dcabarle
Administrator
Well, I'm going to fall off the beaten path here and I'll accept whatever groans I get. GB... I understand 100% what you're saying. It's not brain surgery. That doesn't mean I agee 100%, but I do agree with some of it.
NJangler, sometimes I wonder whether this is about disdain for spin fishermen - since there are not truly poachers in NJ in the true sense of the word, is the word "poacher" just how some of these folks imagine spin guys to be.
Rusty, please re-read my post. I use the word "guess" about elephants because, frankly, I don't know a thing about the current state of the international ivory trade, and mean to honestly admit that.
Instead, my point is that the traditional, individual poacher targets animals that are valuable for their horns and tusks, and not for their meat.
Sure, there are poaching vessels that harvest tons of fish illegally at sea, but to accrue a profit poaching fish for food, you gotta get 1000s of fish. Food is cheap, ivory is expensive - it is worthwhile, from a poacher's view to kill 1 animal for its ivory, but senseless to spend hours harvesting a few ounces of brook trout fillets.
This should not be controversial, and my logic is sound (point out any flaws, I will listen). Of course, if people are netting brookies and selling them to restaurants, that is a serious crime. But such poaching is uncommon, and please don't fool yourself: if I saw a guy netting brookies, I'd report em too.