How Did These Fish End Up Inside Construction Cones In New York? You Won’t Believe This One

How did the fish end up in a traffic cone? This sounds like the setup to a really bad joke but it's not. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) discovered fish inside of construction cones recently. We know they didn't swim there but this is what we know.

Environmental Conservation Officers on Long Island conducted a series of fishing compliance checks over the past several weeks that resulted in several striped bass busts. This is how they discovered fish inside of construction cones.

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April 6, 2024 - DEC officers witnessed multiple people catching and keeping out-of-season striped bass near Caumsett State Park in Suffolk County. An investigation was launched with the assistance of K9 officers. What they found were multiple fish buried in the sand and hidden behind logs and brush piles.

April 7, 2024 - DEC officers responded to a report of three anglers keeping out-of-season striped bass from atop the Bayville Bridge in Bayville. Officers approached the fishermen who denied possessing any fish. Following an investigation it was discovered that seven striped bass hidden inside traffic cones spanning the bridge.

April 8th and April 9, 2024 - DEC officers responded to several complaints in Suffolk and Nassau counties alleging individuals were keeping striped bass before the April 15 season opener.

In this week alone DEC officials recovered more than 26 striped bass, measuring from 25 to 35 inches.

• Ticketed for taking striped bass during the closed season
• Ticketed for illegal possession of fish during the closed season and failure to carry marine registry
• Ticketed for possession of out-of-season striped bass