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A married couple from Cottonwood County was cited recently for possessing a crappie overlimit that totaled 253 fish – once the legal limit of 10 per person was subtracted from those Minnesota DNR conservation officers say they found at the couple’s residence, as reported in the July 27 issue of Minnesota Outdoor News.
Dustin Miller, a state CO based in Windom, said that on May 20, he and two other COs seized several bags of fish from 70-year-old Isouvahn Xayachack and his 60-year-old wife, Chanhthone Phongsim, at their apartment in Mountain Lake. The next day, Miller wrote in his report, the fish were thawed enough to count: 93 “butterflied” crappies and 160 whole crappies. |
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The COs “noted that there appeared to be approximately three different groups of fish in the freezer based upon method of preservation, color, and size.”
Miller said the officers left Xayachack and Phongsim with 10 fish apiece – the legal crappie limit in Minnesota. Then, both were cited for having 126 crappies (one taken out of the mix for an even number) over their respective limits.
In an interview with Outdoor News, Miller said that in addition to fines levied for overlimits, the couple would be subject to restitution. Enforcement officials say the fines could reach $3,250 per person. With another $630 in restitution, the cost of each overlimit could be $3,850.
“It’s a prime example of people going out and double-tripping,” he said. |
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