JNO member, Iceman sent us information on a large Perch bust on Lake Mille Lacs.
FYI - (2005) The current perch limit in Minnesota is 20 perch daily and 40 in possession per person.
Two couples face fines of nearly $3,500 for overlimit of perch on Lake Mille Lacs.
The group was cleaning the fish near their recreational vehicle (RV) on Oct. 16 when contacted by Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Dan Perron of Onamia, who was following up on a Turn-In-Poachers (TIP) call.
"I got out of my truck and walked around the back of the RV where two men were cleaning fish and noticed a big pot full of fillets," Perron said.
Courtesy of Minnesota DNR
Conservation Officer Dan Perron of Onamia with the perch seized in the case
When asked, the men didn't know how many perch they had in possession. They also said they had more in a couple of freezers. "I asked one of the women how many fish they had in the freezer and she said, 'A few,' " Perron said. "She opened her freezer and I saw many bags of frozen fish fillets. There were probably 100 perch in the freezer. A check of the other freezer produced another 100 perch."
Charged with overlimit of perch were John C. Hansen, 52, and Lucille V. Hansen, 50, both of Whitehall, Wis., and Wallace R. Mortenson, 67, and Marian R. Mortenson, 65, both of Maple Grove.
The Hansen's had 196 perch between them, or 116 over the limit. The Mortenson's had 182 perch, or 102 over the limit. The perch limit in Minnesota is 20 daily and 40 in possession per individual.
"They said the fish were really biting and they just kept fishing, and they would use all the fish they take and nothing would go to waste," Perron said. "They all said they were sorry and were wrong to do it. They also said they would all take the blame and pay whatever they had coming." Each was fined $872.
Anyone witnessing a fish or wildlife code violation is encouraged to contact the nearest conservation officer, law enforcement agency or the toll-free TIP hotline at 1-800-652-9093.
Team JustNorth |