A 60-year old Lake Arthur, La., man has ben sentenced with two years of probation and must pay a $5,000 fine for violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, said the U.S. Department of Justice Wednesday.
In addition to probation and the fine, Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that Kevin M. Berken would lose all hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for the duration of his probation and that he would need to complete 100 hours of community service.
Magistrate Judge Kathleen Kay sentenced Berken.
According to the Justice Department, Berken violated the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by taking more than the daily bag limit of ducks on any one calendar day. Evidence presented in court indicated that Berken – an experienced waterfowl hunter who hunted frequently in Jefferson Parish, La. – participated on two duck hunts on Dec. 27, 2018.
During the first hunt, Berken and other hunters shot, killed and possessed 10 ducks. During the second hunt, the hunters shot, killed and possessed 12 more ducks.
Agents with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service encountered Berken and three other hunters in possession of 29 various species of ducks that day, said the Justice Department. Per the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, each individual hunter is allowed a daily bag limit of six ducks in one calendar day.
Berken pleaded guilty to the charge and admitted to taking more than the daily bag limit of ducks, said the department.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Louisiana Department of Fish and Wildlife Service conducted the investigation and Assistant U.S.
Attorney Danny Siefker prosecuted the case.
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