Tag Archives: NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement
James Binniker Named New Director of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement
Mr. James Binniker has been selected as the new director of the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement. In this new role, Mr. Binniker will lead the agency’s work to enforce laws that conserve and protect our nation’s protected marine resources, places, and habitats, as well as to advance actions to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and promote sustainable fisheries management. Mr. Binniker will assume his new role on September 23. As the newly appointed head of the Office of Law Enforcement, Mr. Binniker brings a strong combination of skills and experience. The office is responsible for enforcing more than 40 federal statutes over more than 3 million nautical miles of open ocean, 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline, 16 National Marine Sanctuaries, and Marine National Monuments. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:47
Montauk Fisherman Gets 30 Months for Fraud
Christopher Winkler, 64, whose trawler is called New Age, was convicted last October on one count of federal criminal conspiracy, two counts of mail fraud, and two counts of obstruction of justice. A federal jury was unanimous in finding the evidence convincing that between 2014 and 2017, Mr. Winkler had falsified fishing reports to sell the fluke and black sea bass well in excess of legal limits with a “conservative wholesale valuation” of $750,000, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. Last Thursday, Judge Joan M. Azrack of the U.S. Eastern District Court in Central Islip sentenced Mr. Winkler to 30 months in prison with two years’ supervised release. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:24
Long Island Fisherman Sentenced for Role in Fisheries Fraud Conspiracy
A Long Island, New York, fisherman was sentenced yesterday to 30 months in prison and two years of supervised release for his role in a fisheries fraud conspiracy associated with his captainship of the trawler F/V New Age from 2014 to 2017. In October 2023, a jury convicted Christopher Winkler, of Montauk of one count of federal criminal conspiracy, two counts of mail fraud and two counts of obstruction of justice. On at least 200 fishing trips, Winkler targeted summer flounder (fluke) and black sea bass and harvested those fish in excess of quotas and state trip limits. He also falsified Fishing Vessel Trip Reports for those trips. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:45
Letter: West Coast fishermen under NOAA siege, too
Much has been revealed about the heavy-handed tactics of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement during the era of Jane Lubchenco’s leadership. As a West Coast fisherman, I’ve always felt an uneasy sense of relief that it seemed mostly contained to the East Coast. But it’s important for the fishing industry not to forget what happened back then as history has a cruel way of repeating itself. After all the congressional hearings, special government overseers, and a multitude of unfavorable findings about NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement’s unscrupulous behavior, Read the rest here 09:12 Read about the Robinson Brothers here
Lusby man sentenced for trafficking illegally harvested striped bass
somdnews.com – A former Stoney’s Kingfishers Charters fishing boat captain was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia for allegedly illegally harvesting and selling striped bass, in violation of the Lacey Act. continued
What’s Behind Spike in Gulf Coast Dolphin Attacks? psst,,, they say it’s you fishermen. The psychologist’s weigh in.
NatGeo – According to a December report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in 2012 three dolphins with gunshot wounds were found “stranded” (or washed ashore) along the Gulf Coast—the highest number since 2004. continue reading
Boat owner disputes illegal ‘liner’ charge
The owner of the Gloucester trawler Princess Laura, which faces civil charges for using an illegal “net liner” in its trawl net, said Thursday that the Coast Guard mistook some gillnet that had been picked up while hauling back on a groundfishing trip about 100 nautical miles east of Cape Ann for an illegal liner — or double netting system. Read more
From NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Director Bruce Buckson – Draft Division Enforcement Priorities for 2013
Jan. 24, 2013 Today we posted our Draft Division Enforcement Priorities for 2013 and I invite you to send us your comments. The document will be available for the next 60 days here on our website. You can email us your comments at [email protected] or mail them to NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, attention Tracy Dunn, 8484 Georgia Ave., Suite 415, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Click here
