<p><iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7Bf7YrHzLes" width="425" height="350"></iframe></p>
<h1><a href="https://www.the-chesapeake.com//wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Pirate-Poachers-of-the-Chesapeake.jpg"><img class="alignleft wp-image-7682 size-large" src="https://www.the-chesapeake.com//wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Pirate-Poachers-of-the-Chesapeake-1024x587.jpg" alt="Pirate Poachers of the Chesapeake" width="1024" height="587" /></a>CHINESE NEW YEAR POACHERS WERE HAULING IN THE BIG ONES</h1>
<p>UPDATED &#8211; HAMPTON, VA. &#8212; Two Chinese men who police believe were out to snatch every large fish they could, regardless of legal limits, rules or species – in order to sell whole large fish to various Chinese restaurants for the Chinese New Year on Feb. 19<sup>th</sup>, now face serious felony charges.</p>
<figure id="attachment_7679" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7679" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://www.the-chesapeake.com//wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Red-Drum-and-Speckled-Trout-seized-from-Chinese-poachers-by-VMRC.jpg"><img class="wp-image-7679 size-medium" src="https://www.the-chesapeake.com//wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Red-Drum-and-Speckled-Trout-seized-from-Chinese-poachers-by-VMRC-300x200.jpg" alt="Red Drum and Speckled Trout seized from Chinese poachers by VMRC" width="300" height="200" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7679" class="wp-caption-text">Red Drum and Speckled Trout seized from Chinese poachers by VMRC</figcaption></figure>
<p>The poaching fishermen were in a twelve foot boat, that Virginia Marine Police told reporters who were covering their sting operation, that they were surprised would even float.</p>
<p><a href="http://hamptonroads.com/2015/02/pair-charged-poaching-trout-and-drum" target="_blank"><strong><em>The Virginian Pilot</em> </strong></a>reports: <strong>One suspect recently acquired a commercial fishing license, but the other had no license</strong></p>
<p>The two men had concealed unmarked gill nets across several locations on the Elizabeth River in recent weeks and had sparked several calls about poaching activities, according to statements issued by Marine Police Officer Bill Thompson. Police believe the two men may have killed as many as 4,000 to 5,000 pounds of protected fish species.</p>
<p>After reports of suspicious activity in an area of the river known as The Cove, the police set up a sting operation and were waiting at the dock when the first prospective seafood dealer for local Chinese restaurants returned to the dock with his boat almost sinking due to the greed of his overloaded small boat.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.the-chesapeake.com//wp-content/uploads/2015/02/dp-pictures-3000-pounds-of-fish-seized-2015021-006.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-7678" src="https://www.the-chesapeake.com//wp-content/uploads/2015/02/dp-pictures-3000-pounds-of-fish-seized-2015021-006-300x169.jpg" alt="dp-pictures-3000-pounds-of-fish-seized-2015021-006" width="300" height="169" /></a>The police described the fish in the boat as “trophy” size.</p>
<p>&#8220;Of these hundreds of fish, almost all of them, about 98 percent of them, are over the legal size limit,&#8221; Thompson told one local newspaper. &#8220;This was a complete disregard for the species and for the fisheries. This was poaching on a large scale.&#8221;</p>
<p>Waiting for the second boat-load of illegally caught fish the police soon had hundreds of pounds of fish to put on ice and donate to a food bank and two Norfolk area men in custody. At this point, police report that <strong>Yuan Li of Chesapeake and Bi Chen of Norfolk</strong> have several charges against them with more on the way and while they might be out of jail for this Chinese New Year, next year’s celebration might be a different story.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.the-chesapeake.com//wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Virginia-Marine-Police.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-7680" src="https://www.the-chesapeake.com//wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Virginia-Marine-Police-300x225.jpg" alt="Virginia Marine Police" width="300" height="225" /></a>&#8220;They&#8217;re claiming it was for recreational use to celebrate the Chinese New Year, but they&#8217;ve got to have a market they&#8217;ve been selling to,&#8221; Thompson told the Daily Press.</p>
<p>It may be revealed that the men had orders for the fish from restaurants as far away as Washington, Baltimore and New York.</p>
<p>Serving a whole fish for the <a href="http://www.monahansseafood.com/blog/2013/02/happy-chinese-new-year-gong-hay-fat-choi/" target="_blank">Chinese New Year Celebration </a>is a symbol of good luck.</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ve got a 12-foot boat, breaking ice, working in dangerous conditions to haul in thousands of pounds of fish — you&#8217;re not doing that unless it&#8217;s profiting you,&#8221; Thompson told reporters.</p>
<div id="metaslider-id-3609" style="max-width: 750px;" class="ml-slider-3-101-0 metaslider metaslider-flex metaslider-3609 ml-slider has-dots-nav ms-theme-default" role="region" aria-label="Advertisers" data-height="500" data-width="750">
 <div id="metaslider_container_3609">
 <div id="metaslider_3609" class="flexslider">
 <ul class='slides'>
 <li style="display: block; width: 100%;" class="slide-11695 ms-image " aria-roledescription="slide" data-date="2016-08-03 00:11:16"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/lindascafelpcity/" target="_blank" aria-label="View Slide Details" class="metaslider_image_link"><img src="https://www.the-chesapeake.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Lindas-On-The-Go-side-604x403.jpg" height="500" width="750" alt="" class="slider-3609 slide-11695 msDefaultImage" /></a><div class="caption-wrap"><div class="caption">CHINESE NEW YEAR POACHERS WERE HAULING IN THE BIG ONES

HAMPTON, VA. --- Two Chinese men who police believe were out to snatch every large fish they could, regardless of legal limits, rules or species – in order to sell whole large fish to various Chinese restaurants for the Chinese New Year on Feb. 19th, now face serious felony charges.
</div></div></li>
 <li style="display: none; width: 100%;" class="slide-1464 ms-image " aria-roledescription="slide" data-date="2011-04-03 01:26:27"><a href="http://allpawnandguns.com/" target="_blank" aria-label="View Slide Details" class="metaslider_image_link"><img src="https://www.the-chesapeake.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/All-Pawn-March-2011-Ches-750x500.jpg" height="500" width="750" alt="" class="slider-3609 slide-1464 msDefaultImage" /></a><div class="caption-wrap"><div class="caption">CHINESE NEW YEAR POACHERS WERE HAULING IN THE BIG ONES

HAMPTON, VA. --- Two Chinese men who police believe were out to snatch every large fish they could, regardless of legal limits, rules or species – in order to sell whole large fish to various Chinese restaurants for the Chinese New Year on Feb. 19th, now face serious felony charges.
</div></div></li>
 <li style="display: none; width: 100%;" class="slide-15651 ms-image " aria-roledescription="slide" data-date="2019-05-28 19:45:10"><a href="https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B07S8F7WF6&;preview=newtab&;linkCode=kpe&;ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_NqC7CbPH5FBPA&;tag=stmarystodaonlin" target="_blank" aria-label="View Slide Details" class="metaslider_image_link"><img src="https://www.the-chesapeake.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/MurderUSA_AUDIO-750x500.jpg" height="500" width="750" alt="" class="slider-3609 slide-15651 msDefaultImage" title="boy screams opening the mouth" /></a></li>
 <li style="display: none; width: 100%;" class="slide-16578 ms-image " aria-roledescription="slide" data-date="2021-05-07 14:29:41"><img src="https://www.the-chesapeake.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Buzzs-Marina-2019-750x500.jpg" height="500" width="750" alt="" class="slider-3609 slide-16578 msDefaultImage" title="Buzzs Marina 2019" /></li>
 <li style="display: none; width: 100%;" class="slide-16742 ms-image " aria-roledescription="slide" data-date="2021-10-24 22:51:01"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/lindascafelpcity" target="_blank" aria-label="View Slide Details" class="metaslider_image_link"><img src="https://www.the-chesapeake.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Lindas-Cafe-Now-Open-at-new-location-750x500.jpg" height="500" width="750" alt="" class="slider-3609 slide-16742 msDefaultImage" title="Lindas Cafe Now Open at new location" /></a><div class="caption-wrap"><div class="caption"><div>Linda's Cafe new location now open</div></div></div></li>
 <li style="display: none; width: 100%;" class="slide-16901 ms-image " aria-roledescription="slide" data-date="2022-01-15 22:19:57"><a href="http://floridafishingkayaks.com/" target="_blank" aria-label="View Slide Details" class="metaslider_image_link"><img src="https://www.the-chesapeake.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Wavewalk-Kayaks-1-750x500.jpg" height="500" width="750" alt="" class="slider-3609 slide-16901 msDefaultImage" title="Wavewalk Kayaks" /></a></li>
 <li style="display: none; width: 100%;" class="slide-17596 ms-image " aria-roledescription="slide" data-date="2023-08-11 22:30:44"><img src="https://www.the-chesapeake.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Press-pass-OConnor-email-750x500.jpg" height="500" width="750" alt="" class="slider-3609 slide-17596 msDefaultImage" title="Press pass O&#039;Connor email" /><div class="caption-wrap"><div class="caption"><div>WHISTLE BLOWERS WANTED</div></div></div></li>
 <li style="display: none; width: 100%;" class="slide-17916 ms-image " aria-roledescription="slide" data-date="2024-08-03 21:43:22"><a href="https://www.huntplumbingheatingandairconditioning.com/" target="_blank" aria-label="View Slide Details" class="metaslider_image_link"><img src="https://www.the-chesapeake.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/HUNT-Plumbing-Heating-and-Air-Conditioning-750x500.jpg" height="500" width="750" alt="" class="slider-3609 slide-17916 msDefaultImage" title="HUNT Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning" /></a><div class="caption-wrap"><div class="caption"><div>Click to website for Special Offers</div></div></div></li>
 <li style="display: none; width: 100%;" class="slide-28836 ms-image " aria-roledescription="slide" data-date="2024-11-06 20:52:51"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D17J3VS7?binding=kindle_edition&;ref_=dbs_s_ks_series_rwt_tkin&;qid=1730944414&;sr=1-2" target="_blank" aria-label="View Slide Details" class="metaslider_image_link"><img src="https://www.the-chesapeake.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/32-Book-Series-THE-CHESAPEAKE-TODAY--381x254.png" height="500" width="750" alt="" class="slider-3609 slide-28836 msDefaultImage" title="32 Book Series THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY" /></a></li>
 <li style="display: none; width: 100%;" class="slide-28898 ms-image " aria-roledescription="slide" data-date="2025-05-12 08:27:53"><img src="https://www.the-chesapeake.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/FITZIES-IS-BACK-FOR-2025-556x370.jpg" height="500" width="750" alt="" class="slider-3609 slide-28898 msDefaultImage" title="FITZIES IS BACK FOR 2025" /></li>
 </ul>
 </div>
 
 </div>
</div>
<p> ;</p>