MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Fur/Trapping Docs

Dear Mr. Anderson:

The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife within the Department of Fish and Game (“DFW”) is in receipt of your public records request dated April 3, 2016. DFW has begun a search for and segregation of any records relevant to your request. Once the search and segregation is complete, you will be provided copies of any relevant records that are not exempt from disclosure under the public records law at G.L. c. 4 s. 7(26).

Should you have any questions, please contact me at 617-626-1586. I may need to follow up with you after our initial search to clarify what you are looking for under your request.

Sincerely,

James Burnham, Keeper of the Records
Division of Fisheries and Wildlife

Dear Mr. Anderson:

Thank you for your note. We are still trying to identify records relating to your request. I do not have a timeframe for a final response at this time. This segment:

“All records related to the use of prohibited traps”

is potentially broad. If you’d like to clarify further the range and scope of that portion of the request, please do so.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

James Burnham

Dear Mr. Anderson:

Good morning. I wanted to follow up again on the clarification of one portion of your public records request. If you would prefer to discuss on the phone, I am in the Boston office Monday and Wednesday, and Westborough on Tuesday. My numbers are below.

Best,

Jim

James Burnham
Program Coordinator

Mass. Division of Fisheries & Wildlife
Field Headquarters
1 Rabbit Hill Road
Westborough, MA 01581
508-389-6343

Mass. Division of Fisheries & Wildlife
251 Causeway Street, Suite 400
Boston, MA 02114
617-626-1586

Discover the wild side of Massachusetts at
www.mass.gov/masswildlife<http://www.mass.gov/masswildlife>!

Dear Mr. Anderson:

Thank you for your note. We are still working on collecting the records relating to your request. Once the search and segregation is complete, you will be provided copies of any relevant records that are not exempt from disclosure under the public records law at G.L. c. 4 s. 7(26).

Sincerely,

James Burnham, Keeper of the Records

Dear Mr. Anderson:

By an email on April 23, 2016, you requested information relating to furbuying and trapping. A search of the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife’s (DFW) files and records was conducted. Below is the response to your inquiry:

Request #1: “All completed applications for a Fur Buyer's License for the years 2015 and 2016.”

DFW Response: Attached are two files, one each for 2015 and 2016, with copies of the Fur Buyer’s Licenses issued by the DFW for those years.

Request #2: “All fur buyer annual report forms for the years 2015 and 2016.”

DFW Response: Instead of collecting annual fur buyer report forms, DFW collects the necessary biological data for management of wildlife resources through (1) required harvest reporting by trappers for pelts that come from specified types of species and (2) via voluntary harvest reporting for Massachusetts Trapping Survey. While the data for the 2015-2016 season has not been collected as of yet, below is the data from the2014-2015 season.

2014-2015 Required Trapping Harvest Reporting for Specified Species:
Species

Harvest

Coyote

4

Bobcat

23

Fisher

384

Otter

89

Beaver

548

Gray Fox

11

Red Fox

7

Mink

23

Species not required to be included in the trapper harvest reports is included below in the voluntary Massachusetts Trapping Survey:
Species

Harvest

Muskrat

61

Opossum

32

Raccoon

56

Skunk

12

Weasel

1

Request #3: “All completed trapping license forms for the years 2015 and 2016.”
DFW Response: Attached are the records for individuals that have purchased trapping licenses for 2015 and 2016. Please note that the names of minors have been redacted from the list as exempt from disclosure under the public records law at G.L. c. 4 (7)(26)(c).

Request #4: “All records related to the use of prohibited traps.”
DFW Response: Upon further communication (via email April 25, 2016), you stated that you were looking for reports related to “cases of illegal trapping.” Attached are the documents (emails) relating to illegal trapping or illegal traps that could be located. As a matter of course, the DFW does not track records relating to illegal traps or trapping as law enforcement of the trapping laws in Massachusetts falls under the auspices of the Massachusetts Office of Law Enforcement. The Massachusetts Office of Law Enforcement may have these records; please contact them at:

Massachusetts Office of Law Enforcement
251 Causeway Street, Suite 101
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: (617) 626-1650
Fax: (617) 626-1670

Should you have any questions, please contact me at 617-626-1586.

Sincerely,

James Burnham, Keeper of the Records
Division of Fisheries and Wildlife

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On May 10, 2016:
Dear Mr. Anderson:

Thank you for your note. We are still working on collecting the records relating to your request. Once the search and segregation is complete, you will be provided copies of any relevant records that are not exempt from disclosure under the public records law at G.L. c. 4 s. 7(26).

Sincerely,

James Burnham, Keeper of the Records

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On May 10, 2016:
To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on April 3, 2016. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

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On April 25, 2016:
Hi Jim,

I was hoping there would be reports or logs available in some form which document reported cases of illegal trapping. If records such as these don't exist, please drop that portion from my request.

Thank you,
Evan
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On April 25, 2016:
Dear Mr. Anderson:

Good morning. I wanted to follow up again on the clarification of one portion of your public records request. If you would prefer to discuss on the phone, I am in the Boston office Monday and Wednesday, and Westborough on Tuesday. My numbers are below.

Best,

Jim

James Burnham
Program Coordinator

Mass. Division of Fisheries & Wildlife
Field Headquarters
1 Rabbit Hill Road
Westborough, MA 01581
508-389-6343

Mass. Division of Fisheries & Wildlife
251 Causeway Street, Suite 400
Boston, MA 02114
617-626-1586

Discover the wild side of Massachusetts at
www.mass.gov/masswildlife<http://www.mass.gov/masswildlife<http://www.mass.gov/masswildlife%3chttp:/www.mass.gov/masswildlife>>!
---

On April 21, 2016:
Dear Mr. Anderson:

Thank you for your note. We are still trying to identify records relating to your request. I do not have a timeframe for a final response at this time. This segment:

“All records related to the use of prohibited traps”

is potentially broad. If you’d like to clarify further the range and scope of that portion of the request, please do so.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

James Burnham
---

On April 21, 2016:
To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on April 3, 2016. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

---

On April 6, 2016:
Dear Mr. Anderson:

The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife within the Department of Fish and Game (“DFW”) is in receipt of your public records request dated April 3, 2016. DFW has begun a search for and segregation of any records relevant to your request. Once the search and segregation is complete, you will be provided copies of any relevant records that are not exempt from disclosure under the public records law at G.L. c. 4 s. 7(26).

Should you have any questions, please contact me at 617-626-1586. I may need to follow up with you after our initial search to clarify what you are looking for under your request.

Sincerely,

James Burnham, Keeper of the Records
Division of Fisheries and Wildlife

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On April 3, 2016:
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, M.G.L. c.66, §10, I hereby request the following records:

All completed applications for Fur Buyer's License for the years 2015 and 2016.
All fur buyer annual report forms for the years 2015 and 2016.
All completed trapping license forms for the years 2015 and 2016.
All records related to the use of prohibited traps.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by the recommendations of the Massachusetts Supervisor of Public Records. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

I expect the request to be filled in an accessible format, including for screen readers, which provide text-to-speech for persons unable to read print. Files that are not accessible to screen readers include, for example, .pdf image files as well as physical documents.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 calendar days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Evan Anderson

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Filed via MuckRock.com
E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>

For mailed responses, please address (see note):
MuckRock
DEPT MR 24998
411A Highland Ave
Somerville, MA 02144-2516

PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is being sent through MuckRock by the above in order to better track, share, and manage public records requests. Also note that improperly addressed (i.e., with the requester's name rather than "MuckRock News" and the department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.
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[http://email.requests.muckrock.com/o/eJwNzDEOwyAMQNHTlNGywSZhYKnUXqMyhChpRKtCuH-jvz79JYp4s0eL5NFjuELxQEgzMngrdobn4x4CW7kxtvIbpZ8d6shH--YD8reaLSZL08Sr43VynEhTCJnWUhZyourQXKy-9iVakdmxafGttXRIo302rde5n3oWqAqj_wGbwitV]

08/10/2016 10:09 AM FOIA Request: DOJ-AP-2016-004653

DOJ-AP-2016-004955 has been processed with the following final disposition: Closed for other reasons -- Other -- No Component Response to Adjudicate.

DOJ-AP-2016-004653 has been processed with the following final disposition: Closed for other reasons -- Other -- Untimely.