An angler tried to outsmart wildlife officials with a tricky cooler to hide illegally caught snook, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.
It didn’t work.
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According to the FWC, a concerned citizen’s tip led an officer to someone illegally catching snook and putting them in a cooler. In Florida, depending on where you are, snook are catch and release only. (For details on current regulations, click here.)
When the officer first opened the lid of the cooler, the only thing visible was groceries, but he quickly discovered the cooler had a false insert sized to fit.
When the insert was lifted out, seven snook were found in a sneaky hiding place, FWC said.
The angler was issued “numerous criminal citations for the violations,” FWC said.
The fish were tossed back in to become food for other marine life.