KENT ISLAND, Md., Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Maryland police confiscated an illegal fishing net containing what is believed to be the largest illegal haul of striped bass in 25 years, officials said.
Officials from the state's Department of Natural Resources said the market value of the fish seized at Kent Island is around $15,000, the Baltimore Sun reported Tuesday.
"My gosh, I did not expect this many fish. It's overwhelming," said Cpl. Roy Rafter, who led the poaching sting.
Three unmarked nets were tied together and anchored to create a 900-yard-long trap, Rafter said.
Drifting gill nets are legal in Maryland, but anchored ones were outlawed in 1985 to protect the striped bass population.
"This is another example of the staggering abuse of our state natural resources by gill nets. It also shows why NRP's effective enforcement of our marine laws is critical for a healthy bay," the executive director of the Coastal Conservation Association Maryland, Tony Friedrich, said.
State officials, who have made stricter penalties and increased prosecution, said they will be even tougher on poachers.
The public is coming forward with more police tips than ever before, said Joe Gill, DNR's deputy secretary.
