Please read this!!

[Irule]

Please read this about Crystal Reef Aquariums in North Palm Beach Florida!!!
busted him yesterday docking his boat loaded with atlantic live rock at phill foster park in riveria beach...

called the fwc, within 5 minutes they werethere along with the marine patroll, coast guard and pbso.. it happened at phill foster park...another 10 minutes and the 3 news channels were there and did an interview with him..he said on live tv that its not a big deal, he got caught and he will pay the fine..he said that the ocean has billions of tonns of live rock and what he took will not be missed!!!he had on his boat 160# of live rock and 2 rubbermaid tubs of hard corals!!!!! today he is back at his store like nothing!!! should he not be in jail???? just a fine??the fwc has caught him selling local corals in his store 4 times that i know of, he tells them it came in from a customer on trade and plays stupid!!!the fwc said they needed to catch him red handed before they could do anything...i delivered him redhanded and all he gets is a flipping fine, thats bs!!!!

[Irule]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A local man has been arrested for stealing rocks.

Police said Lawrence Beckman was caught this week taking live rock.

Beckman admitted to stealing the live rock, which is protected under both state and federal law because it is important to the ecosystem.

"There's just no number you can put on how many quadrillion tons of itthere is out there," Beckman said. "There's just no number."

"We came out here, set up surveillance, and when the boat loaded up, westopped him, did an inspection and found 168 pounds of live rock sealed in a compartment on the boat," said Lt. Chris Sella of the Florida Fish Wildlife Commission.

Officials said the rocks were worth about $700. Beckman faces a $500 fine. If he was determined to have been collecting the rock in federal waters, the fine jumps to $10,000.
Copyright 2004 by TheWPBFchannel.com.

[Irule]

If you eat fish, catch fish, or even go snorkeling just to enjoy fish, state officers say you're the reason they busted a local man.
It happened on a boat ramp Thursday at Phil Foster Park in Riviera Beach.
Officers with the state Fish and Wildlife Commission say they got a tip from another agency and were there waiting when Lawrence Beckman returned off the water.
On the boat, FWC officers say they found a hidden compartment with buckets of living ocean reef rock.
Not your typical contraband.
But because of its importance back where it came from, 80 feet under water, reef rock is illegal to take.
Beckman, an aquarium shop owner from Lake Park, faces two misdemeanor counts.
The most Beckman can get is a 500 dollar fine and two months in jail

[Irule]

License year : 2004 License number : 2644


Fee Class : OR014 Status : ACTIVE
Business Name : CRYSTAL REEF AQUARIUM BY Owner Name : BECKMAN LARRY
LARRY & MARYANNE BECKMAN BECKMAN MARYANNE
Business
Address : 932 N LAKE BLVD

City : LAKE PARK
State : FL
ZIP : 33403
Phone : (561)882-4222
Mail
Address : PO BOX 530116

City : LAKE PARK
State : FL
ZIP : 33403
Phone : (561)882-4222

City Limits : YES State Cert :
Fee Period : One Year
Orig Issue : 09/05/2003 Exp Date : 09/30/2004
Delq Pers Prop : Number Of : 2
Type Of Business : AQUARIUMS & SUPPLY STORE

[Irule]

I had heard three or four infractions from a reliable source; fourteen "Notices to Appear" for marine life infractions is truly amazing, and shows his blatant disregard for both the law and the environment.

[Irule]

Last night's news........the authorities are checking his GPS waypoints to see if any are in Federal waters......if so, it becomes a fed violation

[Spanky]

Originally Posted by Irule

If you eat fish, catch fish, or even go snorkeling just to enjoy fish, state officers say you're the reason they busted a local man.

Are you speaking in tongues?

[tdwyatt]

heh!

Spanks, I believe that language is reporter "news speak"-ese

Just imagine Alice with a microphone in one hand and her other up on her ear phone...

"...and this is Alice Hart signing off for Channel 7 Fisheyewitness News."










...there's just sumpin about those red-headed newswomen...

[Irule]

making a joke of something serious, are you?

[motorslave]

Irule, how long have you been in the hobby and following it so closely?

[tdwyatt]

Originally Posted by Irule

making a joke of something serious, are you?

Hmmmm...


I don't really see where I once mentioned that I found either the topic material humerous nor did I see where I poked satire, humor or disrespect at the topic nor your presentation of such.

I think it's time you took a little break from the computer, however, if you can't find some resolution in venting your OBVIOUS anger at the entire subject. We discuss items of interest and concern on TRT in a civil manner. We do not take folks to task, it is beyond our sciope here. I think your tone teeters on the edge of strident, to say the least. If you have discussion on a topic, then discuss the topic. Don't take folks to task for responding to your thread, as this is a means of keeping the thread near the top of the stack for many to evaluate, rather than having it slip to the bottom and stay unobserved. This is sensationalism, to say the least, and we do not have the other side of the coin.

If you want to discuss the topic, I will be more than happy to do so, If you want to argue for the sake of argument, go to RC (the colloquialism here for He!!) Your tone alone makes me think that maybe this would be a good thread to be pulled, but that is just my opinion.

[motorslave]

Perfectly said Tdwyatt!

Robert

[ruhspolostar]

I live in SoCal, imagine the things I see, the oil rigs, the powerplants pumping water that is 120 degrees into a habitat that is 60-70 & the kelp forest of PV & redondo destroted

...the starfish killed and sold as souveniers on the pier, the pesticide that has made fish non-ediable off of PV for at least another 20 years

...I could write a term paper, how you become a responsible aquarist is to take note of such topics, & do your best to infrom others % protect the ocean

...beside that there is not really much you can be expected to do...

-Adam

ps

boycott cyanide fish (but you guys already knew that)

[Doug1]

OK I rule, you have made your point, it's OK to call attention to misdeeds that put us all in a bad light, but honestly, I think supporting the regulatory agencies makes more sense than hammering on about it on a reef board.
Now that you have published the individuals name, business info, etc etc, If anyone is local and wants to boycott thats their perogative.
However having said that, publishing the info even if it is in the public record basically amounts to trying him in the court of public opinion, and personally I find that prejudicial to the outcome of the pending case.
I am not going to close the thread but I am asking you ONCE, to lighten up and refrain from this type of vendetta.
If you are unhappy with the outcome of the proceedings, take it up with the proper authorities, get some one in the media involved, but please be careful what you post here. Lawsuits for slander and libel cost money to defend from and yes, the forum owners and staff can be held accountable. Thank You

[Doug1]

oops