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Illegal Net In Chesapeake Had Tons Of Rockfish

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Authorities say an illegal rockfish net found off Tilghman Island had more than three tons of fish.

Maryland Natural Resources Police said an 80-foot work boat outfitted with a crane worked for several hours to gather the nearly mile-long net on Tuesday.

The net was found Sunday by recreational fishermen near a buoy midway between Tilghman Island and North Beach.

The seizure is the latest in a series in the bay this year. The commercial rockfish gill net season was shut down Feb. 4 after 10 tons of rockfish were confiscated from illegal nets. The season eventually was allowed to reopen for its final two days.

Authorities have seized almost 16 tons of illegally caught rockfish this year. Illegally caught fish are deducted from the amount commercial fishermen can catch.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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