Tag Archives: OLE
Coast Guard interrupts suspected illegal shrimp harvest off Key West
Coast Guard Cutter Isaac Mayo’s law enforcement crew detained a U.S. flagged fishing vessel Saturday for suspected shrimp fishing in the Dry Tortugas shrimp sanctuary during an annual closure period. The law enforcement team boarded the F/V Double E at approximately 7:30 p.m. and also discovered two safety violations. The vessel was escorted to Station Fort Myers Beach for further investigation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, Office of Law Enforcement, Southeast Division. >click to read< 19:31
Jury clears fish broker in alleged tuna smuggling scheme
A Marblehead tuna broker has been cleared of federal charges that he orchestrated a scheme to illegally catch and export bluefin tuna. Robert Kliss and his Lynn-based business North Atlantic Traders were found not guilty of charges that included conspiracy, smuggling and falsifying records, by a U.S. District Court jury on Friday. Kliss, his business and a captain-for-hire, John Cafiero, were indicted in April following a four-year investigation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and federal prosecutors. The allegations came to the attention of investigators in 2012, after a member of the crew on the famous fishing boat the F/V Hannah Boden came back from a swordfishing trip off the coast of Long Island, New York, and reported to the boat’s manager that Cafiero had also been fishing for bluefin. click here to read the story 21:17
NOAA Office of General Counsel, OLE Enforcement Actions January 1, 2016, through June 30, 20161
During this reporting period, NOAA charged 45 civil administrative cases, as follows:3 ALASKA 1. AK1201773; F/V Susan ‐ Owner and operator were charged under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for allowing the vessel to approach within 3 nautical miles of the Stellar sea lion rookery site located off of Marmot Island. NORTHEAST 15. NE1401038; F/V Janaya & Joseph ‐ Owner and operator were charged under the Magnuson‐Stevens Act for negligently and without authorization removing lobster traps owned by another person located in the EEZ. A $2,000 NOVA was issued. 16. NE1403707; F/V Paulo Marc ‐ Individual was charged NORTHWEST 27. NW1200668B; F/V Ceres ‐ Operator was charged under the Magnuson‐Stevens Act for taking, retaining, possessing, or landing more than a single cumulative limit of a particular species ‐‐ sablefish ‐‐ and so on. Read the rest here 11:41
“Fish Dealer X” Pleads Guilty in Connection with Fluke Research Set-Aside Violations
Alan Dresner pled guilty in federal district court on April 23, 2014, to one count of wire fraud for his participation in concealing the illegal harvest of fluke as part of the Research Set-Aside Program. noaa.gov Read more here 11:34
Western Pacific: Penalties for Purse Seine Fishing Violations Total More Than $1.5 Million
Decisions were issued the week of August 19, 2013, in two separate enforcement cases from the Pacific Islands involving U.S. purse seine vessels fishing in violation of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention Implementation Act (WCPFCIA)…. F/V American Triumph, F/V Ocean Encounter, F/V Ocean Conquest, F/V Sea Honor, F/V Sea Quest and F/V Pacific Ranger, the owners, operators and fishing masters were charged [email protected] 10:50
OLE Undercover: Anchorage man feels the sting! $15,000 dollars worth.
Sidney Bouschor of Anchorage, Alaska, was assessed a $30,300 civil penalty by the NOAA Office of General Counsel’s Enforcement Section on November 26, 2012, for operating a charter vessel with charter anglers on board without the required permit, in violation of the North Pacific Halibut Act and its implementing regulations. continued
Two Bering Sea pollock processors lied about catches, feds say
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s law enforcement division issued notices of violation to American Seafoods Company on May 8. The notices accuse the company of manipulating flow scales measuring B
ering Sea pollock catches in nearly 200 hauls of fish in 2011 and 2012, causing the scales to register lower weights. Operators of the Ocean Rover and the Northern Eagle then recorded loads of fish that were lighter than what they truly carried, the NOAA notices say. continued
Our View: Commerce Department’s release of report would help heal relationship with fishermen SouthCoastToday
Enforcement changes were implemented after Inspector General Todd Zinser’s report on whether different regions were being punished differently under NOAA, and on whether administration of the Asset Forfeiture Fund was appropriate, but the pace of the agency’s attempt to make good on inappropriate enforcement is holding back greater progress. http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121207/OPINION/212070308/-1/NEWS01
