Daily Archives: November 23, 2024
Two Dominican nationals sentenced for smuggling endangered juvenile eels from Puerto Rico
On Nov. 14, U.S. District Court Judge Aida M. Delgado-Colón sentenced Simón De la Cruz Paredes, 56, to 24 months in prison and two years of supervised release. On Thursday, Saúl Enrique José De la Cruz, 39, received the same sentence in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. Court documents revealed the pair spent months harvesting the juvenile eels in rivers near Levittown, Puerto Rico. The eels were kept alive using specialized oxygenation equipment while the defendants prepared a boat for the trip back to the Dominican Republic. On Feb. 21, they departed Puerto Rico with 30 kilograms of glass eels valued at $132,000, a handgun, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted the vessel about 40 miles from Puerto Rico after the men refused to comply with an order to stop. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:27
Dumping Day won’t be Monday in LFA 33/34
Dumping Day is delayed once again. It’s the day that hundreds of lobster fishing vessels head out to set their traps, marking the start of the commercial lobster fishery. Port representatives from Lobster Fishing Area 34, which includes Digby around Yarmouth to Shelburne County, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans held a weather call Saturday morning to look at a potential opening for Monday. Due to high winds, the decision was a ‘no go’. more, >>CLICK TO READ<<08:46
California’s Dungeness Crab Season Delayed Again, But Could Open in Time for Holidays
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials have delayed the commercial Dungeness crab season statewide for the second time this year and extended a ban on recreational use of certain traps. There’s still a chance the commercial season for Bay Area crabbers could open earlier than the past few years, though, just in time for holiday dinners. Officials said they plan to reevaluate the region’s waters, which had been scheduled to open on Dec. 1, early next month. The restrictions are due to increased whale populations and their entanglement in crabbing gear. If the whales have finished passing through on their way south to winter breeding grounds, the Department of Fish and Wildlife said it could open the commercial season — and lift the recreational restrictions — statewide on Dec. 15. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:08
