Pointless Hassling on the High Seas

* The fear and loathing which many Americans have come to associate in their relationship with many government agencies came home to me the other day.

Sitting in a 15-foot boat, about two miles offshore from Channel Islands Harbor, we were approached by a high-speed vessel manned by two individuals wearing uniforms. They asked us if we had caught any fish; we replied that we had caught a couple of small ones and threw them back. They continued to close in on our little boat, grasping the side and pulling themselves alongside. We displayed our licenses and they remarked to our 12- and 13-year-old grandchildren, almost reluctantly, “Well, I guess you don’t need licenses.”

Pointing to a small Styrofoam box, one of the men said, “What’s in there?” My son lifted the lid saying, “Just some sandwiches and drinks.” The other man pointed to my small cooler box and made the same remark. I lifted the lid and showed him my sandwiches. He stood, scrutinizing this little 15-foot, open boat and pointed to a small cubby hole and said brusquely, “What’s in there?” My son smiled and said “Just ice, in case we do catch anything worth keeping.” “Open it!” he ordered. My son opened the lid and revealed a small bag of ice cubes.

Continuing his stern inspection of this little boat containing a 75-year-old grandfather, his son and two grandchildren on a casual outing, this couple of highly paid bureaucrats driving a high-cost vessel, evidently decided we were not available for revenue-generating fines and roared off, undoubtedly searching for other threats to the government’s benign protectionism.

Later, I reflected on the episode. From our perspective, we had been called liars in front of our children. We had been asked if we had caught any fish and we had truthfully replied that we had caught two small fish, which we threw back. Their persistent inspection of those small food containers reinforced the obvious contempt which they had for our integrity.

When I returned to shore, I took my new fishing license and tossed it into the garbage. Who needs hassling by arrogant government agencies? Fish stocks are not endangered by individual fishermen; the fish are being wiped out by the greed of big operators dragging mile-long nets and scooping up everything in sight. Go hassle them!

ALEX SHEPPARD

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