COWLITZ COUNTY, WA – A sturgeon poaching investigation led Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Police to seize two fish and arrest a known violator at the mouth of the Toutle River, where sturgeon retention is currently prohibited.
According to WDFW, Officer Lehr responded to a report from an angler who discovered a sturgeon tied to a stick with red rope in the river. The individual told officers he had been fishing nearby when he noticed the suspicious setup. He briefly lifted the stick from the water, saw the fish, and placed it back before notifying authorities.
WDFW Officer Lehr and Sergeant Anderson responded to the scene, which could only be accessed by a single road. The officers waited for several hours to monitor activity near the location. Around 11 p.m., a vehicle backed into the access point. Officers observed two individuals approaching the tied-off sturgeon. Additional splashing raised suspicions that another fish might have been caught.
After the individuals returned to the vehicle and attempted to leave, Officer Lehr initiated a traffic stop. One of the occupants was immediately recognized as a prolific fish poacher with a lifetime fishing license revocation. Officers discovered two sturgeon in the vehicle, including one still tied with red rope.
Both fish were seized and later returned to the river. The repeat offender was booked on charges of angling while revoked and two counts of second-degree unlawful fishing. His companion was cited the next day.
WDFW reminds the public that sturgeon retention remains closed in the Toutle River and encourages anyone who witnesses potential poaching to report it immediately.