Wonder why you didn't get any Crabs today ...we caught a poachers.

gokart

Active Member
We caught this asian family ( yes, family with young kids) in the act emptying our traps between Jericho and UBC. When we questioned them, the answers was ,"sorry sir we didn't know that's yours ", and they ask us not to call fish cops. Just to let you know my traps well-marked so no one will mistakenly taken by others. Be aware ....and yes we report them. View recent photos.png
 
Thanks for the pic, good on you for dumping the females and undersized ...
Can’t believe the that there teaching their kids this...
They were lucky that you were easy going, the next guy may not be so understanding especially since your traps were marked well.



Dev
 
Gokat i admire your courage on advancing on the wild animal.shame on them and shame on us for letting our guard down once again.these crooks will change with yours and i vigalance monotoring or proporty on and of the water.glad all have gone well for you so far and wish you well on a safe recovory from your expiriance.good work my friend.
 
Thanks for the catch, iv'e seen them also, will make sure to do a few turns around there boat and pull up slowly beside them
just so they know they've been red flagged, i've seen them go into false creek on late eve fish... can you post the BC #
every crab trap should be full of crabs this time of the year...
 
Thanks for the pic, good on you for dumping the females and undersized ...
Can’t believe the that there teaching their kids this...
They were lucky that you were easy going, the next guy may not be so understanding especially since your traps were marked well.



Dev
We ware very close to expose the Dark Side
Thanks for the catch, iv'e seen them also, will make sure to do a few turns around there boat and pull up slowly beside them
just so they know they've been red flagged, i've seen them go into false creek on late eve fish... can you post the BC #
every crab trap should be full of crabs this time of the year...

the B.C. number was BC4757613
 
This is more common than you think, not just Canada or limited to the Asian families. I have cough poachers many times in Puget Sound, Everett and the San Juan's when coming back from fishing. Its so bad that I have lost complete Trap set ups, not just the crab inside. We no longer drop our pots and let them soak while we go off fishing. Unless we are going to spend the day floating among the pots we don't even try anymore. Sad to say it but most of the people I have witnessed doing this are with family.

If you are following the rules there is no way to not know your taking someone else's pot unless you have the same name, Phone # and address.
 
So now you have the boat ID number phone it in to both DOT and the fisheries and tell them what they were doing and REALLY press them that you want them charged. and you have photo evidence dont let them get away with it or they will keep doing it, we have a huge problem over here with them on the docks as well , even had one guy want to fight me over him keeping undersized...
 
Now i have the BC # I'll be definitely riding up to there boat to let them know they are being watched, we all need them to feel the pressure, if anyone sees them make a point of slowing down right beside them, the new block watch or water watch, it's that time of the year again when all the thieves come out.. pretty hard to catch crabbers red handed, you know if they continue they will be on the look out now... in there thieving ways..

buddy got a crab set ripped off last week, had a great day till they went for the final pull of crab traps GONE!
 
Now i have the BC # I'll be definitely riding up to there boat to let them know they are being watched, we all need them to feel the pressure, if anyone sees them make a point of slowing down right beside them, the new block watch or water watch, it's that time of the year again when all the thieves come out.. pretty hard to catch crabbers red handed, you know if they continue they will be on the look out now... in there thieving ways..

buddy got a crab set ripped off last week, had a great day till they went for the final pull of crab traps GONE!
I used to do this to that big boat that came out of the Fraser with all it's fenders out, can't remember the name. I'd do a couple circles around him every time I saw him doing the "I'm watching you" thing. They're not around anymore.
 
They don't sound like very sophisticated thieves. The usual answer when you catch them messing with your trap is something like - "oh, uh, uh - we caught your float and rope on our motor leg and tabs and had to pull it to free ourselves, - here you go".
 
I used to do this to that big boat that came out of the Fraser with all it's fenders out, can't remember the name. I'd do a couple circles around him every time I saw him doing the "I'm watching you" thing. They're not around anymore.
Did the exact same thing with that boat, they get all panicked when you point your bow at them at all times for 5 minutes kinda like a stare down
those guys always had the binoculars out while drifting slowly..

One thing i've learnt it's those slow moving boats that are most likely the poachers, no riggers nothing.. i know not all are

another boat to look out for, a blue tinted out window aluminum boat in the Sound also known for lifting prawn traps, watched him from a distance and he does his rounds 5mph cruising the shore line..
 
They don't sound like very sophisticated thieves. The usual answer when you catch them messing with your trap is something like - "oh, uh, uh - we caught your float and rope on our motor leg and tabs and had to pull it to free ourselves, - here you go".
Always new thieves rolling into this free take everything, no way i'm gonna stick my nose in every slow no rigger boat, sorry in advance just say hey and thumbs up... ;)
 
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We caught this asian family ( yes, family with young kids) in the act emptying our traps between Jericho and UBC. When we questioned them, the answers was ,"sorry sir we didn't know that's yours ", and they ask us not to call fish cops. Just to let you know my traps well-marked so no one will mistakenly taken by others. Be aware ....and yes we report them. View attachment 50804

Sorry if this tainted your day out on the water... I've had a few encounters over the years with people pulling my traps.... most of the times I am not fortunate enough to catch them.. I don't think I'd be ask forgiving as you... But interestingly enough, the 2 times that I caught someone red handed it has been a Caucasian group(1 dad with 2 young kids) and 3 thirty something guys on a 19ft hewescraft. Bay all means, I am not suggesting any bad intentions or anything of that nature from your post.. but not sure why you needed to identify that it was an Asian Family. Would you have identified them as "We caught this Caucasian family" if they were of European origin? They are crooks, low-lifes and scumbags … and yes they also happen to be Asian.

The reason I point this out is that I have a few close Asian friends and they are my close fishing buddies.... Our fishing group has always adhered to the rules and laws from the fishing regulations. They have respect for our resources, volunteer their time during past years with salmon conversation programs but there is definitely a negative sterotype towards Asians with regards to breaking the rules. Some of that is warranted and I understand that and so do they. In fact, they have scolded a few people of Asian background when we happen to stumble on someone trying to cheat the system when we have gone for walks on a pier that is popular for crabbing. A few years back, my fishing buddies were enjoying a nice summer day with their family and friends... They were having a BBQ and picnic near a park that had access to a pier. They had 2 crab traps in the water and where in the middle of a conversation when 2 guys approached them and starting talking to them... asked them how the crabbing was.. My buddies responded with telling them so far they had 2 keepers.. They then said can we have a look? At which point one of my guys opens the cooler up and with the other hand pulls out a crab measuring gauge and starts measuring the 2 crabs to ensure it was legal. Let's just say it wasn't a very pleasant experience for my friends and it took great efforts for them to restrain themselves from kicking the **** out of the 2 guys. The 2 guys walked straight past another 3 non-Asian crabbers without inspecting their catch. It was not a good experience for them as they were racially profiled... assumed to be guilty and treated like crooks...

Gokart, I am sincere in stressing that I am in NO way pointing any fingers or accussing you of anything with your post. I trust you are a standup person. My point is we just need to make sure we are sensitive in our communications so that we dont' unintentionally propagate negative sterotypes against certain groups of people because while there are crooks and scumbags who happen to be Asian, there are scumbags from all corners of the world.

I will take responsibility that I am ALSO guilty of the same.... As an avid angler(more so with rivers and lakes and more recently turned to the salt) I am familiar with the negative stereotypes us anglers have towards commercial fishermen and First Nations.... I have been guilty in painting good people from those 2 groups with the same paint brush and have more recently been more careful in my approach and communications because I've met some very good people who happen to be commercial and/or First Nations as well and have come across shady people from the same 2 groups.
 
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