TEAMWORK

By Sr. Agent John J. Barker

On the night of March 25, 2002, a good team of Region IV wildlife agents made another fine game fish case in Catahoula Parish. It was a prime night for netting game fish, so at approximately 9:30 p.m. Sgt. Brian McDowell and Sr. Agents James Parish, Joe Tarver and I set up surveillance on Bursley Bayou just a few miles south of Harrisonburg, La. Sgt. McDowell and I launched a small boat from a secluded landing while Agents Parish and Tarver set up surveillance on the shore.

With thunder rumbling in the distance and lightning flashing, Sgt. McDowell and I eased out into the bayou, barely making a sound. We had just gotten into the bayou when we heard a boat traveling toward us. We managed to maneuver our boat close to the shore just in time to hide and watch the boat with no lights travel past us. With night vision, we determined the boat to be a sixteen-foot commercial type flat boat containing three subjects and at least one barrel. We listened to the boat as it traveled toward and came to a stop near a residence on the bayou. Sgt. McDowell and I then traveled to the area the boat had come from and discovered several hundred yards of illegal two-inch mesh gill net tied off and fishing in the bayou. We then left the net in the water and began leaving the area.

By that time, the thunderstorm was no longer threatening. It had arrived! Despite the lightning and pouring rain, Sgt. McDowell and I managed to get back to the landing and load the boat. All the above listed agents then met up with Agents Charles Ward and Gary Neal to formulate a plan. Sometime after midnight, we all took up various points of surveillance on or near the bayou. Sgt. McDowell, Agent Tarver, and I located the suspected boat in the bayou tied to shore near the residence, and set up surveillance nearby. It poured down rain on all of us for most of the night. At approximately 5:00 a.m., two subjects entered the boat and traveled to the illegal nets.

From their positions, Agent Ward and Agent Neal kept track of the subjects' actions on the water, while Agent Parish maintained a "take down" position by truck. Right at day break, Agent Ward observed the subjects taking the nets, fish and all, into the boat. Agent Ward and Agent Neal then informed us the subjects were traveling back toward us. As the subjects pulled up to shore at the residence and began unloading their "supplies", Sgt. McDowell, Agent Tarver, and I approached them and identified ourselves. They were SHOCKED! We were HAPPY!

We found them to be in possession of 1,000 yards of two-inch mesh gill nets and 126 crappie. We also found one of the subjects to be in possession of suspected crystal meth and drug paraphernalia. Neither subject had any type of commercial license, and there were no life jackets in the boat. All agents converged, and both subjects were arrested and booked for taking game fish illegally, using illegal mesh gill nets, having no commercial license, having no commercial gear license, and possessing over the limit of crappie. One subject was also booked for possessing a Schedule II controlled dangerous substance, and possessing drug paraphernalia. The boat operator was also cited for failing to comply with PFD requirements, and for having no boat registration certificate in possession.