Del. man arrested for clamming violation after leading authorities on boat chase

A Lewes, Del. man was arrested this week after fleeing by boat from authorities trying to cite him for clamming in polluted waters.

Officials spotted the man in a restricted part of Rehoboth Bay, said Sgt. Greg Rhodes, an enforcement officer with the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife.

“The officer pulled up along side of him and told him to shut the boat down and to stop,” Rhodes said. “And the gentlemen yelled back at the officer that he couldn’t couldn’t stop because there was something wrong with his boat.”

Rhodes said the man then drove his boat up onto the beach, and ran into town.

The officer arrested the man after picking him out of a beachside restaurant. He had been trying to blend in there with patrons.

Rhodes said clammers sometimes venture into restricted areas because they’re easy pickings, since law-abiding citizens stay away from those spots.

About a dozen tickets have been issued in Delaware so far this summer for catching baby clams, exceeding catch limits, or clamming in polluted waters.