MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (WJAR) — Rhode Island environmental police said a man was cited after 140 fish fillets were found aboard a boat off Middletown in October.
According to a police report, officers were on patrol near the Third Beach boat ramp on Oct. 25 when they observed a boat owner.
When officers asked C. Robert Huggins if he had any fish on board, he said he did not.
The police report then states that the officers talked to a fisherman, Richard Omeara, who was on Huggins’ boat.
Omeara told the officers that they caught six fish and that the fish had been filleted.
According to the police report, the officer searched an ice box and found three more bags of fillets.
Officials said Omeara then admitted that he had lied and said he had caught 50 fish, including black sea bass and tautog.
Two other people, Craig Mulvey and Michael Lowry, were on board the vessel, environmental police said. Mulvey did not have fishing license and he said he had not been fishing.
Officers said they later confronted Huggins about the fish fillets, and he admitted lying, saying, “Yeah, I lied.”
The fish fillets were seized and counted. Environmental police said a total of 140 fish fillets, which equates to 45 black sea bass and 25 tautog, were found on the boat.
According to officials, the fish exceeded daily possession limit by 36 for black sea bass and 15 for tautog.
The police report states that the officers also identified multiple boating safety violation on the boat.
The fish were donated to the Wildlife Clinic to feed the animals undergoing rehabilitation, Rhode Island environmental police said.
According to the police report, officers visited Huggins’ residence on Oct. 28 to to issue citations for fisheries violations.
Huggins was cited with 12 counts of exceeding the daily possession limit for black sea bass and three counts of exceeding the daily possession limit for tautog.