Operation game thief takes to the sea

First published in Landings, August, 2014.

The Department of Marine Resources (DMR), Bureau of Marine Patrol, recently began taking part in Operation Game Thief (OGT). Operation Game Thief is a private, non-profit organization that works with state agencies throughout the country to identify and prosecute poachers. The program has been used successfully by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W) since 1989. This is the first year it has been used by the DMR.

“Operation Game Thief applies to all natural resources,” explained Major Jon Cornish, DMR Marine Patrol. “The Operation Game Thief hotline has been in existence for many years at IF&W and has provided them with many good complaints and cases from members of the public.”

Operation Game Thief provides the public with a 24-hour, seven days a week hotline to call in tips about fisheries violations. Individuals may also file a tip on a secure Web site as well. Rewards of up to $1,000 may be paid for information that leads to a summons being issued for a violation or an arrest. The caller does not have to identify him or herself and will not be called to testify in court. The rewards are paid from private donations made to OGT; no state money is involved in the program.

“The initial idea came up at DMR before elver season as we were looking to establish our own elver hotline,” Cornish continued. DMR Marine Patrol staff felt that providing the public with a way to provide information on a very lucrative fishery known for its violations could enhance the agency’s enforcement efforts.

DMR made a successful presentation to the Maine board of Operation Game Thief this winter. “They felt that DMR would be a good partner for the program,” Cornish said.

OGT is a private organization; in each state the program is overseen by a board made up of private citizens. The OGT board of directors raises funds for the program and educates the public about the consequences of poaching. Presentations are made at sportsmen’s shows and other public events to let the public know about OGT and to generate donations. It uses a 36-foot trailer, known as “The Wall of Shame,” to illustrate the impact that illegal poaching has in Maine. The trailer is full of mounted fish and wildlife poached by thieves as well as the illegal gear used to catch them.

Cornish stressed that the Bureau of Marine Patrol takes care to establish good lines of communication among its Patrol Officers and commercial fishermen in each district of the coast. However, Cornish noted, many people still do not know who the Marine Patrol officers are for their area. In addition, because of the many threads that tie commercial fishermen to each other, reporting a violation is sometimes awkward for lobstermen and other fishermen. “Sometimes they just don’t feel comfortable calling Marine Patrol directly,” said Cornish. He emphasized, however, “This is by no means a replacement for harvesters calling their local Marine Patrol officers or calling one of our Division offices. It simply offers the public another option for providing information on violators.”

The hotline has been in operation since May. Sergeant Robert Beal, who covers the coast from Portland to the Kennebec River, reported that there have been three calls to the hotline thus far, with two convictions from the calls. According to Cornish, the hotline will be helpful in catching those who violate recreational fishing laws as well as commercial fishing. “It will be good for seasonal fisheries, such as striped bass. Many of these folks are not as familiar with Marine Patrol as the commercial fishermen are,” he explained.