NOAA Fisheries: Office of Law Enforcement
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Department of Commerce
NOAA Fisheries Service
Office for Law Enforcement
- Southeast Division

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 7, 2006

CONTACT:
 

Mark Oswell
301-427-2300

MASSACHUSETTS FISHERMAN CITED FOR FISHING IN CLOSED AREA I NEAR GEORGES BANK AND FAILING TO FILE TRIP REPORTS  

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a $75,000 civil penalty to Terra Nova Fisheries, Inc. and Peter J. Cabral of Wellfleet, Mass., the owner and operator of the fishing vessel Terra Nova , for allegedly fishing in a restricted area and failing to file vessel trip reports on multiple occasions.

A Coast Guard patrol spotted the Terra Nova fishing for Atlantic sea scallops in Closed Area I near Georges Bank in October 2004. Although vessels may pass through the area with all gear hauled in, ground fishing is prohibited.

Following an investigation of the incident, NOAA issued a Notice of Violation Assessment in April 2006.

A NOAA Fisheries Service Office for Law Enforcement Special agent later discovered that mandatory monthly fishing vessel trip reports had not been filed by the Terra Nova from April 2004 through March 2006, resulting in two additional alleged violations of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

“Since fisheries regulations are based on stock populations and other factors, the monthly fishing reports are important to the industry and the Fishery Management Councils,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Louis Jachimczyk, OLE - Northeast Division.

The owner and operator have 30 days to request a hearing before an administrative law judge.

To report illegal fishing activities contact the NOAA Fisheries Service's Enforcement Hot Line at 800-853-1964.   In 2007 NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, celebrates 200 years of science and service to the nation. Starting with the establishment of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson much of America 's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA. The agency is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners and more than 60 countries to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes.  

On the Web :
NOAA Fisheries Service Office for Law Enforcement: www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ole
NOAA Fisheries Service: www.nmfs.noaa.gov
NOAA: www.noaa.gov

 

 
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