The government is unable to generate wealth and instead must resort to stealing it from those who can. It seems our government has taken this philosophy to the next leve, they aren’t able to catch prize fish but they can steal it from those who can:
Meanwhile, the weather offshore had deteriorated and the Apollo decided to seek shelter in Provincetown harbor last Saturday. Hearing this, Rafael immediately set off in a truck to meet the boat. “I wanted to sell the fish while it was fresh instead of letting it age on the boat,” he said. “It was a beautiful fish.”
It was also a lucrative one. Highly prized in Japan, a 754-pound specimen fetched a record price at a Tokyo auction in January this year, selling for nearly $396,000. These fish can grow to enormous size. The world record for a bluefin, which has stood since 1979, was set when a 1,496-pound specimen was caught off Nova Scotia.
Lucky guy, he captured a fish that is likely worth hundres of thousands of dollars. This is a prize a fisherman can only dream of I’m sure. Rafael was smart when he purchased his 15 tuna licenses in case this every happened… wait I’m thinking of bizarro America, this is real America:
However, when Rafael rolled down the dock in Provincetown there was an unexpected and unwelcome development. The authorities were waiting. Agents from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement informed him they were confiscating his fish — all 881 pounds of it.
Even though the catch had been declared and the boat had a tuna permit, the rules do not allow fishermen to catch these fish in a net.
Agents of the government always have to swoop in and destroy that which is great, I think it’s in their job description somewhere under the requirement of being a humorless dick.
“They said it had to be caught with rod and reel,” a frustrated Rafael said. “We didn’t try to hide anything. We did everything by the book. Nobody ever told me we couldn’t catch it with a net.”
That was your mistak Rafael, you played by the book. Never play by the book if you can avoid it. Playing by the book only ensure pain in the form of theft by government goons who want a piece of the action. I hope this is a lesson to Rafael, he should learn that anytime you catch something worth a ton of money you should conceal it and sell it before any government agents catch wind of his good fortune. Did I mention the best part? The first was confiscated before any charges were drummed up:
No charges have yet been filed in connection with the catch, but a written warning is anticipated, according to Christine Patrick, a public affairs specialist with NOAA who said the fish has been forfeited and will be sold on consignment overseas. Proceeds from the sale of the fish will be held in an account pending final resolution of the case, NOAA said. No information on the value of the fish was available Friday.
Confiscating the property of citizens appears to be a new pass time for our government. Such activities would seem to me a violation of due process but I’m just a lowly serf like Rafael.
You also have to admire how brazen these government thugs are, first they steal the man’s fish without any due process or even charges and then they’re going to sell it and keep the proceeds. Perhaps this is part of the new plan to balance the budget. Either that or the government is simply showing off its ability to break the law and get away with it.