05-18-2012, 11:10 AM
State game wardens have arrested three Olivehurst men on suspicion of sturgeon poaching on the Bear River. While serving search and arrest warrants at the suspects' homes on May 12, Department of Fish and Game (DFG) wardens also discovered evidence of deer and bear poaching.
Sutter County Game Warden Nate Stebbins received two citizen tips over the course of a few weeks in April, both related to possible sturgeon poaching. Stebbins gathered a team of wardens to conduct surveillance of the suspects over the course of several nights. They observed Peter Anthony Gibbs, 25, Steven Michael Logan, 28, and Steven Allen Patterson, 29, all of Olivehurst, target sturgeon using snagging techniques with very heavy duty fishing tackle, complete with oversize treble hooks and one-pound weights connected below the hook. The wardens watched as the men retained the fish without tagging them - including one 82-inch-long sturgeon.
When the suspects returned to the boat ramp, an unidentified man met them, transferred the oversized, untagged sturgeon to his trunk and then sped away. All of these actions are violations of state law.
The wardens obtained search warrants for each of the suspects' homes, where they discovered and seized sturgeon meat, two boats, heavy duty fishing tackle, deer meat and parts of a bear. All three suspects were arrested and booked into Yuba County Jail. The case remains under investigation.
The sturgeon fishery is the most highly regulated recreational fishery in California due to a moderate population status and high black market value. Sturgeon are targeted by poachers for their meat and eggs. Sturgeon eggs are commonly processed and sold on the black market as caviar. Anglers are allowed to retain three sturgeon per year within a slot limit of 46 to 66 inches. The unique size regulations protect the most prolific breeders of the population while allowing the younger ones at least a few opportunities to breed before growing to legal size.v
Anyone with information about this or any other poaching or pollution case is encouraged to call DFG's CalTIP hotline at 888-334-2258.
Media Contact
Patrick Foy, DFG Law Enforcement, (916) 508-7095<br />
Kirsten Macintyre, DFG Communications, (916) 322-8988
Sutter County Game Warden Nate Stebbins received two citizen tips over the course of a few weeks in April, both related to possible sturgeon poaching. Stebbins gathered a team of wardens to conduct surveillance of the suspects over the course of several nights. They observed Peter Anthony Gibbs, 25, Steven Michael Logan, 28, and Steven Allen Patterson, 29, all of Olivehurst, target sturgeon using snagging techniques with very heavy duty fishing tackle, complete with oversize treble hooks and one-pound weights connected below the hook. The wardens watched as the men retained the fish without tagging them - including one 82-inch-long sturgeon.
When the suspects returned to the boat ramp, an unidentified man met them, transferred the oversized, untagged sturgeon to his trunk and then sped away. All of these actions are violations of state law.
The wardens obtained search warrants for each of the suspects' homes, where they discovered and seized sturgeon meat, two boats, heavy duty fishing tackle, deer meat and parts of a bear. All three suspects were arrested and booked into Yuba County Jail. The case remains under investigation.
The sturgeon fishery is the most highly regulated recreational fishery in California due to a moderate population status and high black market value. Sturgeon are targeted by poachers for their meat and eggs. Sturgeon eggs are commonly processed and sold on the black market as caviar. Anglers are allowed to retain three sturgeon per year within a slot limit of 46 to 66 inches. The unique size regulations protect the most prolific breeders of the population while allowing the younger ones at least a few opportunities to breed before growing to legal size.v
Anyone with information about this or any other poaching or pollution case is encouraged to call DFG's CalTIP hotline at 888-334-2258.
Media Contact
Patrick Foy, DFG Law Enforcement, (916) 508-7095<br />
Kirsten Macintyre, DFG Communications, (916) 322-8988