Via iStockphoto / @mrgonefishin TikTok
A Florida fishing enthusiast was cited for a misdemeanor offense after catching 3 fish. What went wrong, and who is it right?
A man learned the details of Florida fishing regulations when he was cited for a misdemeanor due to one fish that is about an inch too long.
TikTok creator MrGoneFishin (@mrgonefishin) was fishing in Kissimmee earlier this summer when the incident occurred. His three–part video series shows the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission law enforcement officer measuring three bass in the bed of MrGoneFishin’s truck.
The officer measures each fish and determines that the first one is about 16.5 inches, the second one is approximately 17.5 inches, and the third one was 17 inches. “Two of these you can have,” the officer says.
MrGoneFishin, in the caption of the post, claims he was “cited for a misdemeanor because [his] fish was an inch over.”
Why Did This Florida Man Get Cited After Catching 3 Fish?
According to Florida freshwater fishing regulations, individuals may take home no more than five Black bass in a single day. Only one of those five can be longer than 16 inches.
Failure to abide by these rules can result in legal penalties. A first offense is generally a small fine, but repeated violations can result in license suspension and even more serious criminal charges.
Suffice it to say that Florida takes these rules very seriously. Residents can even report fishing, wildlife, or boating violations anonymously to the Wildlife Alert Reward Program. In some cases, the tipster could get a cash reward in exchange for the information.
Is Having ‘Fish Police’ A Violation Of The American Dream?
In the comments section of the video, many fellow fishing enthusiasts said fishing regulations are verging on totalitarianism at this point.
“Police for fish?” asked one skeptical viewer.
“Imagine getting in trouble because you’re catching fish that nobody owns,” a second person wrote.
“America is a big joke,” a third person said. Another person agreed, “Other countries laugh at us.”
Someone else said, “It’s annoying, but these laws and regulations are in place so we don’t deplete populations for recreation and eateries. Don’t want another species to go extinct due to human carelessness for wildlife.”
Why Do We Even Have Fishing Regulations Anyway?
A Reddit user posted a thread to r/stupidquestions to ask this very question. “Because if fishing hadn’t been regulated decades ago we wouldn’t be talking about fishing,” wrote one person. “There wouldn’t be any.”
A second person said, “Usually the money goes to fund conservation efforts to support and maintain the places you can go to fish.”
And a third person added, “Partially, it’s for accountability. If you break the rules, they can take away that license and stop you from fishing again.”
BroBible contacted MrGoneFishin via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We also reached out to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
@mrgonefishin The fish n game warden called the entire police force for backup because he claimed he was in fear!! #fyp #fishing