Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAA Fisheries Service
- Office for Law Enforcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 31, 2006

NOAA CITES WASHINGTON FISHERMAN FOR OPERATING A VESSEL IN ROCKFISH CONSERVATION ZONE  

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of General Counsel for Enforcement and Litigation recently charged Seattle fisherman Knut Pedersen with fishing illegally in the Rockfish Conservation Area off the coast of Washington State. The Agency is seeking to impose a $212,570 monetary penalty for the alleged illegal fishing and several related violations.

Pedersen is the owner and operator of the fishing vessel Puget Sound . The NOAA Fisheries Service Office for Law Enforcement initiated an investigation after OLE Vessel Monitoring System technicians, using VMS satellite tracking technology, noted the FV Puget Sound operating in the conservation area, which extends along the entire West Coast of the United States . The conservation area is an area where fishing is restricted and monitored to protect certain fish species that have been depleted by years of overfishing.

During the investigation, Special Agent Alan Wolf, NOAA Fisheries OLE Northwest Division, uncovered multiple apparently illegal fishing trips during August 2005. The Agency alleges that the FV Puget Sound unlawfully conducted five fishing trips in the conservation area and three other fishing trips without activating its required VMS unit.

Based on the OLE investigation , NOAA issued a 13-count Notice of Violation and Assessment alleging multiple violations of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The alleged violations include fishing in a restricted area, fishing without an active Vessel Monitoring System, providing false statements to a Federal agent, and failing to file vessel trip reports on multiple occasions. In addition to the $212,570 proposed monetary penalty, a Notice of Permit Sanction was issued based on the same violations, proposing to suspend the vessel's federal fishing permit for 90 days. The owner and operator has 30 days to request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge in regard to these civil penalties.

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, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

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