OCEAN CITY, Md. — According to a report at Baltimoresun.com, fishermen on a boat owned by a local company were caught illegally fishing rockfish in Maryland waters.
Police from the Maryland Natural Resources Department Jan. 4 seized nearly three tons of fish and issued citations to three men aboard the 80-foot commercial fishing vessel, the Mount Vernon, after they were seen catching stripped bass or rockfish over the weekend when the season is closed, the report stated.
The boat’s owner, Mount Vernon LLC, is located in Cape May. Cited were Jack C. Colbourne, 69, Mark H. Bryan, 53, and Bayard Lewis Taylor III, 64, all of East New Market, Md.
According to the report, the U.S. government has banned striped bass fishing from three miles to 200 miles off the East Coast. The area between the shore and federal waters is governed by the states. New Jersey is one of six East Coast states that prohibit commercial striped bass fishing; Maryland allows recreational and commercial fishing.
