This a quote from the publication. Are they serious about the money involved in illegal activity?
"Our natural resources and their protection are critical to the future economic vitality of our state. In 2006, more than 87 million Americans spent over $120 billion on wildlife-related recreation, nationwide. At the same time, the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife parts is second only to the money earned by the illegal drug trade in this nation. "
Yes, we're serious abut the money involved in illegal wildlife/parts trade... and for what it’s worth, here are some thoughts on wildlife trafficking.
The ranking of wildlife trafficking when compared to drugs and guns is a worldwide perspective after a fair amount of analysis (done by NGOs and the federal government). The term wildlife includes fish. While it’s impossible for us to measure the level of Washington State’s contribution to the global problem, we do know that our resources play a prominent role in both the illegal domestic and international market. Some species have incredible monetary value, others not as much, but if the acts continue unchecked, population sustainability could really be at risk in either case.
There’s always a danger that bringing attention to natural resource values may put the idea in someone’s head. My thought is that the good guys can’t help us keep watch unless they are informed. Besides, if someone is really determined, the market often advertises openly. They know we don’t have the patrol or investigative presence to keep up.
A primary philosophy behind why we control the trafficking in game animal meat and certain animal parts is because biologists do not believe that some species could sustain commercialization... and there is concern over our ability to control a demand that could quickly increase, to the extent of outstripping our limited supply. Our experiences in law enforcement tell us that whenever you open legal avenues for something, black markets are able to flourish. By co-mingling legal and illegal items, detection becomes more difficult, and management of the resources becomes unreliable because of the unknown harvest level.
Her are a few examples of trafficked fish and wildlife species in Washington:
Shellfish#1 grade Geoduck brings between $100-$160 per pound at the retail level, depending on demand and other factors. The top end ex-vessel value is $25 per pound. When you apply the ex-vessel value to a known heist involving 800,000 pounds illegally taken from a closed tract, that’s a $21 million dollar rip off. No, it didn’t happen overnight... but even a single night's poaching can result in incredible profit and damage. One older case (about 9 years ago now) involved $2 million in crab and geoduck resources taken by a small group of people. The day we arrested the main suspect (who was released from prison four months ago after serving seven years), his co-conspirators had poached $8K worth of geoducks the night before. I will always remember the armed boat operator's smugness. He was pretty sure he would be released in time to catch the Jerry Springer Show. Given current ongoing investigations in this area, I can tell you the value and profit from stealing this species has only gone up since then. The Legislature just gave us three officers in the budget to help deal with the ongoing problem – a bright spot for us.
Other shellfish species don’t command the same value pound for pound, but then you can make up for that in quantity. For instance, a WDFW case currently charged and being prosecuted involves the alleged theft of $700,000 of oysters and hardshell clams taken from public and private beaches in Hood Canal.
FishBiologists estimate that there are only 2,000 broodstock sturgeon between John Day and Bonneville Pools. Our Officers were involved in identifying multiple suspects who allegedly sold or bought illegal undersized and oversized fish. Getting as much as $4 per pound, one suspect had his truck full to the rails with undersized fish. The value of a ten-foot sturgeon from poacher to first line buyer was about $800. The value of sturgeon roe was about $15-$25 per pound unprocessed, and $200 per pound processed. A single female can have as much as 40 pounds of roe. Law Enforcement firmly believes that poaching is a factor in declines of our broodstock in this area.
WildlifeI saw some shed elk antlers for sale on Craigslist – 8x9 Non-typical with a 484+ rough gross score with 48” spread credit offered at $11,995. I can tell you that everything from meat to antlers to internal organs (i.e. bear gall bladders) taken from poached big game animals are being sold.
Value to poachers also extends to non-game as well. A case last year in Eastern WA involved the killing of wild horses to be used as bait in order to attract the target – Golden and Bald Eagles, as well as other raptors. The feathers and parts were sold. For recovering species, the value equivalent isn’t necessarily measured by profit – it includes investments of the public’s money to recover and manage those species, only made more challenging and costly by poaching.
What someone is willing to pay is all about value to that person. There are a lot of drivers behind that statement, but it basically boils down to what rows your boat. I just had a fellow tell me that he found a Nintendo Game in a storage unit worth $41K. He asked me if I was willing to bid on it. I told him that if it was a fishing pole or a Stevens Shotgun, I would be interested in bidding -- but to me, that game wasn’t worth more than a spent cartridge... unless it was one of those old time paper shotgun cartridges.
I hope that helps shed some light on the subject. -OG
