MILTON — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission filed these cases between June 9 and 15 in Santa Rosa County:
OFF-SEASON TRIGGERFISH HARVESTING
Officers Ramos and McHenry were on vessel patrol in the Santa Rosa Sound and conducted a safety and resource inspection on a boat returning from offshore fishing.
After a check of all required safety equipment, the operator stated they didn’t have any luck and that they had no fish on board.
Officer Ramos received consent to look in the coolers and live wells. He didn’t locate any fish but discovered clues leading him to believe the operator was lying. He asked a passenger to move to the front of the boat and found a gray triggerfish hidden under her seat.
The harvest of triggerfish is prohibited in Gulf waters for the remainder of 2017.
The operator admitted he caught the fish.
When asked for a fishing license, the man stated he had one but forgot to bring it with him. FWC dispatch confirmed that the man’s fishing license had been expired for a year.
The man was issued a citation for the expired fishing license and a criminal citation with required court appearance for the harvest of triggerfish during the closed season.
POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA
Officer Lewis was patrolling in the Blackwater River State Forest when he saw two men and a woman getting ready to leave Krul Lake.
When asked if they paid the Krul Lake day-use area fee, they said they had not.
While speaking to the group, Officer Lewis smelled the odor of cannabis and asked the driver about it. The man retrieved a mason jar containing cannabis from the vehicle’s center console and handed it to the officer. The tag also was not assigned to the vehicle.
The man admitted to possession of the cannabis and attaching the improper tag. The subject was charged with possession of not more than 20 grams of cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia, and attaching a tag not assigned.
The subjects were issued warnings for not paying the day-use area fee.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Triggerfish harvesting, drug possession among FWC incidents