Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officers have had a full plate this week, dealing with everything from illegal hunting in state parks to overfishing and unsafe boating.
The popular Sebastian Inlet State Park was also the site of multiple violations. An FWC officer patrolling during a bluefish run stopped an unregistered vessel lacking the required safety equipment. A subsequent search of the boater’s nearby RV revealed a shocking 33 bluefish in two coolers. Of those, 30 were over the legal limit or undersized. An officer took appropriate enforcement action.
On the water, another FWC officer, patrolling at night for illegal snook fishing, stopped a boat and found a snook that was too big to be legally kept. The boater was issued a citation. Later, a different officer, also on late-night patrol, checked another vessel coming back from fishing. This inspection turned up a large number of snapper, and many of them were undersized mutton snapper. Because this fisherman had a history of prior violations with the FWC, he was cited again.
One notable case involved an FWC officer and their K-9 who conducted surveillance in a state park following reports of illegal hog hunting. They encountered two individuals with hunting dogs, all equipped with GPS tracking devices. Despite initial denials, the subjects eventually confessed to hunting wild hogs within the park, a prohibited activity. They were subsequently cited.
In a separate incident, another FWC officer responded to a single-engine airplane crash on a ranch near State Road 60 in Vero Beach. The injured pilot was transported to Lawnwood Hospital, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is leading the investigation into the crash.
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