As he handed a salmon reel to Hank Lyons, the sports shop clerk said, “You know a few game wardens. What do they say about Operation Game Thief? Do they think it’s working?”

“I’d say so,” Hank replied as he tested the reel’s drag. “Being tipped off to poacher activity puts them in the right place at the right time.”

“I hear a lot of talk about it,” said the clerk. “The way it’s done, I mean – you know, paying people to inform on each other anonymously. A lot of people think it’s a shady way to do business. What do you think?”

“Shady?” Hank replied with raised eyebrows. “What in hell’s more shady than a poacher? What Operation Game Thief does is beat the jiggers and jackers at their own games. They’ve got their hands in everybody’s pockets, not just sportsmen’s. They steal from Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Marine Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, conservation organizations, you name it; they’re all supported by tax dollars and donations.

“As far as paying for information goes,” Hank continued, “that’s just an option. No one’s paying anyone to provide information. That’s strictly voluntary. A financial reward is offered if information called in leads to an arrest, but most of the callers don’t want the money, which, by the way, comes from private donations.

“In fact” – Hank turned the reel’s handle slowly as he recalled the numbers – “Operation Game Thief had a total of 770 calls last year and only 272 requested rewards. What’s more surprising is a lot of the callers didn’t ask to remain anonymous. The bottom line, though, is the information they provided resulted in 47 arrests that included $1,000 fines.”

“No kidding,” the clerk’s voice expressed genuine surprise. “I’d bet most of those calls were aimed at jackers.”

“For sure,” Hank replied, “If I remember right, 200 or so were tipoffs to night hunting. In all, 78 percent of the calls were deer-related. The percentage of other calls – fish, bear, moose, waterfowl, upland game – ranged from about 1 to 5 percent of the total.”

Shaking his head slowly, the clerk said, “They just can’t leave those deer alone, can they?”

“Never have, never will,” Hank answered. “A deer blinded by a light is easy meat and, in many cases, easy money. It’s as simple as that. And when you consider the size of this state and the number of wardens there are to cover it, you can see why Operation Game Thief is necessary. Hell, this state’s economy is based on its natural resources and that includes fish and game. But you try to convince some of those legislators in Augusta of that and they look at you like you’re speaking a foreign language.”

Hank’s question was quicker than the clerk’s response: “How much money do you think the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife brings into this state each year?”

“I don’t have….”

“Right around three quarters of a billion,” Hank emphasized with a quick spin of the reel’s handle. Keeping a tight line, he continued, “They say the Department of Tourism brings the most money into the state, but don’t think for a minute Tourism doesn’t feed off Fisheries and Wildlife.

“You’d think the politicians would realize that, but they don’t, not enough of them, anyway. Most of them think hunting and fishing is just a has-been hobby practiced by a few old die-hard Mainers. Well, I’d like to know where they’d go to scare up three quarters of a billion every year, which would be lost if our fish and wildlife resources weren’t protected.”

“I’d like to know that myself,” the clerk said thoughtfully.

“That’s precisely why Operation Game Thief is working,” said Hank. “People with their feet on the ground realize the value of fish and game to this state. And it’s not working just in Maine, either. Right now there’s a nationwide poacher hotline linking all states – even some Canadian provinces – that have programs like Operation Game Thief. It’s called the National Anti-Poaching Foundation. They’ve got a toll-free number that’s accessible from any telephone anywhere.”

“I didn’t realize poaching was such a big problem,” the clerk allowed. Hank’s concern was more than obvious when he replied, “It’s worse than that, it’s big business. And speaking of business, I’ll take this reel.”

“Nice drag in that reel,” said the clerk. “A salmon’ll know it’s in trouble when it hauls against that. By the way, what do you think about this petition to put salmon on the endangered species list?”

There was no hesitation to Hank’s reply: “I think it will close the rivers to fishermen and open them to poachers.”

To report poaching activity to Operation Game Thief, dial 1-800-ALERT US.