Two watermen plead guilty in striped bass poaching case

Hopefully they throw the book at these guys, especially since one of these clowns is also accused of witness intimidation.

A fish poaching case that began in February 2011 with a discovery of mysterious, illegally set nets full of tens of thousands of pounds of striped bass off Kent Island is finally coming to a close.

Two Tilghman Island watermen pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court to illegally taking 185,925 pounds of striped bass from the Chesapeake Bay.

Michael D. Hayden, 41, and William J. Lednum, 42, admitted to selling the striped bass for $498,293 through a ring they operated between 2007 and 2011, according to court documents.

LINK (via: The Baltimore Sun)

Meanwhile, Maryland is actually slowing down striped bass recovery.