After poachers busted for hiding striped bass in odd locations, New York changes fishing regulations

After a series of busts of poachers fishing for out-of-season striped bass in New York, the state's Department of Environmental Conservation has changed fishing regulations for the species. 

Environmental Conservation police officers and investigators are part of the agency's Division of Law Enforcement. Striped bass are considered an "ecologically, recreationally, and economically important species," according to the department's website.  

Between April 6 and 10, multiple officers from the department witnessed people on Long Island catching and keeping the fish, according to a news release, even though the season for striped bass did not begin until April 15. In one find, a K-9 officer helped police find over a dozen fish buried in the sand and hidden behind logs and brush piles. In another bust, three men were found to be hiding striped bass inside traffic cones on the Bayville Bridge on Long Island.