One less fish

[Black Cloud]

I found this on another site. Hope the citizens of our parkway don't get any ideas.
http://www.sanluisobispo.com Homeless man sent to jail for poaching steelhead.

[Tony Buzolich]

Well, this is really open to taking several directions for responce and I can't say what's really right or wrong.

If the guy is hungry and starving he's got to eat. That's first priority to sustaining life.

Curious though that he's got sliced lemon and a loaf of french bread to go along with his BBQ'd steelhead. Sounds kind of gourmet. All he needed to finish this meal off would be some melted butter and a bottle of chardonney or fume' blanc.

Now, he's busted and given ten days sentence. That's really not too bad for a guy that lives under a bridge. Now he's got a warm dry jail cell with blankets and three meals a day. Probably a colored TV too. All paid for out of our tax payer dollars. Sounds better than sleeping in a cardboard box.

Now, how did this guy get to the position that he's in? Born looser? Meth head? Lost his job and wife threw him out? ? ? ? Who knows. Everybody has a sad story.

If this guy was an upright person to begin with he'd be doing something a little more constructive than poaching.

? Just thinking out load. I'm sure we'll get some good responces from the rest of the board.
TONY

[Darian]

This is a dilema for law enforcement types. They see that placing homeless people in jail for any minor offense results in overcrowding and increased costs. Further, it's a distraction from what they see as dealing with higher crimes (or time at the donut shop :p ).

I've posted some in another thread about the homeless problem in the Sacramento area and don't have any better solutions now than I did then. I agree with Tony about feeding oneself regardless of the consequences.

I know that park rangers have been dealing with poaching (deer, birds, fish) by homeless people along the American River for some time now. Not to mention fires (caused by illegal campfires), illegal drugs and alcohol. :| Just imagine the health issues involved in encampment of 40-50 people along the river where there are no toilets located nearby. Also, most of the restrooms along the river are locked in winter. :confused:

About 5 years ago, I was Steelhead fishing at Last Chance Riffle on the American when bright, 30 pound Salmon drifted by in shallow water. It was still in the throws of death. I netted the fish and found that the gills had been ripped out (undoubtedly by a weighted treble hook). The guilty party could've been a homeless person or one of the many snaggers along the river. Either way, this fishery is stressed.... Sad state of affairs. :sad:

With the economy in "the tank" and foreclosures and lay-offs still rising, we're going to be adding to the homeless population. We'd better start trying to find an effective solution to this or it will a major problem for the valley. :confused:

[Grassgrower]

Better than holding someone up at gun point, or breaking into one of our vehicles.

[Darian]

You went right by me there.... :confused: What's better :question: Jail time :question:

If so, we'll continue to see jail overcrowding, increased costs (taxes) and oversight by the Federal Courts.... It may be the only course of action for now but it's certainly not the most desirable. And, as the police say, it doesn't solve the problem.... :|

Also, whether we like it or not, being held up with a gun or having your vehicle broken into can happen anywhere at any time. That's not an activity restricted to homeless people even in the watershed.

Or, maybe I misread your post.... Are you looking at this from the homeless persons point of view???? :|

[stevie steelhead]

It's funny, my wife and I were just talking about this last week.
I was discussing how many locals have been eating wild steelhead for years, and the Native Americans can eat them anytime too.
In fact, a local Native American man told me he just netted a native 18 lb. steelhead recently.
Out here in the boonies, there is only one DFG warden, so how do we "police" the problem?

[Darian]

Hmmm,.... I can't recall for sure but aren't Native Americans allowed to net Salmon/Steelhead on the res.... :question: :confused: Hard to discriminate while using a net.... ;)

One of the problems in determining what we're dealing with in the homeless population is the tendency to include them all in the same characterization or Paint them all the same. The truth is probably much different. The SacBee recently described the inhabitants living in the area behind Blue Diamond as single woman (some with children) and single men. There were a number of people who appeared to be mentally ill, some who were drunken and some who appeared to be strung out. :neutral:

After talking to them, the reporter said that most of the men preferred to live outdoors even if a shelter were available. The women were afraid to go to a shelter as they might be victimized while there (....I guess the kids were along for the ride). Not sure but I believe becoming mentally ill or unstable (nervous breakdown, etc.) becomes more likely the longer a person has to live out there without prospects.... So, many of the people in this group need help. Others don't want or need help. Both can end up being a problem or danger to all of us.... We need to become aware of which people within each group tend to commit the most (numbers and types) criminal acts and target that group. Not easily done since that amounts to "profiling".

While we all want to do something about the problem, none of us wants to deal with it, personally. Unless they become a problem in public or commit a crime, they're invisible to us.... Since the courts have determined that a mentally ill individual may not be sent to a mental health facility without their permission, that leaves the law enforcement as the only "solution".... :confused:

SOooo, I guess we can expect that the courts will continue to hand out light or no sentences for charges of poaching against people who "live off the land" so to speak.... Not much help here and I'm rambling.... :rolleyes:

[stevie steelhead]

Yes the Native Americans are allowed to use a net. The real problem is that some sell their catch, and this is illegal.
Unfortunately, many of the homeless are mentally ill, with no where to go. President Reagan basiclly threw them out onto the street when he closed most of the mental health facilities for the poor many years ago.
I think that people who don't understand their plight should teach them flyfishing!

[Mike O]

I grew up in the SLO area. Used to ride my bike out past the Golf Course in Morro Bay to check out the "big fish" that would come up Chorro Creek. My best friend's grandfather leased the slough/lagoon/estuary for Villa Creek north of Cayucos for years. He used to talk about steelies and silvers out of that creek. I have seen huge fish in some of those small creeks in the past 30 years. Glad to see they still run through them.