An officer with Florida Fish and Wildlife was patrolling the Mahogany Mill boat ramp in Pensacola, Florida when he contacted a charter vessel to conduct a resource inspection. >> Just going to get an offshore trip in. >> What's up? >> You got an offshore trip in? >> Yes, sir. >> Y'all going to do your table cleaning? >> There you go. >> Howdy. Howdy. Hey, what's up, buddy? Not much, man. Anyway, did y'all have a good time? >> Yeah. >> Where y'all from? Around here or? >> We live up in Milton. They live in Illinois. >> Okay. Doing an early season trip. >> Yeah. They just came down for the week. They were supposed to go out Sunday, but the weather was bad and supposed to go until Wednesday. The weather was bad again. This is our >> This is the last chance. >> Yeah, they actually extended their trip an extra day so they can still come on this trip. >> I was saying tomorrow will probably be flat calm the way it normally works. I assume today was a little rough. >> Is it all right? Yeah, >> it wasn't too bad though. I mean, not as bad as I've been out there before. >> Uh, I was going to say, yeah, it was um thought they were a couple days ago they were calling for a pretty calm day today, but >> I know my son went out today and he's like it was not calm. So, >> it's not calm. >> But six strife in three days. >> Oh, really? Good. What you guys measuring with y'all have one handy? I'll take a look at that if you want to measure. I'll let y'all do some pictures. Y do pictures, I guess. Where's the uh >> got some marks on there or something? >> I don't know how accurate that thing is. I mean, >> what size what are you measuring the trigger push at? >> Uh 15 all that long. Yeah, believe it. myself. I'm talk to you over here. Yes, sir. Let your customers look take a picture of some of them fish cuz they ain't going to have it pretty long. >> Sir, I let you if you want your customers take some pictures of the fish. They're welcome to, but a couple of them are for sure short. Okay. So, feel they want pictures. Let him big them out. Good. Have to measure a few of these fish, folks. All right. Unfortunately, folks, we have a size limit on trigger fish. I don't know if y'all know what it is or not. Do y'all know much about the fish at all? >> 15 inch. >> 15. Okay. Um, and we measure that to the fork of these [snorts] fish. Uh, I'm unfortunately going to have to hold on to four of these here. Um, >> really? >> No, I'm not kidding. Um, but I know you guys spend a lot of time fishing for them. If y'all want you're going to do a group picture or something, y'all can stand around here and take a picture with them. But unfortunately, I'm going have to hold on to these. >> You can't just let it slide. I mean, that's expensive to go on a chart. >> You want to take responsibility for catching them? Is that what you're saying? Because right now the captain, me and the captain are going to have to talk about that. But >> how much short are they? >> They're all about an inch short. Inch and a half on one of them. >> So obviously that pole's not accurate. >> I think the pole's very accurate. It looks accurate, but don't normally have to do this in front of customers, but it's um but these fish are they're quite sure. >> What do you do with them then? I'm just curious. >> Um they'll either be returned to the ecosystem or um like there's not enough really to to make it worthwhile. It's a lot of fish. A lot of times we'll donate them to a like a fish or not a fish house, I'm sorry. Um, soup kitchen or something where they, you know, feed other people's stuff. It's there's there's not a ton of meat on there. I don't know if they would take just four fish like that. But >> I do apologize, guys. That's my fault. I I really do apologize. What in the world, man? >> You got nothing to do with me, dude. You miss me and everything. >> Are you okay or what? >> I'm tired. >> Oh, you look like you're either tired, about to fall out. I'm pretty tired. >> Are you medically okay? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Just been out all day or what? >> Yeah, this is second six hour. Oh, second one. Surely that one though trip or not. >> Okay. Um, what's up with the guy from Milton? Um, is he like he knows the size of one of these things? I mean, if he's from here, he knows the deal with fishing. The guy from Illinois, I mean, that's one thing, but like 43. Is he telling Is he telling y'all to go the Milton customer? Okay. The one that made a big deal about paying for this charter trip. Um I didn't hear anything when I didn't hear what he said. >> Okay. >> Well, he's basically asking for um a break on it as if he was going to be responsible. I asked him if he wanted to be held responsible and he said no or he indicated. >> As far as I'm concerned, the dude cleaning the fish over there just helpful cuz he's the one that's measuring the fish. >> Okay. Well, you're going to have to take that up to him cuz that ain't how the law works. >> Yeah, I know how it works. >> This is your boat. You're in charge of it. >> Yeah. >> Um but the reason I'm asking is is I mean we're not even close. We got a 13 and 12 in fish in there. I mean, we're not talking about an eighth of an inch or difference in measuring sticks or whatever. I'm talking it's not even I mean, one of the fish looked close and a hair over 15. So, you know, they keep it obviously, but the other four were 14 and eigh 13 and 12. So, I mean, I'm kind of stuck with a whole lot of options here. I hate having to do it in front of customers, but what do I do? >> Yeah, I I there's a board that sits on this boat. is exactly the same thing y'all use. >> Yeah, I'm you lay that you can lay that fish um de hook or whatever right across these fish. Clearly shorter than a than a 15. We're not talking about something that's close. We're talking about way shoring the fish in the box. >> Okay. Well, unfortunately I got to do what I got to do, but they um All right. Anything changed with your address or anything there lately? Okay. All right. Unless you get back to cleaning. Um, like I said, I wanted to give you an opportunity to talk to your customers, whatever, but unfortunately got nothing to do with them, man. >> All right. I'm going to take care of my paperwork. >> Sir, what if I talk to you over here a second? >> Yeah. I ask your name, sir. >> My name? >> Yes, sir. >> Robert. >> Okay. You're from Milton, you said, right? >> Yeah. >> Okay. You you fished offshore before, I'm guessing. >> Yeah. This is Lif. >> Okay. Are you familiar with this captain? Who you fish with him before or? >> No, actually we I said we got bumped around. So, the one we were supposed to go to on Sunday, they they weren't available for Wednesday, so they passed to another guy. And then the other guy, Captain Tim, wasn't available for Friday, so he passed it to this guy. So that's how we came about these guys. We didn't even find them anywhere. >> Okay. >> Took the word of mouth from like series of two people down the road. >> Okay. Well, how many is in your group? 60. 60. Okay. You had five or you had six trigger fish. >> Oh, I'm sorry. Five trigger fish. Five. Sorry, missed them all. Okay. >> He measured He measured them all. It's not like he wasn't measuring. We threw we threw a bunch back because they weren't big enough. >> Okay. >> And he measured them. He's like I don't know. Maybe he was measuring to the end of the tail because you said you said you measured it to the V. >> It has to be measured to the fork. That's what we call it. >> Um >> I mean I I don't even know. I don't know details. I trust I'm paying a lot of money for a charger. >> You're paying if you especially if you're paying a lot of money for it. you were obviously um >> relying on them to put you on the legal stuff and you did tell me you knew that the limit was 15. >> Yeah, because they told me it was 15. >> And it is it is 15 >> cuz I had asked them they threw they threw one back and I was like how how much it's up to be a 15. >> Okay. Um, and the reason only reason you you brought up something obviously you're upset and I can imagine you know obviously four more fish in the in the bag would be four more or eight more nice fillets. Um, but unfortunately these guys we hold these guys to a very high standard. They have to abide by the law. But at the same time so do the fishermen that fish with them. So technically I'm not sure I don't know who caught these four undersized fish but the people that retain those are also in violation. which means you and your family or friends or I'm not sure who they are but to you but obviously um at least four other people are also in violation. What we generally do is we don't go to the we don't try to determine who actually caught the fish. We our law allows us to hold the captain of the boat responsible for whatever goes on the boat. Okay. And so I just want to make sure you realize that, you know, if if you know that the violation is occurring, if you know that the fish are not going to hit 15 in, you could be held liable as well. >> I had no or the other people. Okay? So I just want to make sure you understand that >> cuz he was measuring them. I was a I didn't say, "Hey, let me see that it's 15." You know, I trust these guys are professionals at this. >> Okay. I just want my questions for you is to find out just how much you know about fishing. find out whether you know that these fish are technically not going to be 15 inches long. >> We never caught this is the first day we caught a trigger fish. >> Okay. >> Usually the other trips we've done has been June, July, June, July for >> snapper and stuff like that. >> It's always snapper trips. >> All right. and and generally I just want to make sure that uh obviously I don't want to be heavy-handed and charge everybody but if everybody knows that there's a violation happening I would charge everybody you know if you choose to violate the law you know we are going to charge people so >> no idea I would >> okay >> I would say almost 100% he didn't know if you had a violation >> the captain >> you mean >> well the captain on the one measuring it was the deck >> the deck hand yeah >> measure Okay. >> His brother. >> All right. So, >> but >> All right. >> So, >> I >> at this point, if you're fishing, um, is the captain's general going to be held responsible unless it's obvious that the people that are You're welcome to come over here if you lie. Is it that your wife? Yeah, that's u, unless it's obvious that the other people on the boat know. Let's say we catch a charter boat that takes out six people and everybody knows it's closed red snapper and they say we're going to catch red snapper. We're going to hide them on the boat and we're going to bring them in. Everybody's going to get charged. Okay, in this situation here, I'm not I don't want to charge anybody else on the boat. Captain knows better and he's responsible. So, but I do want you to at least understand that everybody on the boat that caught the short fish are technically in violation. Okay. So, if we go on a charter again, we should >> if you go on a charter boat again, we should measure ourselves. >> You shouldn't have to, but if you look at that and go, "Man, there's no way that's 15 inches long." >> Well, those are like half inch. You like a half inch. Like, it's hard. >> Well, I did. But I see fish every day. These guys see fish every day. >> Oh, >> well, technically these are I don't see them every day. I haven't seen them since last summer to be honest with you. But I looked at them going, I need to measure these because except for one, they all look short. The one looked close, the others look short to me. And it's and it's but then again, it's my job to see that. >> It's not y'all guys's jobs. But if you do see fish and you're like, if he's saying, "Man, these are short, but we can probably sneak them in." >> No, then you guys are then you guys are party to take illegal fish. Okay. >> You didn't say that. We >> based on what you're telling me, I'm not >> We threw back a bunch. >> I understand. based on what you're telling me, I'm not going even asking any more questions to the rest of the party because our law does allow us to hold the captain responsible. Um, unless somebody else is telling me that, hey, we knew they were short. We're keeping them. >> Mm. >> Okay. So, >> yeah, we we did not. >> Okay. Um, unfortunately, I am sorry. I do have to take the fish. Um, we don't we what's his fine for that? >> That that it could be up to $500 fine. I don't know what it's up to the judge. So anyway, but anyway, that's um unfortunately that's you know his business. So I don't want to get into that. So >> yeah, >> but but when you when I hear you telling me that you're knowledgeable about fishing and that kind of stuff, that's why I wanted to talk to you. I don't want to ask I don't want to have to bother. >> I'm not catching it's only knowledgeable is I asked them cuz they I think it was the first one they said it was too short and I was like, "Oh, how long?" >> Probably threw back a bunch to get >> Yeah. >> If you're keeping The one was like 13 and 3/4. The biggest was 14 and 38. 14. I was calling it 14 and a half because it was a little bigger. But 14 was a 13 >> 13 and 3/4. >> So anyway, but anyway, I need to get back to finishing this paperwork so he can get out of here. Um I'm assuming you guys are going to settle up or whatever. And um but just keep that in mind. If you're fishing regularly, if you don't think it's 100% right, you could be held responsible. I mean the law allows people that I mean the law prohibits taking that fish whether whether you know it or not. So >> right >> but it but like I said the reason we charge a captain is because generally a customer may not know like the folks from Illinois they probably have no idea. You guys haven't fished around here before should have some idea that we have limits and size limits and stuff. And if you're if you think you're catching short fish, the guy's measuring with a stick instead of something like what we have, >> it may not be quite right. >> Well, I all I know personally is that the big one was the one I caught. >> It was a >> I was hoping I was hoping the young boy caught the big one, but anyway, that's how [clears throat] >> I caught that one. And >> I mean, I I know it. I mean, >> the other four in there. I didn't even see them going cuz you know, you're on the other side of the boat. >> That's That's fair enough. So anyway, >> yeah, >> unfortunately we have to take the fish. Um, and you know, >> hopefully better luck next time for y'all. So, >> all right. >> All right. Appreciate it, >> man. I've got to go pick up my kids. >> I'll be down here very quickly. >> How much is this going to be? >> It's going to be a court date. How many horsepower you got on those motors? >> 600 150. 300 all together. Okay. >> Is this your brother that decants for you? >> Yes. >> You He's been decanting with you for a while, right? >> Yeah. He's constantly a up and I still >> It's you guys you're going to have to figure you're going to have to figure out how to deal with that, man. Because >> if he's literally measuring these fish for you and that's >> doing there's there's no more in this, bro. >> All right. I mean that's >> that's >> charging one charge of um undersized great trigger fish. Obviously um you and your brother need to work some stuff out as far as whether you work with them or not, but don't don't turn this into something where you're going to get in more trouble for stealing or something like that. Okay. So it's going to come with a court date. I think last time we were able to give you a mail in fine, but we can only do that once. Okay. So, need your signature right here. This is not a um commission of guilt. Just promise to take care of this within by showing up in court. It's going to be April 18th at 8:30. All right. Senior at the bottom. You let me just let me just caution you with this. Okay. There is enhanced penalties when you violate the same law more than one. Okay? And these are technically the same rules. Okay? So it could be substantially more but you definitely do not this is your livelihood okay you don't need to be getting more and more citations okay in the end Matthew was charged with being in possession of an undersized trigger fish. He was found guilty in order to pay $3444 in cost and fines. Miller had priors that included possession of an undersized greater amberjack and possession of an outofse gag grouper. Since this interaction, he has been charged with possession of undersized red snapper after officers located six undersized red snapper on his vessel with guest on board. If you like this video and want to see more like it, subscribe to Arrest Cam. As always, thanks for watching. >> [music]