witnessed fish police 'traffic stop'

boatman37

boatman37

Well-Known Member
Jun 6, 2015
4,256
pittsburgh
Boat Info
2006 Crownline 250CR. 5.7 Merc BIII
Previous: 1986 Sea Ray 250 Sundancer. 260 Merc Alpha 1 Gen 1
Engines
5.7 Merc BIII
went to Chautauqua Lake yesterday and stopped at Dobbins Landing in Erie, PA on the way back. heard sirens and saw the fish police pulling over a boater. i assume he was going too fast in the no wake zone. there were buoys there but i wasn't sure where the zone actually started but that would be my guess as to what they did wrong. looked like 2 officers boarded the suspect boat while one mainained control of their own boat. took about 20 minutes for the whole thing. i took a few pics if anyone cares to see them i will post them. not sure if it was USCG, local sheriffs, or fish commission or what. they were too far away to tell
 
Hey boatman, is this uncommon in your area?

In the Miami area this is fairly common, I've been boarded myself twice. Once because I was in the wrong and the other a random coast guard check.
 
I've gotten to know all of the water cops in our area so I don't get stopped. They're good guys to get to know so I invite them to do a boat inspection on Beachcomber and on our Whaler. They're glad to do it and it gives them a chance to meet me and get to know me and the boats. It also keeps us from having those "on the water" chats with them.
 
not too much here David. occasionally we see them stop PWC for some reason. the one was a member of our marina and it was just as he was pulling out of his slip. not sure what it was for but i overheard him saying they were just checking to see if he had his boating license (in PA you need one to operate a PWC no matter what your age). other than that and 1 other time they had one stopped i have never seen them bother anyone. but we don't have the USCG here. its on the ohio river and from what i have seen they don't bother anyone unless they have good reason.

as former law enforcement myself, i appreciate the job they do and would welcome them to come aboard and willing to take any advice they give. they actually dock their boat at our marina and i have said hello to them several times but haven't had any conversations with them yet. there are actually 2 of them. one is the PA fish and boat commission and the other is a local police department boat that is used for rescue and training. i don't think they do any actual enforcement on the water
 
boatman37 said:
as former law enforcement myself, i appreciate the job they do and would welcome them to come aboard and willing to take any advice they give.
Click to expand...

You appreciate the job they do but call them "fish police"? Hmmm...this thread is very unusual....
 
boatman37 said:
not sure what it was for but i overheard him saying they were just checking to see if he had his boating license (in PA you need one to operate a PWC no matter what your age)
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Seems a little arbitrary to just pull people over to see "if" they have a boating license. Where's the probable cause? Where's the reasonable suspicion? Ahhhh...the illusion of freedom!
 
boatman, with their boat docked at your marina, why don't you stop and talk with them and get to know them a bit. They're a good source of info and good people to know. Ask them to do a boat inspection on your boat (make sure you're in compliance with USCG regs first!). Around here the various law enforcement agencies get paid for each boat inspection they do. If that's the case in your area they probably would be pleased to accommodate you.
 
My first impression when I read the topic title was that "fish police" referred to gaming commission or fish/wildlife authorities, who were making sure that the day's catch were all keepers. Never heard that term before.
 
The term "fish cop" is used quite extensively up here in Michigan as a slang/derogatory term for a Conservation Officer. Generally speaking the CO's I know do not appreciate being referred to as fish cops (or fish police as it were). I only mentioned this since most folks around these parts would not claim to appreciate/respect the profession and then call them by such a term. Similarly, we generally would not call Law Enforcement Officers/Sheriffs/Troopers by the term "Pig".

Perhaps in different places of this country the term "fish police" is quite acceptable. Seems plausible I suppose...

I felt like this thread may have been started as a "fish police" bashing thread but then it changed direction a bit. No clue. Just seems a little weird...
 
Boater420 said:
Seems a little arbitrary to just pull people over to see "if" they have a boating license. Where's the probable cause? Where's the reasonable suspicion? Ahhhh...the illusion of freedom!
Click to expand...

Probable cause on the water? Ha. I think you guys in Florida just passed a new bill regarding this that impacts local agencies (not USCG) but don't you still need a safety inspection that you can only get after you've been pulled over at least once??
 
I believe House Bill CS 703 is designed to stop the constant "equipment inspections" designed to generate revenue for the state.

Once you've been boarded/inspected you are given a decal to place on your boat if it is found to be compliant. Once the sticker is visible it requires the next officer that wishes to "inspect" the vessel to have probable cause for the stop.

In other words, once you've been rousted and found to be compliant, CS 703 makes it a little harder to be hassled the next time.
 
no disrespect meant by the term fish police. just not positive what their title is but i would never call them that to their face. but as to the reasonable suspicion/probable cause, i don't know what the level of criteria is for this as related to boats. i know i follow the law as i know it and try to make sure i am in compliance with everything so would have no problem with them stopping me or boarding my boat.

@gofirstclass...i plan to introduce myself and chat with them but they aren't their full-time. i only see them once or twice a month (we are new to this marina) and they usually walk from their vehicle to the boat and are gone for the day...lol
 
Regular Police rarely stop boaters around here. We have some Bay Constables that are a little more proactive, but seem to mostly concern themselves with enforcing speed restrictions in No Wake zones.
The State DEC guys are the ones that keep an eye on compliance with fishing limits. I've seen them snooping around at docks and ramps, but never saw them stopping boats out on the water.
 
Around here (Columbia River areas) the sheriff's boats are referred to as water cops and that's not meant to be derogatory. Fish & Game boats are the fish cops. The water cops are pretty decent guys and nice to have around. The fish cops, well, they're not as highly thought of. Nuff said about that.
 
Hello Boatman,

I believe the boat you saw pulled over may have been me, as I was pulled over for routine safety check by Coast Guard. Yes, they used their siren, and I was in front of Dobbins Landing. All was well, no problems. I own a black & white two tone SeaRay which I keep docked at Erie, Pa. Would love to see your photos, please post.

Bill
 
Hello Bill. here is the best pic i have. it looked like a hard top. don't think this was you though. doesn't look like an AJ? i would say this was at about 2:00PM or so on 7/26

 
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