NRP officers measuring the croaker
St. Mary's watermen charged with harvesting
thousands of pounds of undersized croaker
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Maryland Natural Resources Police officers charged Ryan Hamilton Lumpkins, 28, of Piney Point, Charlie Orbin Carter Jr., 33, of Callaway, Brian John Pierce, 40, of Piney Point, and Rodger Lee Wathen Jr., 43, of Lexington Park, with possession of about 3,500 pounds of undersized croaker. Additionally, they were charged with possession of 74 blueback herring, 11 hickory shad and seven American shad.
On May 12, officers received a complaint about a large number of dead fish floating near Town Creek. Searching the area, officers saw a vessel, the McKenzie Leigh, unloading fish at a nearby pier.
The vessel was holding about 14,000 pounds of croaker and other species of fish, many appearing to be undersized. Seventeen NRP officers from four counties were assigned to measure the entire catch, an effort that took 12 hours.
The fish were kept under refrigeration in trucks provided by the watermen. Approximately 3,500 pounds—or 25 percent—of the catch were found to be undersized. Those fish were seized and returned to the water.
The cases were reviewed by the St. Mary's County state's attorney's office. All charges require the watermen to appear for a preliminary hearing. A trial date will be set at that time.
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