Did I Do the Right Thing

[MKern]

Yesterday I got wind that a old time family friend was going to stock a small section of a creek by their newly aquired cabin so the young children wouldn't have to deal with the crowds. However, the stream is class A and one I fish all the time. When I was there Monday I noticed the stream bed was dug out. Putting 2 and 2 together I realized this is where they are placing the fish. With there **** poir attitudes and "I'll do it anyway" mentality they are gearing up for Sat.
I contacted ths PFBC and they seemed adiment about checking in on this problem. However, the cabin is on state land and is a leased property. Because they obviously dug out the stream bed they could loose their cabin and be served a wopping fine. And the hatchery that provided the fish could be in some serious fines.

I am all for having fun, but I am a firm believer that rules like this should be followed; especially if they affect me directly.

So my question to you is, did I do the right thing?

 

[Maurice]

If I gather correctly you asked them nicely first...and they thumbed their nose at ya. I'd call the DEP too.

We have a group near us that has a derby, puts little rock dams in the creek to hold the fish, (not a class A). Every year the creek gets wider and shallower from the water encroaching the dams. They wanted us to do a project to narrow the creek and make it deeper. We said sure but that can be done but we will need to plant all along the banks to hold the soils...the landowner said forget it. It will get in the way during the derby.

Its a shame really...Personally, I don't see the umph behind "doing it for the kids" mantra when what you are doing is illegal. Derbies are nothing but portals to a past we've come to realize was a failure. (kill yer limit). They do nothing toward conservation, preservation or stewardship. All things we should be teaching our kids.

Maurice

 

[JackM]

As someone who holds friendship dearer than my fishing spots or even the sacredness of a wild trout stream, I would have done my best to educate them and minimize their destructive activities before calling in the authorties. Very little good will come to them or you by involving the government except as a last resort. Please remember that you asked for our ethical judgments.

 

[MKern]

My next dilema is if I happen to catch one of these fish do I kill it seeing as how I have never intentionally killed a fish.

 

[Padraic]

However, the cabin is on state land and is a leased property. Because they obviously dug out the stream bed they could loose their cabin and be served a wopping fine. And the hatchery that provided the fish could be in some serious fines.

I think your moral delimna is based on this speculation. Don't borrow trouble. For one thing, maybe nothing will happen and that would be a tragedy too. For another, maybe something will and it will be up to appropriate authorities to decide what the appropriate reaction should be, not you.

 

[RLeeP]

Were these people Scandinavian by any chance? Because there is an old saying:

"You can lead a Norse to water, but you can't make him think."

I think you did the right thing. Often though, the right thing is neither the easiest nor most pleasant thing. Which is why people who do the right thing anyway are to be admired.

That would be my view, at any rate..

 

[govtmule]

Digging the bottom out is ridiculous. If educating them didnt work then you did what you could. Hopefully they only put a few fish in but the "dredging" is what gets me. I would get in there and slay the hell out of them, call your buddies, get a few cases and have a fish fry.

jeff

 

[albatross]

As Jack and Maurice suggested, I think I would have confronted them personally first. Telling them that you felt morally obligated to report them to the authorities unless they changed their course of action may have persuaded them. Then again, it sounds like the damage may have already been done by the time you put two and two together.

If the stream was already dredged and the fish stocked, then I think you did what you had to. I would keep and kill as many of those stockies as I could.

 

[Bruno]

Well I guess that these folks are not really friends. You don't rat out your friends because then they are not your friends anymore.

Come on this is basic "guy" code of living. If your friend cheats on his wife do you run and tell her? No.

Friendships are a series of compromises. I value my friendships dearly however I do not agree with all of my friends actions.

 

[bede]

Did the right thing. Simply put, nonone has the right to alter the ecology of a public class A stream for thier own use, no matter what thier motives.

This is no different than what the Spring Ridge Club does by stocking fish in top notch streams.

Digging up the streambed is worse.

Don't second guess yourself.

 

[Wulff-Man]

Hopefully the authorities will put a stop to it, but your friends won't be punished too severely and they'll learn their lesson. And hopefully the dredging of the stream didn't do too much damage.

Why don't people who want to do this kind of thing, including the derbies, just get a big blow-up swimming pool and some bags of fish food pellets, and throw the fish in the pools? Yeah, I know, they want the kids to have a "real" fishing experience.

 

[albatross]

They used to have a derby in my home town the week before trout season. They would put the fish in the municipal swimming pool (which had been collecting rain water since the previous September). It was great, everyone had a ball. No environmental impact.

I think they charged you by the pound for the fish you kept.

 

[ryanh]

MKern,
You have set loose the 800 lb gorilla on your "friend" over what 20 fish and a little hole dug in a stream bed. He will be lucky if he keeps his house by the time they are done with him. I would not do that to my enemy.

It was on state land. How badly is he really going to damage the fishery? Read back in my posts I fished Roaring run this winter, also on state land. Not class A but is an exceptional value stream. The state clear cut all but maybe a 10 foot strip next to the stream. Real riparian buffer there :-o

Sometimes we get carried away about our cause. I wouldn't be surprised if one day one of you hard liners got picked up on your way to a hatchery with a bomb belt on :lol:

Did the guy have poor judgement yes. Is it any of your buisness....I guess yah maybe. Were you wrong, yes. What iswthe state going to do to fix the problem, NOTHING.

By the way, you got real brass ones by going back there after the fact.

 

[troutbert]

If I'd see someone dredging channels on state land, I'd make the call too. That can't be tolerated.

I don't think I would announce the fact on the Internet, though....

Regarding all the heavy consequences you think they may face, it's possible, but I doubt it. especially if it's a first offense. From what I've seen, some state employee will pay them a visit, tell them what's what, and maybe slap them will a small fine to get their attention.

But I think on the first offense they are likely not to face serious consequences. If they get caught dredging a second time, then they might (and should) pay a heavier price.

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear MKern,

I'm with Jack, Bruno, and Ryan on this one, I don't think there is really an accurate way for me to describe how wrong I think you are for what you did.

Of all the things to rat out a friend over this one has to rank as one of the least important ones to me. With luck and patience and more than a little bit of understanding perhaps you can maintain the friendship?

Regards,
Tim Murphy 🙂

 

[tomgamber]

MKern wrote:
did I do the right thing?

Yes, you did the "right" thing...was this the wise thing? Probably not.

"Old time family friend" suggests that you may not only feel the backlash of these people...but some of you family as well. Not sure what I would have done...I don't think I would have called the PFBC on them but I'm glad I didn't put myself in the position of having to make that decision either.

 

[govtmule]

if you hooked up with the "old time family friends" daughter then you should not have called but if she shot you down that's another story....i see everyone's point here and they're all valid. I don't know how much disturbance was done to the stream bottom and all the facts but i will tell you that the DEP/ACOE would totally anhiliate any contractor/designer if they did that. (i know from experience) I understand the owner probably has no clue about this and that's why he needs to be educated. I'm sure none of this will affect the integrity of the stream any more than a natural rain event but it should be brought to his attention in one way or another.

jeff

 

[Stevie-B]

If your call to the PFBC was an anonymous one and your "friend" does not read this forum, you may not get any backlash from them. Any angler coudl of come across the dugged out spot and reported it. And I'm sure that the majority of people on this board would not of hesitated to make the call if they had found the spot. The sticky point is this was a friend. Only you can tell yourself if you did the right thing.

Steve

 

[Bruno]

additionally,

What come around goes around and revenge is a dish best served cold.

 

[FarmerDave]

[color=FF0000]ARE YOU NUTS!!! [/color]

Did you do the right thing??? Well, Hitler would have been proud of you. They weren't robbing a bank or raping children.

Seriously though. I can't say you did the wrong thing. all I am saying is that if they were friends of my family, I wouldn't have done what you did. And if I had, I wouldn't announce it on here. If I had told them in no uncertain terms that if they went ahead I would contact the authorities? Then maybe I would, but probably not.

I also have to comment on this response.

Bruno wrote:

Come on this is basic "guy" code of living. If your friend cheats on his wife do you run and tell her? No.

Although I don't have a problem with the gist of your message (the parts I deleted), and I might not tell her, I would't ignore it either. Instead, I would probably beat the living crap out of the guy. He's a dirtbag, and I wouldn't want to be friends with him anymore anyway. He would have to learn to avoid me until he stopped that crap or until he told his wife, because i would do it again (and again, and again). Would I worry about getting arrested? Not really. If I got charged, then his wife would find out why I beat the crap out of him. Can't lie under oath you know.