Tag Archives: Fishery violations
Cornish Gem vessel master ‘disregarded the law’ while fishing scallops illegally
The master and owner of a vessel has been fined for illegal scallop fishing in Cornish waters. The actions of Mark Manning and Sarah-Jane Fishing Ltd “disregarded the law in the interests of their short term gain”, said Cornwall Inshore Fisheries & Conservation Authority (IFCA). On November 2, at Truro Magistrates’ Court, Cornwall IFCA successfully prosecuted Mark Manning, 59, from Plymouth and Sarah-Jane Fishing Ltd, the respective master and owner of the fishing vessel Cornish Gem PH 819, which appears to be based out of Falmouth. Manning had previously entered guilty pleas to the court in respect of three counts of using a dredge to remove scallops from the Cornwall IFCA district at a prohibited time of day in December 2022 and in February 2023. >>click to read<< 10:11
23% of P.E.I. lobster boats inspected by DFO in May blitz violated Fisheries Act
Thirty-one out of 135 lobster fishing boats inspected in a blitz investigation in P.E.I. were found to be in violation of the Fisheries Act. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans conducted the inspection in Lobster Fishing Area 24 (North Shore), and 26A and 26B (East Point to Wood Islands to Victoria) between May 30 and 31. Written warnings are given in circumstances like a fisher not having a copy of their fishing licence on the boat at the time of inspection. But four of the violations were for summary offences. >click to read< 12:56
Eastern Shore fisherman pleads guilty to overharvesting, trafficking of striped bass
A commercial fisherman from the Eastern Shore pleaded guilty Monday to violating a federal law by selling striped bass he caught in Virginia waterways in excess of his quota over the course of three years. Keith James Martin, 52, of Saxis, was legally allowed to harvest 4,010 pounds of striped bass per year from 2018 to 2020 under Virginia code, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia. However, in 2018, Martin sold more than 6,700 pounds of striped bass to a Maryland seafood business and more than 4,300 pounds to the same business in 2019, according to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement. >click to read< 08:33
Canadian seafood giant Clearwater convicted of ‘gross violation’ in lobster fishery
Canadian seafood giant Clearwater was convicted of “gross violation” of fisheries regulations last fall after senior management ignored federal government warnings to change the way the company conducts its monopoly offshore lobster fishery, CBC News has learned. The decision to prosecute North America’s largest shellfish producer occurred amid a lengthy and still ongoing lobby effort by Clearwater to change the rule it broke: a Canadian requirement that fishing gear at sea must be tended every 72 hours. Clearwater company CS ManPar was convicted for storing 3,800 lobster traps on the ocean bottom off the Nova Scotia coast for upward of two months in the fall of 2017,,, >click to read<08:46
Massachusetts Environmental Police recreational vessel inspection nets criminal summonses
On Tuesday, June 19, 2018, a Massachusetts Environmental Police Officer conducted a fisheries inspection of a recreational vessel at the boat ramp in Sandwich. The inspection of the vessel yielded 300 pounds of jumbo black sea bass, 73 pounds of large black sea bass, one short black sea bass, and 7 pounds of scup. The vessel operator presented the Officer with a New Hampshire commercial fishing permit and indicated he believed he could fish commercially in Massachusetts with said permit. The operator and his passengers were each issued criminal summonses for fishing commercially in Massachusetts without a Massachusetts commercial permit and possession over the legal limit of black sea bass. 15:37
Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Berry completes at-sea fisheries enforcement patrol off Hawaii
The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Berry (WPC 1124), a 154-foot Fast Response Cutter homeported in Honolulu, recently completed a 10-day patrol of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone in the Hawaiian Islands region. They conducted six boardings on Hawaii-based, U.S.-flagged long-line fishing vessels and issued eight safety and fisheries regulations violations.,, On Dec. 19, while conducting a boarding of a U.S.-flagged longline fishing vessel, the boarding team suspected a foreign national was acting as the vessel captain and operating the vessel. click here to read the story 18:13 
What would they say if it were commercial fishermen? – D.E.C. Officers Target Another Party Boat
On Saturday, for the second time in three weeks, State Department of Environmental Conservation officers boarded a Montauk-based party boat and charged anglers with possessing undersize and over-the-limit black sea bass and porgies. Benning DeLaMater, a D.E.C. public information officer, said in an email yesterday that the agency’s officers, along with a fisheries enforcement officer from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, had been on patrol in Montauk Harbor and inspected the Viking Starship when it returned to port.,,, A subsequent inspection of the vessel allegedly turned up more than 1,800 additional fish in 9 coolers and 19 buckets, all of which had been abandoned.,,, On Aug. 31, State D.E.C. officers observed fish being thrown overboard from another party boat, the Fin Chaser, click here to read the story 07:57
More than a ton of shrimp seized from illegal shrimpers, as another one swims away!
The inshore shrimp season is currently closed in most of Louisiana, but the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says it busted three shrimpers on two separate boats skimming for shrimp Thursday. Agents cited Daniel Palmisano, 32, of Marrero, John Friedman Jr., 66, and Steve Rodi, 54, both of Buras, for using skimmers during a closed shrimp season. A total of 2,355 pounds of shrimp were seized by the agents and sold at the dock to the highest bidder, the department said. click here to read the story 10:07 Illegal shrimper jumps in water, swims away from agents – A Montegut man who fled twice from authorities, including Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agents, turned himself in to the Lafourche and Terrebonne Sheriff’s Offices Thursday, the state agency reported. Mel Guidry, 37, had outstanding warrants for using butterfly nets during a closed season, taking commercial fish without a commercial license, commercial gear license and commercial vessel license, failing to tag butterfly nets while unattended, improper running lights, misrepresentation during issuance of a misdemeanor, flight from an officer and failing to complete trip tickets by a fishermen. click here to read the story
The price to pay for spearing 320 spiny lobsters was a trip to jail Sunday
The price to pay for spearing 320 spiny lobsters was a trip to jail Sunday — and hundreds of charges for seven out-of-state men. The men, who were pulled over in a rented boat on the oceanside of the Vaca Cut Bridge around 4:30 p.m. by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers, also had four out-of-season stone crab claws and eight fish fillets on the boat, according to FWC spokesman Officer Bobby Dube. On the boat was a bag containing 137 out-of-season wrung spiny lobster tails — 117 of which were undersized — the stone crab claws and fish, Dube said. click here to read the story 11:37
Striper Poaching Season Begins in Maryland!
On April 5, 2017, Maryland DNR reported that officers had charged nine men with possessing 87 striped bass from the waters of Dorchester County. On Saturday, an officer watched as four men caught striped bass and hid them in storm drains on Fishing Creek Bridge. The officer recovered 14 fish. Charged with possessing striped bass in a closed season were: Juan Manuel Bravo, 34, of Hyattsville; Emerson DeJesus Vargas Campos, 26, of Riverdale; Jairo Dario Ramierez, 22, of Upper Marlboro; and Elmer Antonio Castillo Araniva, 23, of Upper Marlboro. The next night, officers watched as five men from Prince George’s County caught fish and placed them in the trunk of an SUV. When officers stopped the vehicle and searched it, they found 73 striped bass in a duffel bag. There’s more! Lots more! continue reading the story here 17:03
Getting a Jump on the Competition! Two busted for shrimping in closed state waters
Two shrimpers got a jump on their competition Friday by dropping nets in an area where the season hasn’t opened yet, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries reported Monday. Enforcement agents say they spotted Hoang Nguyen, 55, of Katy, Texas, and Nile Franklin, 52, of Gretna actively shrimping inside state waters southeast of Marsh Island Refuge. The area is in Iberia Parish. Agents boarded the boat and found shrimp onboard as well as shrimp in the nets, the department said. The live shrimp were returned to the water, but the 3,409 pounds of sacked shrimp found onboard were seized and sold at the dock, according to the department. continue reading the story here 09:52
Marathon fisherman pinched for untagged lobster traps, bad bouy charges
A Marathon commercial fisherman faces more than 130 conservation counts after being charged with fishing illegal lobster traps. Franklin Garcia Jimenez, 40, was arrested before dawn Tuesday as part of a trap-tag case filed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers. Garcia is charged with “fishing more than 50 working, untagged traps,” agency information Officer Bobby Dube said. FWC Investigator Danielle Munkelt and Officer Adam Garrison also filed counts accusing Garcia of using buoys that were painted with the wrong colors and buoys that do not meet legal size requirements. All of the 136 counts are misdemeanors. Garcia posted a $68,000 bond and was released from the Monroe County jail Thursday. Read the rest here 20:45
Arraignment set for man accused of landing 183 illegal lobsters
James A. Santapaola Jr., the Gloucester lobsterman accused of landing 183 illegal lobsters last month at a local lobster wholesaler, committed a similar offense in 2006, according to the incident report filed by Massachusetts Environmental Police. On Wednesday, Gloucester District Court Clerk Magistrate Margaret Crateau issued a criminal complaint against Santapaola, 40, of 16 Forest Lane, for allegedly landing the illegal lobsters at Captain Joe & Sons Inc. on East Main Street on Nov. 8. Crateau set Jan. 20 for Santapaola’s arraignment in Gloucester on the misdemeanor charges. The criminal complaint charges Santapaola landed 569 lobsters at Captain Joe & Sons on Nov. 8 that included 144 undersize lobsters, two egg-bearing female lobsters and 37 lobsters with V-notches indicating a breeding female. Earlier, Environmental Police officials said the wholesaler is not culpable in the illegal landings because it never took the lobsters into its possession. Read the rest here 16:09
Fines issued in Cape Breton fishery case
Fines amounting to $24,000 and one-year prohibitions were issued Monday after 10 accused pleaded guilty to fishery violations. A total of 42 charges were laid but most were dismissed after the accused entered guilty pleas Monday. All of the charges related to the fishing of gaspereau which is primarily used by lobster fishermen as bait for their traps. Pleading guilty to a single count of obstructing fish way were Stephen J. Munden, 31, King Edward Street, Glace Bay; John Christopher Borden, 42, MacLean Street, Donkin; James Stephen Murrant, 46, Donkin Highway; Carson James Sullivan, 25, Reserve Avenue, Glace Bay; Michael Terrance Borden, 20, Donkin Highway; and James Christopher Borden, 18, MacLean Street, Donkin. Read the rest here 10:24
Virginia Marine Resources Commission revokes seven commercial fishing licenses at meeting
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission revoked the fishing licenses of seven commercial watermen at a meeting in Newport News on Tuesday, according to a release. VMRC spokeswoman Laurie Naismith said the licenses were revoked for “egregious or repeated violations of Virginia’s fishing laws and regulations.” Richard N. Fluharty of Tilghman, Md., was found to be illegally harvesting oysters and had his commercial license revoked for two years. Fluharty was convicted of four counts of failing to report harvests and three counts of forging public documents in Accomack County General District Court. His convictions led to his license revocation, the release stated. Robert N. Hogge’s commercial license was revoked for one year. Hogge, a Newport News resident, was convicted in Newport News Circuit Court of taking oysters from a public rock out of season, taking oysters with a hand scrape out of season and grand larceny. Anthony D. Hogge of Gloucester Point was convicted of multiple violations Read the rest here 14:40
Nanaimo fisherman sentenced to another 45 days in jail for repeat fishing violations
A man previously convicted for selling up to $100,000 in illegally-acquired crab and halibut has been given another jail term. Scott Steer, a fisherman based out of Nanaimo, was found guilty last month on eight charges of breaching his Fisheries Act prohibition order. As a result, he has been sentenced to an additional 45 days in jail, along with forfeiting his crab fishing gear and a vessel, the HOLLY V. In May, Steer was sentenced to 21 days after his arrest in April for “failing to comply with a court order banning him from being on any vessel other than BC Ferries.” Steer is now prohibited from applying for a new fishing lease, being onboard any fishing vessel, or having any fishing gear for 12 years. Link 09:25
St. Mary’s Watermen: One License Revoked, Another Charged with Fraud
A St. Mary’s County man had his commercial oyster license revoked after he was convicted last Thursday of harvesting oysters from polluted waters. Andrew Phillip Nelson, 20, of Hollywood, was charged in May with catching oysters from St. Inigoes Creek off the St. Mary’s River, an area closed to harvesting by the Maryland Department of the Environment because of pollution. A St. Mary’s County waterman has been criminally charged with running a commercial fishing fraud scheme, the Maryland Natural Resources Police reported. Robert Maurice Lumpkins, 62, of Piney Point, was charged Friday with perjury, false entry in a public record and theft between $10,000 and $100,000 for illegally obtaining the striped bass allocation of an ailing waterman and then allowing an employee to temporarily use the allocation. Read the rest here 15:41
Three face shrimping-related charges in Terrebonne
Three Chauvin residents face charges after complaints over the past two weeks about fishermen illegally catching shrimp in Bayou Little Caillou, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries 
said. David Blanchard, 35, and his deckhand Ellis Gilling, 35, were cited Wednesday on charges of taking commercial fish without a commercial license, failing to comply with bait dealer permit regulations and using skimmers in a closed season. Kenneth McDuff, 59, was cited on charges of allowing unlicensed fishermen to use a vessel license and gear license, and failing to comply with bait dealer permit regulations. Agents said they spotted Blanchard and Gilling unloading shrimp from a boat about 1 a.m. and asked to see their licenses. Read the rest here 09:46
Freeport fisherman prohibited from fishing for five months
A Freeport fisherman will have to miss five months of ground fishing next year. Beau Gillis pled guilty July 11 to failure to hail accurate weight of fish on board a vessel, possessing halibut less than 81 centimetres in length, offloading fish without a monitor, and possessing fish that cannot be identified. Department of Fisheries officers say they noticed suspicious behaviour during a surveillance patrol on Long Island on June 10, 2015. Fishery Officers pulled over Gillis and seized his truck and 1,134 pounds of halibut worth $11,340. Judge Timothy Landry ordered the forfeiture of Gillis’ truck and the proceeds from the fish plus fines totalling $10,000. Read the rest here 12:21
Two Maryland fishermen banned from fishing for striped bass forever
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources said that Michael D. Hayden Jr. and William J. Lednum, both of Tilghman Island, have received lifetime revocations of their striped bass privileges and have been suspended from all commercial fishing activity for the next year, followed by a four-year probationary period in all other fisheries. Their striped bass allocations are being returned to the commercial fishery allotment. In simpler terms, the two men were convicted of poaching and selling nearly $500,000 of striped bass over four years and have received lifetime bans from taking part in that fishery. Hayden and Lednum remain responsible for $498,000 in court-ordered restitution to the state of Maryland. Read the rest here 13:23:08
No-wake violation leads to 289 fishing violations for Delaware commercial waterman
DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Natural Resources Police arrested a commercial waterman June 3 for nearly 300 fishing violations, after boarding his vessel for a no-wake violation near the Lewes Public Boat Ramp on May 31. Most of the violations were for illegal take of knobbed conch, according to the department. Shawn P. Moore, 40, of Georgetown, was charged with 289 counts of possession of undersized knobbed conch measuring less than the legal size limit of 5 inches in length, plus four counts of unlawful method of take for summer flounder, four counts of possession of unlawfully taken fish, and one count each of no commercial license in possession while fishing and failure to observe a slow-no-wake zone. Moore pled not guilty to all charges at Justice of the Peace Court 3 in Georgetown and was released on a $15,400 unsecured bond pending a later appearance in the Sussex County Court of Common Pleas. Read the rest here 11:51
Two South Florida men sentenced for illegally poaching spiny lobsters
On Tuesday, 54-year-old Donny Caridad Gonzalez and 77-year-old Nemesio Garcia Gonzalez appeared in court to be sentenced for the crime that occurred on May 9, 2015. According to officials, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation officers observed a suspicious lobster shell inside a crab trap, even though the boat owner claimed no lobsters were on the boat. As officials investigated the boat, an officer found a total of 87 wrung lobster tails, 66 of which were undersized. The lobsters were illegally collected outside of regular lobster season, which is Aug. 6 through March 31. Read the rest here 08:50
Togiak fisherman ordered to pay $25,000 for 2015 violations
A Togiak man has pleaded guilty to fishing in a closed period and failing to register in the district. Kevin Harless, 53, a repeat offender, has been ordered to pay $25,000 for the violations. The F/V Good Deal still sits in the state trooper yard in Dillingham where it was impounded last summer. On July 2, Kevin Harless was caught salmon fishing nearly a nautical mile south of the Togiak River Section line, and he was not registered to fish in the Togiak District either. Law enforcement pounced, seized his vessel, and ended his season. Audio, Read the rest here 12:54
Fishermen plead guilty after finning 518 sharks
When Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agents bust you with 496 fish over your daily limit, you can bet the penalty is going to be severe. It was for two men caught in April 2012 with 11 whole sharks and 2,073 shark fins, taken from another 518 fish. Rick Nguyen, 37, of Buras, and Hung Anh Tiet, 29, of Dallas, Texas, pled guilty last week to shark finning and harvesting more than their limit of sharks. Shark finning is an illegal practice of removing the fins, the most profitable part of the shark, and discarding the rest of the body overboard. Read the rest here 13:03
Three Men Cited For Tuna Violations in Plaquemines Parish
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) agents cited three men for alleged commercial tuna violations in Plaquemines Parish. While on a Joint Enforcement Agreement (JEA) patrol in conjunction with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service, LDWF agents made contact with James A. Gerakines, 41, and Charles Updegraff, 52, both of Chalmette, and Perry Menesses, 58, of St. Bernard. The men were on the commercial fishing vessel “Jasmine” in the area of Tiger Pass located in Venice. Read the rest here 16:08
Illegal red snapper catches has Corpus Christi man facing 5 years in prison
The co-owner and operator of Exclusive Fishing Texas, Christopher James Garcia, has plead guilty to not reporting the catch of red snapper and illegally selling more than 1,000 pounds of the fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico. Back in 2013, undercover agents met with Garcia in San Antonio after he drove two separate loads of red snapper from Port Aransas. He had not reported the fish against his catch quota (a violation of federal law) and did not have a wholesale truck dealer’s fish license (a violation of Texas law). Read the rest here 16:47
Captains face charges after alleged illegal harvest
Two fishing boat captains are facing criminal charges after state environmental police say they caught the men harvesting surf clams in an area off Herring Cove Beach where fishing for the bivalves is prohibited. Matthews Collins, 29, of New Bedford, is scheduled to be arraigned today in Orleans District Court for allegedly harvesting surf clams onboard the F/V Aimee Marie on March 24,, The captain of the F/V Miss Maegan, Keith Opozda, 31, will also be summonsed to court to face a charge of harvesting surf clams shoreward of the 12-foot depth contour line at the same time as Collins, Read the rest here 15:55
Florida Fish and Wildlife arrest Four men for Fishery Violations
“These individuals knew exactly what they were doing. They built their vessels specifically to hide fish, and we knew that,” Pino said. “The level of disregard for Florida’s natural resources and the fact that these individuals just chose to violate the law, blatantly, is astonishing to even the most senior investigator that we had on the case.” The investigation targeted Vazquez Acosta and the owner of the second boat, 43-year-old Jorge L. Escalona. The FWC had received tips about illegal activity, all of which Pino said was confirmed by the arrests Saturday. Read the rest here 17:38
UPDATED: Virginia Marine Resources Commission revokes licenses of 5 watermen for violations
David S. Luckett Jr. of Hayes, Willie F. Shiflette Jr. of Hayes, Ava Marie Shiflette of Hayes and Charles Franklin Davenport of Hampton lost their licenses for two years, along with fishing privileges in Virginia’s tidal waters. The commission revoked the license and fishing privileges of Roger Lee Belvin of Achilles for one year. Davenport was convicted of several violations, including harvesting oysters from a condemned area. Read the rest here 12:49
DMR permanently revokes licenses of Swan’s Island fisherman
For the first time ever, a commercial fisherman in Maine has had all his licenses to fish permanently revoked, according to state officials. Citing Lucas Lemoine’s history of violations, Patrick Keliher, commissioner the state Department of Marine Resources, permanently revoked his commercial fishing licenses on Tuesday, department officials indicated in a prepared statement released Thursday evening. Lemoine, 33, had licenses to fish for scallops and lobster. Read the rest here 10:32
