New York State Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO) Lieutenant Steven Bartoszewski reported that they responded to a report of illegal fishing on South Sandy Creek in the Town of Ellisburg in Jefferson County On April 26.
The complainant stated he observed three individuals carrying black garbage bags that were dripping with water to their vehicle, placing the bags in the trunk of the vehicle, and then returning to the creek.
ECO Jason Maxwell joined Lieutenant Bartoszewski for the investigation and located the vehicle nearby at a Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) fishing access parking lot.
Using binoculars, the officers said they spotted three individuals further up the creek appearing to harvest something from the ground along its banks. The ECOs determined the individuals were harvesting fiddleheads from the Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), a vulnerable and protected plant in New York State.
The trio did not have permission to harvest the fiddleheads on private property as required, nor did they have a commercial harvesting permit.
Once back at the parking area, ECO Maxwell ticketed the subjects for unlawfully removing protected plants and using a fishing access site for an activity other than fishing since the trio parked at the fishing access to commit the unlawful acts.
A quick count of the harvested fiddleheads determined approximately 10,000 ferns were illegally harvested.
Fiddleheads, Delicious but Protected
Fiddleheads grow wild in wet areas of northeastern North America in spring and were widely consumed by Indigenous people and early European settlers, especially in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Quebec and New Brunwick, where they remain a traditional dish.
Most commercial harvesting of fiddleheads occurs in New Brunswick, Quebec and Maine, with North America’s largest grower, packer and distributor of fiddleheads located in Ontario.
Fiddleheads are sold fresh and frozen. Fresh fiddleheads are available in the market for only a few weeks in springtime, and are fairly expensive. Pickled and frozen fiddleheads can be found year-round.
The vegetable, which must be cooked to release toxins, is typically steamed, boiled and/or sautéed before being eaten hot, with hollandaise sauce, butter, lemon, vinegar and/or garlic; chilled in a salad; or with mayonnaise.
Collecting fiddleheads in New York is illegal on all State-owned lands, including state forests, wildlife management areas, and state parks and harvesting them on private property requires explicit permission.
Cutting fiddleheads for commercial sale without a permit is prohibited.
Also, most native fern species are legally protected as vulnerable native plants, making them illegal to pick anywhere.
Read more about New York State’s Ferns.
Illustrations from above: ECO Maxwell with the confiscated fiddleheads (provided by DEC); and a bucket of newly collected Canadian fiddleheads (courtesy New Brunswick Tourism).
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