COASTAL CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION NEW YORK DONATES EQUIPMENT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS

WEST BABYLON, NY—Coastal Conservation Association New York (“CCA NY”) today demonstrated its support for the enforcement of fisheries laws when it donated a night vision scope and related equipment to the Law Enforcement Division of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (the “DEC”). Accepting the donation were Henry Hamilton, DEC Assistant Commissioner for Public Protection, and Colonel Peter Fanelli and Captain Timothy Huss of the DEC’s Law Enforcement Division.

“Poachers like to work behind a curtain of darkness,” noted Bill Raab, President of CCA NY, who made the presentation on the organization’s behalf. “Whether we’re talking about illegal netters, clammers taking shellfish from uncertified waters or unprincipled anglers taking more than their limit of striped bass, breaking the law is best done when you can’t be seen. By making this donation, we’re making it harder for lawbreakers to hide.”

CCA NY’s donation won’t only allow DEC Law Enforcement personnel to detect people breaking the law. Because of a camera adapter that was provided along with the scope, it will also allow them to photograph violators committing illegal acts, and so make convictions easier to obtain.

“Since its formation, CCA NY has spent most of its time advocating for laws and regulations that would benefit New York’s marine resources,” said Charles Witek, CCA NY’s State Chair. “But laws and regulations are of little use if they can be violated with impunity. This donation will help the Law Enforcement Division to detect, apprehend and convict violators, and hopefully make some people think twice about ignoring the law.”

Detecting and apprehending fishery law violators is an ongoing challenge for members of the DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement, who are tasked with patrolling the entirety of New York’s coast. Violators are all too abundant, and range from the unprincipled angler who violates bag or size limits through the unlicensed fisherman illegally selling striped bass to unscrupulous restaurants and retail outlets to large-scale commercial violators who send thousands of pounds of illegal fish to market. While Law Enforcement personnel regularly apprehend such violators, the sheer number of poachers makes enforcement a daunting task. CCA NY hopes that its donation will make that task a little easier.

“Unfortunately, people sometimes dismiss poaching as a minor crime,” notes Witek. “But in truth, it is nothing less than the theft of fish and other marine resources belonging to all of the citizens of the state. When a depleted fish population is subject to illegal fishing, and its recovery suffers as a result, the poacher is not only stealing in the present, but also robbing the future. CCA NY intends to do everything it can to help bring resource thieves to justice.”

CCA NY’s donation of the scope and equipment was funded in part by a grant provided by the Knight Vision Foundation. The remainder of the funding came from donations made by CCA NY members who attended local chapter fundraising banquets.

“The donation of the night vision scope to DEC is just one example of how our members’ donations is used to protect New York’s marine resources,” said Raab. “Every CCA NY member who attended one of our events can take some credit for what we did today.”###