I’ve always believed most anglers want to do the right thing.
Sure, someone occasionally misreads a regulation or makes an honest mistake counting fish in the excitement of a great day on the water. Those situations happen. But there is a world of difference between an honest mistake and someone who knowingly steals from a public resource.
Poaching is theft.
Not from the government. Not from some distant agency.
It is theft from every one of us who buys a fishing license, follows the regulations, and hopes our children and grandchildren will experience the same incredible fisheries we have enjoyed.
For years, I’ve heard reliable reports of anglers keeping far more fish than the law allows. The stories surrounding Southern flounder have been especially troubling. There have been repeated accounts of ice chests loaded with flounder—far beyond the legal limit—taken from Texas waters and from the Cameron Ship Channel just across the Louisiana border. Some reports involve hundreds of fish being transported illegally.
That’s not someone accidentally keeping one extra fish.
That’s organized theft from a struggling fishery.
Southern flounder have required careful management because their numbers declined dramatically over the years. The conservative regulations many anglers initially questioned have helped move the fishery in the right direction. Most anglers have embraced those measures because they’ve seen more quality fish and understand that conservation today means opportunity tomorrow.
When someone ignores those regulations and fills coolers with illegal catches, they aren’t just breaking the law. They’re stealing from every law-abiding angler who sacrifices today for a healthier fishery in the future.
Flounder aren’t the only target.
Recent years have seen highly publicized cases involving massive illegal harvests of crappie from Texas reservoirs. Wildlife officers have uncovered anglers possessing catches that dwarfed legal limits, with investigations sometimes revealing fish allegedly destined for illegal sale. Other cases have involved oversized redfish, speckled trout, alligator gar, freshwater catfish, and a variety of other species taken far beyond legal limits.
The species changes.
The problem doesn’t.
Whether someone is illegally harvesting crappie from an East Texas reservoir, loading up on oversized trout along the coast, or taking dozens upon dozens of flounder during the fall migration, the outcome is the same. They’re taking fish that belong to all Texans.
One argument I’ve heard over the years is, “Mind your own business.”
Conservation is our business.
Wildlife belongs to the public. Every fish swimming in a Texas lake, river, or bay is part of a shared resource held in trust for everyone. When someone knowingly ignores the law for personal gain, they are robbing every ethical angler who follows the rules.
Some poachers aren’t simply filling their freezer. They are allegedly selling illegally caught fish, creating an underground market that hurts honest commercial fishermen as well as recreational anglers. Those violations often carry even more serious penalties because they undermine both conservation and legitimate businesses.
The good news is you don’t have to confront someone on the water.
In fact, that’s usually the wrong approach.
Instead, be a good witness. If it can be done safely, note the boat registration number, vehicle description, location, time, and exactly what you observed. Photographs or video taken from a safe distance can also be valuable if they can be obtained without creating a dangerous situation.
Then report it.
In Texas, you can anonymously report wildlife violations through Operation Game Thief by calling 1-800-792-GAME (4263). Reports can remain confidential, and if your information leads to a conviction, you may even qualify for a cash reward.
The vast majority of anglers and hunters are ethical people. They care deeply about the future of our fisheries and wildlife. That’s exactly why the small percentage who intentionally poach stand out so clearly. They don’t represent our outdoor community but they can certainly damage it.
Chester Moore