Game Commission Cracks Down on Poachers

By Bob Frye, TRIBUNE-REVIEW

The Game Commission is adjusting how it goes after poachers.

In years past, when the agency`s deputy force was much larger, wildlife conservation officers looked for those shooting game at night and out of season largely independently. This past year, to account for a smaller deputy force, the commission tried its first-ever statewide, coordinated poaching task force.

Officers went out in a coordinated effort during what is traditionally the busiest two weeks of the nighttime poaching season, said Rich Palmer, director of the bureau of wildlife protection. That paid off with more than 300 public contacts, 192 citations and 94 warnings, he said.

Commission president Ralph Martone of New Castle praised the move, saying it`s important to show law-abiding sportsmen the wildlife — often trophy deer — that`s being stolen from them, and the efforts being made to curtail that activity.

"I think you get a lot of credit when you do that," Martone said.

Palmer said the commission is likewise getting more involved with tracking poachers and how they pay their fines.

Pennsylvania prior to last year joined the Interstate Wildlife Violators Compact, which allows member states to share information on poachers and ban a hunter who broke the law in one place from hunting in another.

Last year, the commission entered 177 names into that system, Palmer said. It`s entered 84 already this year and that "will be going up significantly," he said.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has been working with that system, too. Don Lauver, an assistant director in the agency`s bureau of law enforcement, said the agency recently entered the names of seven people who had broken the state`s fishing and boating regulations — but failed to respond to their citations — into the system. That should make it impossible to buy a fishing license in any member state, he said.

That kind of thing may mean more money — or at least, money collected sooner — for the agencies, as well.

Changes in the law have also allowed the Game Commission to be more aggressive in making poachers pay their fines, Palmer added. In years past, "there were a lot of people who paid $5 a month" for years toward their penalties, Palmer said. Now, very few go beyond 180 days, and those who do see their license-buying privileges go on indefinite revocation, he said.

_______________________________________________________________________

Hotline

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission`s fish kill hotline is doing its job — sort of.

The commission established a toll free number — 1-855-FISH-KIL — earlier this year to give the public a way to report fish kills and other pollution events. That`s generated some cases, said Jeff Bridi of the commission`s bureau of law enforcement. About half have been actual pollution calls; the other half were from people with general questions about the agency. Still, staff believes the hotline is "worth continuing," he said.

If anything, the commission needs to do more to make the public aware the number exists, he said. One way that will occur is, from this point forward, the number will be printed on the back side of fishing licenses sold.

Read more: Game Commission cracks down on poachers - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/outdoors/s_791603.html#ixzz1sRE00lTP