Tag Archives: illegal catches

Houston restaurateur Bruce Molzan accused of operating illegal seafood network

A well-known Houston restaurateur has been accused of operating an illegal seafood network that allegedly funneled nearly 28,000 pounds of unlawfully-caught finfish through his restaurants. Texas game wardens allege that Bruce Molzan, 59, bought and then sold the illegal finfish off the menus at Ruggles Green and Ruggles Black. Molzan hasn’t been associated with Ruggles Green since 2016 but still owns Ruggles Black. In addition, another restaurant illegally sold shrimp to Molzan for use in his restaurants in violation of commercial fish wholesale regulations, according to investigators.  The illegal catches were made by a web of about a dozen unlicensed commercial fishermen and sold to the restaurants, according to Texas Parks & Wildlife investigators. Their catches consisted primarily of highly-regulated red snapper, along with other protected game fish species, including tuna, amberjack, grouper and red drum. click here to read the story 17:08

Spanish fish barons admit taking illegal catches in UK waters

Two companies run by Spanish fishing tycoons are set to receive one of the largest ever fines for illegal fishing – expected to be more than £1m – when they appear in a British court this week. Manuel Vidal Suarez and Maria Dolores Vidal Marino, from Galicia, Spain, together with two fishermen who served on their boats, will appear at Truro Crown Court, Cornwall, on Wednesday, following charges against their companies that they “recklessly furnished false information” – falsified log books and landing declarations to hide the amount of fish their boats had caught in UK waters. Read the story here 10:02