Food for thought

[LongLine]

 

Given that we know there are fishing lawbreakers that don't get caught, the rise of technology and the low number of C.O.s, couldn't the DEC install some "blue light" cameras at fishing hot spots? Like the city uses on streets in high crime or accident areas. Perhaps power them with a small solar panel?  Seems like everyone has a ring camera.

 

Or maybe a C.O. occasionally fly a camera equipped drone over the river, scanning both sides.  C.O. would save some ground pounding. Follow a criminal to his car?  Perhaps some signs stating that the river is patrolled by DEC drones?  How many drivers don't slow down when they see signs on the road about "speed monitored by radar." NYS Thruway photographs license plates.   IMO, those that pass a Trooper on the expressway deserve to have the book thrown at them.  IMO, a lot of psychological value there. 
 

[GAMBLER]

DEC has trouble getting tickets to stick in some areas and the fines are a joke.  The guys breaking the law on the tribs don't give a rats a$$.  I have watched them snag away in the Genny gorge and see a CO coming and they just run.  Stricter fines would be a better deterrent.  Seeing that NY favors the criminal, it's not going to happen. 

[Between the lakes]

Nobody passes troopers on the thruway, they are normally traveling well in excess of the post speed limit even in non-emergency situations (no lights or sirens) just because they never get called out on it. I travel the thruway very often and set my cruise right at 79mph and cruisers consistently blow by me going 90-100 mph

[LongLine]

If they see a CO and run, would they run if they know a drone can follow them and get plates? i agree there should be  stricter fines and that they should be mandatory.

No lights or siren doesn't necesarily mean they're in a hurry to get to the doughnut shop.  

 

Other than no-fishing zones, what is there?

 

 

 

 

[rolmops]

A drone or a trail camera in a tree sounds like a good idea. But.. how is a drone or a camera going to measure the length of a fish or recognize what kind of fish is being caught and what is the action radius of a drone? Never mind making it stick in court.

And Gambler, NYS does not favor criminals. 

[GAMBLER]

23 hours ago, rolmops said:

A drone or a trail camera in a tree sounds like a good idea. But.. how is a drone or a camera going to measure the length of a fish or recognize what kind of fish is being caught and what is the action radius of a drone? Never mind making it stick in court.

And Gambler, NYS does not favor criminals. 

Believe what you want.  Letting criminals out early, sanctuary cities, bail reform, ect.  Soft on Crime policies don't make criminals fear the law.  

Edited February 27 by GAMBLER

[lachsforelle]

1 hour ago, GAMBLER said:

Believe what you want.  Letting criminals out early, bail reform, ect.  Soft on Crime policies don't make criminals fear the law.  

I'm confused...soft or hard policies, I don't think any criminal, by the virtue of being a criminal, fears the law enough to change their behavior...

Still had plenty of criminals during the '3 strikes' and 'war on drugs' eras...

 

 

[LongLine]

There are obviously things one can't see with a camera/drone.  I.E. how long a fish is, etc.  But it could show if one is snagging or if one is standing with a bunch of egg gutted fish, or if one is illegally fishing in a fly-fishing only zone or where fishing is prohibited.

 

Range of a typical survey/agriculture drone is 12-18 miles. Toy drones claim 1 1/2 mile range. I would think a C.O. near (on top of?) the Driving Park bridge could get a really good closeup view of what's going on down in the gorge, in just a few minutes. 

[GAMBLER]

19 hours ago, LongLine said:

There are obviously things one can't see with a camera/drone.  I.E. how long a fish is, etc.  But it could show if one is snagging or if one is standing with a bunch of egg gutted fish, or if one is illegally fishing in a fly-fishing only zone or where fishing is prohibited.

 

Range of a typical survey/agriculture drone is 12-18 miles. Toy drones claim 1 1/2 mile range. I would think a C.O. near (on top of?) the Driving Park bridge could get a really good closeup view of what's going on down in the gorge, in just a few minutes. 

I’m all for using new and different tactics to stop guys from breaking game laws and abusing the resources.  Stricter fines, tickets that stick and using technology like you stated would be a great start.

[Gill-T]

Having some friends in the DEC, I could write a novel about stories highlighting the headwinds the department is up against in trying to get justice on slam dunk cases. It is such a **** show where politics and votes comes before law enforcement. The system is broke and there is a concerted effort to tear down the DEC further by Albany. This begs the question the thread tries to answer…..what do we do about illegal activity in the woods and waterways??  First, if there is a complaint, policy dictates the DEC is supposed to investigate. Our role is to get to know our local DEC conservation officer and have their number in list of contacts in our phones. Take pictures and videos of infractions as they occur and send them to the DEC officer. After that, maybe voice your opinion to judges and local officials about not allowing environmental infractions go with a wrist slap. The more voters give their input, the more likely government officials will sway their decisions. Defendants will come to trial with family members as references crying poor and explain away the infractions as “the fish are going upstream to die anyway”, the judge may be more compelled to agree. We sportsmen are underrepresented big time. 

[rolmops]

Another way to ease the burden on the DEC Officers would be to revisit the regulations. Some of these rules are iffy. Like making flossing illegal. How many fisherman are skilled enough to successfully floss? Those experts do not need to floss to fill a creel.

As for snagging salmon in the Genesee river gorge. The snaggers do have a point. These fish are about to die without any chance of successful reproduction under the falls. At least the salmon will be eaten by people who often cannot afford to eat salmon. This would lessen the pressure on the judicial system and the DEC can free up officers to be effective in other ways. 

Now night vision trailcams placed in parking lots and known poaching spots could be very effective, so there is a great way to enforce the law and catch perpetrators. 

We also have to ask ourselves if following the regulations makes us the best thing. For example: We catch a fish but we set it back because although it is of legal size it is not as big or too big for what we want and sometimes that fish we set back has become a floater left behind the boat to die while we are on our merry way. Some people would think of that as worse than snagging dying fish.

 

Edited February 28 by rolmops

[LongLine]

Snag hooks don't discriminate.  Are you saying it should be okay to snag a walleye or a sturgeon?  I'd rather the salmon have the chance to finish the spawning run. 

[rolmops]

What I am saying is that we have to try to enable the DEC to be as effective as possible, given their obvious manpower limitations. Sometimes that means that certain rules should be eased. As an example there is speed limit enforcement. The sign says 55 , but everybody does 60 + zooming right past state troopers who do not stop them. This enables the state troopers to chase and stop the cars that do over 70 and to punish these speeders. If they had to stop all the 60 + a little bit cars , those tickets would over power the judicial system and a ton of these tickets would be thrown out of court . This would discourage  the state troopers the same way the DEC officers are discouraged now. 

[Gator]

This is all starting to sound a bit "1984" for my liking lol. Drones flying around, with Brother AI measuring my catch? Maybe an immediate ticket pm'd to your socials? IDK. 

 

How about we continue as sportsmen to lead by example, to call out shenanigans, and to establish a culture of respect, for both our fellow sportsmen and our quarry? There's always going to be bad apples and organized crime, particularly where there's a buck to be made (ie, salmon roe hauled up the gorge wall in 5 gallon pails to a van waiting to take it to NYC, which I've personally observed...and had a gun pulled on me when I called them out). But for the most part, we can minimize this by practicing and teaching respect. It's a slow change, admittedly, but it WILL work.

 

 

[GAMBLER]

On 3/1/2026 at 7:43 AM, Gator said:

 

 

How about we continue as sportsmen to lead by example, to call out shenanigans, and to establish a culture of respect, for both our fellow sportsmen and our quarry? There's always going to be bad apples and organized crime, particularly where there's a buck to be made (ie, salmon roe hauled up the gorge wall in 5 gallon pails to a van waiting to take it to NYC, which I've personally observed...and had a gun pulled on me when I called them out). But for the most part, we can minimize this by practicing and teaching respect. It's a slow change, admittedly, but it WILL work.

 

 

It's all we can do.  NY doesn't care about hunting and fishing enough in this state to put the proper amount of CO's on staff to make a difference.  The CO's we have now do a great job but are so under  staffed.