Antietam Lake which has been stocked with trout. Cormorants (pictured) have been eating the trout ahead of opening day. photo-Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein
Pennsylvania’s 2020 trout fishing season officially opened day which is 11 days earlier than expected. The Fish and Boat Commission changed the original start date due to the coronavirus. It was set to open on April 18th. Unexpectedly, the Commission opened it at 8 am Tuesday, April 7th.
The reason for this surprise change is to have fewer gatherings for opening day which typically sees thousands of anglers take to the waters to catch the 3.2 million trout that have been stocked in area waters.
This change will take many by complete surprise and I guess that was the point. However, thousands will still go fishing once they hear the news. I’ve received word that local Walmarts are packed with people buying fishing license. Not a good idea with the pandemic.
So my question is, why is trout season allowed when the Governor has issued a stay-at-home order for the keystone state, shutting down ALL non-essential businesses during this worldwide pandemic. This decision has allowed many without the ability to earn a living. Governor Wolf said it was imperative to take this drastic action to slow the spread of the deadly virus.
The latest statistics I have for the number of people who bought fishing licenses including a trout stamp in 2018 – 807,000. Close to a million anglers.
How is fishing considered essential in light of this pandemic but taking a leisurely drive by yourself and having no contact with others is rewarded with a citation from a state trooper? How does this make any kind of sense? I’m sure Anita Shaffer, 19, of York County wants to know.
Shaffer received a citation for defying the stay-at-home order issued by Governor Tom Wolf while taking a leisurely drive just to get out of the house during the stay-at-home order. According to Shaffer she was pulled over by two state troopers who told her a tail light was out and her windows were tinted too dark.
They also asked her if she had taken drugs to which she replied, no. Shaffer said they asked her to step out of her car and shined a flashlight into her eyes and then told her to return to her car. She was not cited for a broken tail light or tinted windows. However, she received the following citation and charged $227.00 for not complying with Governor Wolf’s order. A fee of $25 has been added but not shown.
The citation states she “failed to abide by the order of the governor and secretary of health issued to control the spread of a communicable disease, requiring the closure of all non-life sustaining businesses as of 20:00 hours on March 19th, 2020. To wit, defendant states the she was going for a drive” after this violation was in effect.
Ryan Tarkowski, State Police spokesman said voluntary compliance is preferred and is what the state police are focusing on. “Troopers have been encouraged to use contacts with the public as opportunities to reinforce the necessity to abide stay-at-home orders.”
Tarkowski added, “Troopers maintain discretion to warn or issue citations and the decision is specific to the facts and circumstances of a particular encounter.”
Shaffer plans to plead not guilty because she feels she was within her rights to operate a car.
I couldn’t agree more with Shaffer! This citation is absurd.
If this woman was in defiance of the stay-at-home order handed down by Wolf, how is trout fishing deemed safe in any way? With close to a million fishing licenses sold, how can Governor Wolf approve of many anglers in close proximity of each other?
Governor Wolf, please explain how you are allowing thousands of people to go fishing but a woman is penalized for taking a drive?
I know we need to get outdoors and take in fresh air. I’m all for it. We need recreation and I’m all for it. Sadly, there are some who are still gathering for parties, etc. Playground equipment has been roped off to keep kids and/or adults from spreading the virus. It makes sense. I’m all for car rides since many of us are staying at home so we can win this war against this virus. But, we must remain safe, vigilant and cognizant of others at this time.
Going for a car ride provides much needed distraction and relaxation and you’re doing it alone in the privacy of your car. I’d suggest wearing disposable gloves or using hand sanitizer if you have to get gas.
Something smells fishy about trout season opening early this morning. Could it be the money the state gets in revenue from the cost of fishing licenses and the trout stamp? When you add up the costs of the 807,000 licenses, the annual revenue (by 2018 numbers) generates is $26,469,6000!
You decide because it makes no sense to me.
Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein is a television talk show host, speaker, writer, and an unabashed animal advocate. Her love for animals and quest for the hard truth is what drives her passion for all things animals. She hosts the television show, “A Close Up Look at Animal Welfare Issues.” She adores her tripawd, Brody, who was a formerly abused pup who lost his leg because of cruelty inflicted upon him. If you’d like Tina to talk to your group or have a story, please email her at tevangelistaepp@yahoo.com. Like https:www.facebook.com/ACloseUpLookatAnimalWelfareIssues and be sure to check out AnimalWelfareIssues.com.
Governor Wolf is a hypocrite! Telling most Pennsylvanians to stay at home then allow fisherman to fish when u know damn well they fish in large gatherings is the opposite and dangerous. He should be held accountable for his terrible decision and putting more people at risk for the coronavirus. Meanwhile so many of us r listening and not making money. Stupid! This makes me angry!
Yep, I’m there with you Celo. It makes no sense to me either! I’ve seen some pictures of people fishing and they were not social distancing. I knew that would happen. Plus a friend told me that people were traveling from out-of-state to fish trout and camping! Trout season should’ve been canceled! There is no credible reason to have it knowing thousands of anglers participate each year in PA.
Thanks.
No one should get a ticket for driving in their cars. Seriously where r we living? It sounds like martial law that these officers were engaged in. It’s incredibly stupid to give the Shaffer woman a citation but letting a lot of known fishermen take advantage of trout season while we’re dealing with a deadly pandemic!
The police have decided not to cite Shaffer after all. They ripped up the citation! I think the backlash affected their decision to do that. She never should’ve been ticketed for driving. I believe they could’ve been in trouble for going against her constitutional rights. Whatever the reason, the charges have been dropped.