The Ohio Division of Natural Resources recently released a field report for northwest Ohio.
During the spring walleye run on the Maumee River, State Wildlife Officer Eric VonAlmen, assigned to Wood County, witnessed an angler catch a walleye and then carry it back to his truck. The angler returned to the water and fished for a while longer.
Officer VonAlmen contacted the angler, who said he had not caught any fish. When asked about the fish in the truck, he admitted that it was undersized.
The walleye was confirmed to be under the legal minimum of 15 inches, and the fisherman was written a summons for the violation, subsequently paying $155 in fines and court costs.
In February, Wildlife Officer Ethan Bingham, working Williams County, received a call from the Ohio Highway Patrol regarding an injured red-tailed hawk that was struck by a vehicle.
He retrieved the raptor and transported it to Nature’s Nursery in Whitehouse for care. A few months later– when the hawk was ready for release–the officer, in conjunction with the motorist who struck the hawk, released it in the area near where it was discovered.
