DFW Warden At Seal Beach

[Fishman Fishman]

Ran into a Warden in the Seal Beach parking lot on Saturday October 30. I emphasize parking lot! Wife and I had called it a day and were returning to our truck. When we saw the Warden standing by her parked truck. I made small talk with her for a few minutes and during our conversation she did ask me if I had caught anything and she "inspected" my bucket. She asked how many fisherman on the pier and what they were catching. Here's the kicker that made my jaw drop. I asked her if she was planning on walking the pier. She said, "No, they (fisherman) just scatter, I'll wait for them here (parking lot)".

As a retired law enforcement officer I know that police presence or the belief of police presence in an area is a deterrent to unlawful activity. In my humble opinion the Warden missed an excellent opportunity to interact with the public and be a visible presence on the pier. I am sure everyone on the pier, especially fisherman, would have talked about the Warden they saw patrolling the pier.

Am I the only fisherman who holds this perspective? Love to hear your thoughts.

 

[K1n]

I understand both views:
As an angler, it would be great to see their presence on the piers. A visual deterrent to at least let folks know they are around.

However, from the stats point of view:
It's easier to nail someone when they are already making their way to their vehicle. There is no question of "pending ID release" or "quick, dump the evidence because DFW is checking that guy down there".

People will still talk as they get checked heading off the pier. Hopefully she stuck around long enough to check multiple people so more people will talk about it.

 

[The Happy Wanderer]

Talk to me on the pier. I'll cooperate cheerfully. But waylay me when I'm in a hurry and trying to go home and it's another story. This is one of the reasons I never talk to the DFW survey people. I think it is unreasonable to have me drop everything for someone else's convenience. And yeah, that's directed to the wardens. Treat us decently and the results will always be positive. Act like hall monitors and receive contempt. It is that simple.

Two realities in 2021.
1)DFW wardens, by and large, do not fish. It used to be quite different.
2)Wardens miss the point by not interacting with users. Possibly because of #1.

Never forget: law enforcement works for us, not the other way around. High time they got that.

 

[Ken Jones]

Many wardens will simply not walk a pier out of fear (in some cases) or, in my opinion, illogical thinking. Of course it would be better to walk the pier and get to know the anglers even if a few do ditch illegal fish. The job is not to "catch people" but to let them know there are wardens around and that they should follow the rules. Education and communication are two of their most important jobs but both seem to be overlooked far too often.

I remember fishing on the Paradise Cove Pier and seeing a woman warden who came out to check our catch. She refused to go to the Santa Monica Pier that was much bigger and much harder to police. I wonder if it was the same warden?

It's bad enough that there are not enough wardens but when they refuse to walk the piers it makes it even worse.

 

[MisterT]

I can understand the approach however I believe presence in the area is a better deterrent for shenanigan.

 

[Mahigeer]

I remember fishing on the Paradise Cove Pier and seeing a woman warden who came out to check our catch. She refused to go to the Santa Monica Pier that was much bigger and much harder to police. I wonder if it was the same warden?

I believe she was promoted and is mostly at the office. She gave me her card.