWC said.
FWC said it will talk to the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office about the group violating the county’s emergency order that states the Keys are closed to visitors due to COVID-19.
FWC officers spotted the 2020 36-foot Yellowfin, which was outfitted with three 300-horsepower outboard engines, at about 1:36 p.m. Many yellowtail were floating near the boat, FWC said.
“It was apparent the occupants of the white center console had dumped these yellowtail snapper, attempting to discard and destroy evidence,” said Robert Dube, spokesman for FWC.
In all, the officers recovered 32 yellowtail snapper from the surface of the water. All of the snapper had signs of having been recently hooked in their mouths, Dube said.
Recovered by FWC were:
- 106 yellowtail snapper, including the 32 recovered.
- three dog snapper
- one lane snapper
- one mutton snapper
- one vermilion snapper, undersized
- 14 red grouper
- three hind grouper
- three grunts
- one margate
- one jack
This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Yellowtail bite was ‘hot.’ But they were in a no-take zone in Dry Tortugas, police said."
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