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FWC arrests man for stealing crabs June 12, 2008 An East Palatka man got an early wake-up visit from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) law officers Thursday morning when they arrested him at his residence for stealing crabs from commercial crabbers on the St. Johns River. The felony charges stem from trap robbings that occurred in the East Palatka area of the river on May 25 and were reported to the FWC by the victimized commercial crabbers. The FWC’s Lt. George Pottorf investigated the reports and, along with the agency's Special Operations Group (SOG), executed the arrest warrant around 5:30 a.m. Thursday. Bret Colin Warwick, 49, of East Palatka, was arrested without incident and booked into the Putnam County Jail on $5,500 bond. When they arrested Warwick, officers found a methamphetamine pipe and the drug on him and charged him accordingly. In total, Warwick is facing five felony charges and one misdemeanor charge. They are four felony counts of molesting a commercial fisherman's blue crab traps without permission; one felony count of possession of methamphetamine; and one misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia. "We've had a tremendous problem with crab trap robbers in the past six months. People may not see us, but we are out there looking for and arresting violators," Pottorf said. "This is serious business. People who steal from commercial crabbers might as well be taking money right out of the victims' pockets and stealing food off their tables. It's just not right, and we aren't going to tolerate it." Robbing from blue crab traps is a statewide problem. If convicted, violators face penalties of up to five years in prison and/or up to a $5,000 fine. Blue crab is a restricted species, which means the number of people who can harvest them commercially is limited. In fact, to get a restricted species endorsement (permit) to harvest blue crabs on a saltwater products license, commercial fishermen have to prove that a certain percentage of their income is derived from the sale of blue crabs. The placement of traps is critical to a commercial crabber's success, and when someone pulls one up and throws it back into the water haphazardly, there is a good chance it won't end up in a good position to trap crabs. But people who want crabs for supper don't have to steal someone else's. Anyone with a valid recreational saltwater fishing license may harvest crabs in traps as long as the traps meet certain criteria. Recreational crabbers are limited to using five traps, which must be marked with a buoy with the letter "R" painted on it. The letter "V" designates a commercial crab trap. The name and address of the crabber also must be permanently attached to the trap. And, each trap must have three escape rings so smaller crabs can escape, as well as a biodegradable panel or device that will deteriorate so crabs will not be forever trapped if the trap line is cut or the trap is abandoned. To report crab-trap robbers and other violations please call the 24-hour, toll-free Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922). Callers may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward if their information leads to an arrest. |
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