LITTLE RIVER, S.C. (AP) - Authorities say more than 1,000 pounds of illegally caught fish were seized in South Carolina and two men are charged.
State Department of Natural Resources Lt. Angus McBride tells The Post and Courier the 1,340 pounds (610 kilograms) of yellow snapper, out-of-season cobia and other migrating fish were taken from a boat docked in Little River in October. Wildlife officers arrested 47-year-old Richard Saunders and 43-year-old Christopher Beasley on violations including fishing without proper permits or licenses.
McBride says the charges are federal misdemeanors and potential fines could be thousands of dollars per offense.
The fish can’t be returned to the ocean without killing them. They normally would’ve been sold to a wholesale buyer, but the department wasn’t able to find one.
It’s unclear if the men have lawyers who could comment.
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Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.postandcourier.com
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