A Rock Hall waterman with numerous poaching convictions was charged with stealing oysters twice in one week and has had his license suspended for the rest of the season - the first time the Department of Natural Resources has used that penalty.
The action comes as Natural Resources Police up and down the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries are cracking down on oyster violations and employing new tools, such as a network of radar installations and infrared cameras, to monitor commercial activities.
William H. Beck, 43, had his license suspended Friday after officers charged him with harvesting seven bushels of oysters at 2:30 a.m. Dec. 26, and then charged him Jan. 1 with dredging seven bushels of oysters from a prohibited area. He is scheduled to appear in Kent County District Court on Feb. 18 and March 18.
Natural Resources Police also say Beck failed to submit monthly reports this season, as required by regulation. Over the past six years, Beck has been convicted of possessing undersize striped bass and crabs, failing to mark his fishing nets and placing crab pots in a restricted area.
DNR Secretary John Griffin called Beck's actions "a violation of public trust" and a "wanton abuse of the law" while warning that violators would be punished to the fullest extent possible under a new penalty system that takes effect next month. The points system, authorized by the General Assembly last year, closes loopholes in fisheries regulations that allowed serial offenders to avoid penalties by spacing out their violations over a three-year period.
The stepped-up enforcement also comes as the General Assembly is about to return to Annapolis and as the O'Malley administration pushes a new oyster restoration plan that includes expanded oyster sanctuaries and aquaculture opportunities. Critics have complained that the plan would not accomplish much unless the state had a way to protect oysters.
"We're just hoping that we're able to get some bad apples off the water," said Frank Dawson, DNR assistant secretary for fisheries programs. "At some point, you have to realize that these people are a threat to our natural resources. We want them to know that the cost of violations cannot be part of the cost of doing business."
Beck has 15 days from being served to appeal his suspension. Oyster season ends March 31.
Meanwhile, Natural Resources Police boarded vessels and stopped trucks over a three-day period, resulting in charges against a Dorchester County seafood dealer and three St. Mary's County watermen for alleged oyster violations.
Adrien Leo Hansen, 74, of Cambridge, owner of a seafood outlet bearing his name, was charged Jan. 7 with possession of undersize oysters as he allegedly purchased them from a waterman. He was fined $155 and is to appear Feb. 17 in Dorchester District Court.
On Jan. 7, Natural Resources Police stopped a vessel operated by Robert Lee Copsy, 41, of Mechanicsville in the St. Mary's River near Drayden. The waterman was charged with having small and unculled oysters aboard. His trial in St. Mary's District Court is set for April 9.
On Jan. 6, Natural Resources Police inspected a truck that was transporting oysters and charged Steven Gary Adams of Drayden with possessing small and unculled oysters. He is to appear April 9 in St. Mary's District Court.
During a vessel inspection Jan. 5 on St. Jerome's Creek, officers charged Thomas Edward Dean Jr., 36, of Scotland with possession of small and unculled oysters. He is to appear April 9 in St. Mary's District Court.