Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2013 - 20

Ouch! That hurts!

While on patrol at one of the
boat ramps in Philadelphia with
Sergeant Jeffrey Sabo, we watched
two individuals, one male and
one female, get on their personal
watercraft at the boat dock and take
off at what looked like full throttle,
throwing rooster-tails and caution
to the wind. This is a violation
of the law, because an operator is
required to operate a boat at slow,
no-wake speed within 100 feet of
the shoreline, docks, launch ramps,
swimmers or downed skiers, persons
wading in the water, anchored,
moored or drifting boats or floats.
We had noted the registration
numbers of the two personal
watercraft. When they returned 20
minutes later, Sergeant Sabo and
I approached them. We told them
what we had observed and then
conducted a safety boarding to
make sure they had all the required
equipment, which they did. The
operator of a personal watercraft is
required to have a Boating Safety
Education Certificate to operate a
boat with greater than 25 horsepower
if they were born after January
1, 1982, or to operate a personal
watercraft. The young man had the
required certficate, but the young
lady did not. I explained to them that
they would be issued citations, so
we returned to the patrol truck and
began writing the tickets. Sergeant
Sabo was writing the young man’s
citation, and I was writing the
young lady’s citation. When I began
writing the lady’s second citation,
she looked at me and said “Hey!
Why do I get two citations, and he
only gets one?” “Because you are
both being charged with violating
the no-wake speed within 100 feet
of a dock,” I said to her, “but you are
also being charged with operating a

20

personal watercraft without a Boating
Safety Education Certificate.” The young
lady glared at me and reached up and
pinched my upper left arm just below
my sleeve, hard! “Ouch!” I said. “What
was that for?” Then, she pinched me a
second time. Actually amused by the
suddenness of her actions, I said to
Sergeant Sabo, “Isn’t that assault on an
officer?” The young lady, all 90 or so
pounds of her, frowned and apologized.
The next morning my wife noticed
the bruises and asked me, “What
happened to your arm?” I gave her the
short answer. “Some young lady was
pinching me.” Sometimes, though, the
longer answer is better, and this was
one of those times.—WCO Thomas E.
Benevento, Southern Chester County.

Fish sticks

While speaking to a Cub Scout group
recently, I discovered a few interesting
facts about fish in Pennsylvania. A
young man explained to me that bass
were from the lake, trout were from
the creek and “fish sticks” were from
the cafeteria.—WCO Patrick W. Ferko,
Northern Somerset County.

Third time’s the charm

I’ve experienced both urban and rural
districts in my time as a WCO, and each
has its own rhythm and peculiarities.
Long ago, I learned from a now-retired
Wildlife Conservation Officer (WCO)
that rural districts, given their small
and non-transient populations, afford
an officer the opportunity to teach
by the boomerang effect. That means
if you feel as though a warning is
appropriate, then give one; if they truly
deserve a ticket, sooner or later they’ll
get one. Often it’s simply a matter of
addressing the lesser of encountered
evils. In the past, we have encountered
several individuals committing various
violations. We addressed some, gave

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • September/October 2013

warnings to others and advised all
that if caught again there would be no
quarter given. Each individual stated
they understood, and we parted ways.
One month later, in an opposite
part of the county, we came upon
one of our previously encountered
individuals, along with some new
friends, committing violations once
again. I asked this person to explain
to me what the rules were, and
he did. As before, violations were
addressed, warnings were given, and
we parted ways. One week later, in
yet another part of the county, we
came across an individual from our
second incident committing violations
again. Following as had previously
been done by his friend, our ‘veteran’
explained the rules of engagement.
He acknowledged the goodwill he
squandered, and he received no
warning this time. It’s been two years
since this last encounter. We still
patrol the same locales, both day and
night, and I’ve yet to find any of these
individuals in violation since.
There’s some good advice in the
ramblings of those older wardens.
Thanks, Len.—WCO Mark T. Kerr,
Venango County.

Picture this

Deputy Waterways Conservation
Officer (DWCO) Jeremy Ney
and I were on boat patrol on the
Susquehanna River, when we noticed
something amiss. As we approached
an individual’s watercraft, we began
a standard boat boarding, checking
license, creel and boating safety
equipment. During a check for
licenses, one of the anglers handed me
his phone. Momentarily confused, I
asked again for his fishing license.
He said, “Isn’t it there?” His voice
was brimming with confidence as he
pointed to the screen of his phone.
Sure enough, on the phone was a
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2013

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