Fishing Violations of Five Mississippi Men in Louisiana Lead to Fines and 665 Catfish Confiscated and Donated to Hunters for the Hungry

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries confirmed on August 5, 2022, that on August 3, enforcement agents cited five men for alleged recreational fishing infractions in Plaquemines Parish.

Agents cited Timothy Jones, 60, of McComb, Mississippi, Ellis R. Martin, 57, of Summit, Mississippi, Thomas Firth, 56, of Tylertown, Mississippi, and Steven Riley, 59, of Gulfport, Mississippi, for exceeding the daily catfish limit. Agents also cited Clifton Clark, 44, of Gulfport, Mississippi, as well as Riley and Jones for failing to have a non-resident basic fishing license.

Agents were on patrol responding to a complaint when they came across the five men fishing with rods and reels on the Mississippi River levee just south of the Empire Locks. Agents discovered them with 665 blue catfish in numerous ice chests.

Agents concluded that Riley, Jones, Martin, and Firth caught more catfish than the daily limit for each angler. Riley, Jones, and Clark also failed to obtain a basic non-resident fishing license.

The 665 catfish were confiscated by agents and donated to Hunters for the Hungry.

The combined day limit for blue, channel, and flathead catfish is 100 fish. Keeping more than the daily limit in catfish is punishable by a $250 to $500 fine and up to 90 days in prison. A $350 fine is levied for failing to have a non-resident basic fishing license. The men might also face civil restitution for the catfish’s replacement value of $493.73.

Lt. Adam Young and Senior Agent Austin Landry are among the agents involved in the investigation.

A person is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Featured image source: Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.