Mattituck Commercial fisherman pleads in illegal fishing scheme

A commercial fisherman from Mattituck pleaded guilty Thursday to falsifying documents and lying to investigators in connection with a 2011 scheme to illegally harvest fish valued at $78,000, authorities said. James Kaminsky, 74, “systematically cover[ed] up the landing and sale of illegal fluke, scup and black sea bass that were overharvested” in violation of New York quotas and through abuse of a federal research program known as research set-aside, according to the Department of Justice. The scheme took place between May and August of 2011, authorities said. Research set-aside allows fishermen to harvest out of season and exceed quotas, but authorities have branded it a “license to steal” because it has allowed some overfishing without proper reporting. Read the rest here 08:56

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