Division of Fish & Wildlife

Parents, children rescued after boat capsizes off Woodland Beach

Delaware Fish and Wildlife Enforcement officers were among responders who rescued four people the evening of April 20 after their boat capsized earlier that day.

About 10:30 a.m., two adults and two children, ages 10 and 12, set out in a 10-foot jon boat from the Woodland Beach boat ramp for a fishing trip. About an hour later, an approaching storm brought high winds that made the water choppy.

The small boat began taking on water and capsized, throwing all four occupants into the water. They clung to the boat until they drifted to a marshy island and then sought refuge in a duck blind to await rescue. Due to damaged cell phones and the loss of all their safety equipment in the capsizing, they were unable to call or signal for help.

At approximately 9:30 p.m., an overdue vessel report was called in. Fish and Wildlife officers, Delaware State Police, Smyrna Police, Citizens Hose Company of Smyrna and the Leipsic Fire Department responded, along with a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter out of Atlantic City, N.J. At midnight, the helicopter located the victims on the island using a spotlight.

Fish and Wildlife officers brought the children ashore, while the two fire departments rescued the adults. The children were wearing life jackets; the adults were not. All four were transported to Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital, treated for dehydration and minor exposure, and released. Fish and Wildlife officers then returned to the scene the next day and retrieved the boat.

Anglers Cited for Fishing Violations at Broad Creek Fish and Wildlife Enforcement agents cited two men April 5 for fishing violations at Broad Creek in Laurel. Agents observed the men fishing in the creek’s tidal waters Saturday morning and determined both were using whole live river herring as bait to fish for striped bass, which is not currently in season. One of the men had caught a 36-inch striped bass before agents approached them. Deno Young, age 49, of 1055 Wolfe Street, Laurel, was cited on charges of illegal possession of striped bass during spawning season and for not having a fishing license. The fish was confiscated for evidence. Young is scheduled for a mandatory appearance on April 9 at Justice of the Peace Court 3 in Georgetown. His companion, Antonio Hopkins, age 41, of 8817 Sussex Manor Lane, Seaford, was cited for no fishing license. He also was given a verbal warning for not using a circle hook, which is required for bass fishing in closed areas – the Nanticoke River and north of the C&D Canal. NOTE: As of Jan. 1, 2008, Delaware law requires a fishing license for freshwater and tidal waters as well as recreational clamming and crabbing. For more information, please visit www.fw.delaware.gov/Services/Licenses.htm or check your 2008 Delaware Fishing Guide.

Operation Game Theft: 1-800-292-3030

Stolen heavy construction equipment damages wildlife area structures The New Castle County Police Department and Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Section are investigating the theft of heavy construction equipment and related vandalism of buildings on the Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area, located off Route 9, northeast of Smyrna. On Feb. 1, New Castle County police took a report of a stolen vehicle from the Christiana Excavating Company in Newark. A 2004 JCB excavator/dump truck, valued at $180,000, was discovered as missing from the company lot. Fish and Wildlife enforcement agents responded the next morning to a report of damage to the Vogel House and its outbuildings on the Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area, apparently caused by the missing truck. The truck was found imbedded in a storage shed, one of three structures damaged on the property. and roof braces. The shed was nearly demolished, as the truck had been rammed through its wooden swinging doors, tearing into its doorframe and ceiling. Fish and Wildlife Agents also reported the steel gate which separates the hunters' parking lot from the Vogel House was damaged, evidently when the truck was driven onto the property. The truck was also apparently driven into rear porch supports on the house and the front of a one-room cedar shake schoolhouse on the property, opening a bay-window sized hole near the front door. Agents reported damage to the vehicle’s fiberglass roof cap, left and right mirrors, right side fender molding, left side step ladder and windshield. Patrols of the area have been stepped up, and both police agencies are seeking information on possible suspects. To report information, please contact Fish and Wildlife Enforcement at 302-739-4580 or New Castle County Police at 302-395-8171, or call Crimestoppers at 800-TIP-3333. Photo provided by Division of Fish & Wildlife Greenwood man fined for hunting violations, also faces drug charges Kent County Fish & Wildlife Enforcement agents arrested Dwayne S. Breeding of Greenwood and charged him with hunting violations and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Breeding, 24, of 13651 Tall Road,  was arrested Jan. 24 for spotlighting and for keeping a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, in addition to the drug charges filed against him. Agents seized two rifles and a 12-guage shotgun from Breeding, and issued fines for the wildlife-related charges totaling $400. A trial on the drug charges is pending in the Court of Common Pleas in Dover. “This is an example of someone making the wrong decision, and we take these violations very seriously,” said Sgt. Gregory Rhodes of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement. With some hunting seasons still open, citizens are encouraged to report hunting violations that they observe by calling 302-739-4580. This number is staffed seven days a week and 24 hours a day.