A Scotland waterman received 10 citations for multiple State and Potomac River Fisheries Commission violations after he was stopped by NRP officers on December 11 in Point Lookout State Park.
John Kenneth Courtney, 58, had 26 undersized striped bass and one undersized black drum when he was stopped in the park. He told officers he caught the fish ? which were untagged ? from the Potomac River. He provided a written statement that he took the striped bass without consent from the pound net owner.
After an investigation, Courtney was charged December 15 with catching undersized striped bass and a black drum, failing to tag commercially caught fish, and taking seafood from a commercial net without authorization.
If found guilty of all charges, he could face a maximum of $4,750 in fines and up to one year in jail.
Courtney is scheduled to appear March 6 in Leonardtown District Court.
