Baltimore Sun Article-Poachers Busted

[SALTDOG52]

I hate poachers but I don't understand how they are not in jail because they just keep on doing it.


 July 19, 2011
Former waterman busted for poaching again
Serial poacher Joey Janda was charged with crabbing without a license and other offenses after Natural Resources Police observed him shortly after noon on Friday crabbing from a homemade boat in Harris Creek off Tilghman Island.

He also was charged with possession of suspected heroin and paraphernalia. Officers seized his boat.

Janda, 25, of Wittman was charged on June 19 for having undersized crabs and has been ordered to appear in Talbot District Court on Aug. 18. He has been charged more than 60 times over the last decade with natural resources violations and been convicted of poaching oysters, striped bass and crabs. He is still under a three-year license suspension handed down by a district judge in February 2009 and a five-year suspension of his tidal fish license by the Department of Natural Resources that began last January.

June 21, 2011
Serial poacher Joey Janda arrested again
Joey Janda, who has served time for poaching and had his commercial license suspended by a district court judge, was charged by Natural Resources Police on June 19 with possession of undersized blue crabs.

How is it that Janda is harvesting crabs at all?

At just 25, the Wittman waterman has been charged more than 60 times in the last decade and been found guilty on numerous occasions for poaching oysters, illegal striped bass fishing and harvesting undersized crabs. In addition, he has been convicted of fishing without a license and fishing on a suspended license.

But most importantly, in February 2009, a St. Mary's County judge sentenced Janda to 90 days in jail and three years of supervised probation and yanked his commercial license for three years after he was convicted of harvesting undersized oysters.

Recreational anglers and honest watermen sick of being lumped in with a bandit like Janda applauded the outcome.


June 23, 2011
NRP arrests another serial poacher
Since 1992, Tilghman waterman Edward Bruce Lowery Jr. has racked up more than 45 natural resources tickets for everything ranging from poaching oysters and clams to illegally harvesting striped bass, and has had his commercial license suspended twice by the state--once for oystering on a suspended license.

Now it appears he has added a new wrinkle to his career, according to reports filed by Natural Resources Police. Officers on patrol last Friday saw Lowery, 45, operating a hydraulic clam dredge in the submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) protection zone in Cooks Point Cove on the Choptank River. Hydraulic clam dredging is prohibited in areas set aside for the restoration of submerged aquatic plants.

Continue reading "NRP arrests another serial poacher" »

All articals came from the baltimore sun.

Just remember if you see someone poaching get there boat number and description of the person and call 1-800-635-6124 that is NPR report a poacher hotline.

[Ronster]

Wow.    Just wow.

[tattoo]

i agree.

[elsmere ed]

is the hotline a national number,or just for md?

[spoggy]

Just goes to show you how weak Chesapeake wildlife law is. How one person has 60 violations, and another 45, and they're both still on the water boggles the imagination. It also speaks to a "if you know, don't tell" attitude amongst anglers, both commercial and recreational. There is a lot of debate here about what's fair for Recs vs. Comms, when it all boils down to those who are greedy ruin it for all.

Steve

[ranger521]

I wonder how many times you can get arrested and CAUGHT RED HANDED  and still get a suspended sentance.   People like that will always continue to repeat the same behavior because our laws wont allow them to be really punished.  Just keep gettin a hand spankin and thats it and its back to buisiness as usual.  very disgusting

[ranger521]

did they ever catch those poachers over the winter for those stripers..like 29 tons of stripers...

[jack1747]

Guess I'll get blasted about this.  First, I am not defending poaching. 

"Some" of these guys have grown up allot different from Y'all.  The water is all they know.  Right or wrong, they expect to get busted.  They believe they are right and the laws are wrong. The man (DNR) is out to get them. Mix in a culture of booze and drugs (most honest watermen not).  Ya got problems.  These guys don't know anything other then the hard life. They don't think anything about getting jailed for what they think is "a way of life". They do not trust anyone. It takes along time to gain any trust at all.  For over 300 years anyone that came here just wanted something. Families go back longer then most of us have ever know. It's a different world.

[genecrabman]

Guess I'll get blasted about this.  First, I am not defending poaching. 

"Some" of these guys have grown up allot different from Y'all.  The water is all they know.  Right or wrong, they expect to get busted.  They believe they are right and the laws are wrong. The man (DNR) is out to get them. Mix in a culture of booze and drugs (most honest watermen not).  Ya got problems.  These guys don't know anything other then the hard life. They don't think anything about getting jailed for what they think is "a way of life". They do not trust anyone. It takes along time to gain any trust at all.  For over 300 years anyone that came here just wanted something. Families go back longer then most of us have ever know. It's a different world.

I agree with you Jack....The "normal" people don't understand this..It really is a WAY OF LIFE to some of these guys...Janda needs to have someone tell him he can sit on his azz and the Government will take care of him...  If he was raised right he wouldn't have got caught 60 times..Or maybe it was the booze and drugs.....
All poachers............SAY NO TO DRUGS...

[elsmere ed]

Whether they been doing it for years or not,it's wrong!

[Dreampixels]

Ok we got NASCAR and Kennedy's from the Booze runners, what do ya think guys like this will lead to?

[SALTDOG52]

I guess back in the day there were not as many crabbers rec and comm now the laws have to be in place. Plus it was not just crabs it was oysters. I know a lot of third and fourth generation comm crabbers and a lot of them respect the law and others would rather make an easy buck and take what is not theres.

[thunderhawk]

i have to agree with gene and jack. when you've spent enough time on the island (and i have) you realize this is a way of life for them down there. when its all you've known how to do, you do what you have to do. its a hard life, hard working, up bringing that they have been taught. i am NOT saying that poaching is right i'm just saying that its working to survive to them. now a days its seemed to become working to support a habit for a small few. dnr have been chasing them for 100 years but the watermen are an endangered species and they'll only have a few of them to chase soon. AGAIN, i am NOT saying poaching is right and i am not a poacher! i'm just sayin its island life! by the way, there pretty good people! go ahead and bash me, its just my opinion!

[thunderhawk]

Ok we got NASCAR and Kennedy's from the Booze runners, what do ya think guys like this will lead to?

its all going to lead to "catch shares" and the independent waterman will be extinct.

[Dreampixels]

i have to agree with gene and jack. when you've spent enough time on the island (and i have) you realize this is a way of life for them down there. when its all you've known how to do, you do what you have to do. its a hard life, hard working, up bringing that they have been taught. i am NOT saying that poaching is right i'm just saying that its working to survive to them. now a days its seemed to become working to support a habit for a small few. dnr have been chasing them for 100 years but the watermen are an endangered species and they'll only have a few of them to chase soon. AGAIN, i am NOT saying poaching is right and i am not a poacher! i'm just sayin its island life! by the way, there pretty good people! go ahead and bash me, its just my opinion!

It is no different then those that live in the Mountains, meat is meat........... the only season it has is A1..............

[thunderhawk]

sadly, you are absolutely correct! i have a feeling those that live in the mountains will continue to live that way for alot longer then the independent waterman will be around. jmo

[Dreampixels]

sadly, you are absolutely correct! i have a feeling those that live in the mountains will continue to live that way for alot longer then the independent waterman will be around. jmo

I agree. As with the Independent Farmer I see the Independent Waterman being over taken by Corporate. At the cost and return today they are a dying breed. No matter how much I enjoy either the Cost to Return factor keep me from doing either.

Pops farm today is worth over a million or so in houses, why put up with the hassles of government and expense.

[rdbeard]

Just say no to catch shares. put the repeat offenders in jail for awhile and take their boats, for their own good. you just can't fix all the problems , wether it's on the streets of balt. LA or NYC or in the suburbs where most drugs are consumed. use the laws that are in place and do the best we can and try not to put all watermen in the same bad light.

[elsmere ed]

Just say no to catch shares. put the repeat offenders in jail for awhile and take their boats, for their own good. you just can't fix all the problems , wether it's on the streets of balt. LA or NYC or in the suburbs where most drugs are consumed. use the laws that are in place and do the best we can and try not to put all watermen in the same bad light.

I agree!

[gcs]

If you get caught 60 times..there's something wrong with you, are these guys even TRYING not to get caught?   

The cultural thing goes way back as been said, there's a quote in "Outlaw Gunner" I believe where one of the Island guys say's to a State official something to the effect of, "We claim the right of free plunder".

Hard to get around that. 

[Mikie]

If you get caught 60 times..there's something wrong with you, are these guys even TRYING not to get caught?   

The cultural thing goes way back as been said, there's a quote in "Outlaw Gunner" I believe where one of the Island guys say's to a State official something to the effect of, "We claim the right of free plunder".

Hard to get around that. 

He's been charged 60 times OVER THE LAST DECADE. That averages out to 6 times/year. You have to figure he's probably on the water 300+ days/year. That means he's only getting caught 2% of the time - out of that 2%, the judge is probably letting him off at least 50% of the time. In his mind, the risk is worth the reward.

[Ronster]

I drive my car every day.    If I got pulled over and ticketed for offenses 60 times in the last decade, I'd probably be in jail.     

[thunderhawk]

He's been charged 60 times OVER THE LAST DECADE. That averages out to 6 times/year. You have to figure he's probably on the water 300+ days/year. That means he's only getting caught 2% of the time - out of that 2%, the judge is probably letting him off at least 50% of the time. In his mind, the risk is worth the reward.

thats EXACTLY right!

[Crabby Captn John]

Poachers should be treated like drug pedlers. They can lose their vehicle or even their home when caught. Illegal poaching- loss of boat, no matter who owns it. Transporting - lose your vehicle and if boat attached- both are gone. Illegal catch at home, confiscate the house! Soon they lear, well in less than 60 arrests!

[Dreampixels]

Poachers should be treated like drug pedlers. They can lose their vehicle or even their home when caught. Illegal poaching- loss of boat, no matter who owns it. Transporting - lose your vehicle and if boat attached- both are gone. Illegal catch at home, confiscate the house! Soon they lear, well in less than 60 arrests!

It works that way here in PA. The Pa Game Commission Officers rights out way even our State Police rights......