I’ve never been one to report every minor infraction of regulations. People make mistakes, and in reality, there are bigger threats like loss of fisheries habitat than a few extra fish being kept.
However, a few years ago, I wrote about numerous reliable reports of anglers exceeding their flounder limits. It started with anglers going to Lake Calcasieu in Louisiana and bringing back hundreds of fish across the border. About a year after that story was published, someone was busted for doing exactly that.
Similar stories still exist in Texas, and this must stop for the sake of our resource. These aren’t anglers who forgot the regulations; they simply don’t care about our resource and there are stories of illegal commercial harvest happening. Most anglers recreational and commercial are ethical but there are bad apples in every batch.
Flounder have faced many issues including warming Gulf temperatures messing with spawning success and shrimping related bycatch. They don’t need anglers recreational or commercial putting more pressure on them.
You can anonymously report violators at 1-800-792-GAME (Operation Game Thief) and receive a cash reward if a conviction is made.
Whether you’re a recreational or commercial fisherman, using rod and reel or gigging, you should not tolerate flounder poaching. These poachers steal from all of us.
Chester Moore