POST 29: May 13th - Game and Fish Press Release "Walleye Does Not Qualify..."

Game and Fish Press Release and Conclusion

On May 13th, Game and Fish published a press release outlining their conclusion to their investigation. Below was their press release: 

This is the press release by Game and Fish on May 13th.

The press release stated, "Big Walleye Does Not Qualify as State Record: The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has completed an investigation into the 16-pound, 9-ounce walleye taken April 21 from the Heart River, and based on evidence provided, department officials have concluded the fish was foul-hooked, and therefore cannot be recognized as a state record. To qualify as a state record, a fish must be harvested in accordance with rules for recreational fishing." 

Game and Fish published the statement, "based on evidence provided...department officials concluded..." Knowing what you know now about how I offered my evidence, did Game and Fish really make a conclusion based on the evidence provided? No, they did not.

I offered my evidence on May 10th, and it was refused. Game and Fish published an inaccurate and misleading statement in their press release.

Changes

Providing me a written warning, stating my walleye was foul-hooked and didn't qualify for a record, publishing false/inaccurate statements in a press release and publishing a misleading investigation report gave the public the false impression I was convicted of a crime which created public hatred, contempt and ridicule causing damage to my reputation.

If you walk away with anything from reading this blog, I want you all to know one thing, I was NEVER convicted of a crime and was punished without Due Process of law. 

Maybe Game and Fish thought they were "being nice" to me by issuing me a written warning, but what they need to understand is, I suffered damages because of how things were handled. Citizens can NOT be punished without due process.

Even though Game and Fish "concluded" my walleye was foul-hooked, they didn't provide any direct or compelling evidence documenting where my walleye was hooked at the time it was caught and netted. 

This fact alone should have been enough to conclude "reasonable doubt" NOT a written warning.

In my next few posts, we will go over the investigation report which was later published by the media. The way the report was written was very misleading and possibly unethical or illegal.

#northdakotaslargestwalleye  #volkswalleye  #justiceforthelargestwalleye