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Department of Commerce
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
NOAA Fisheries Service
- Office for Law Enforcement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
06-HQ004
January 26, 2006
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Mark Oswell
(301) 427-2300
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NOAA INVESTIGATES VESSEL FISHING REPORTS
Charges against FV Reaper Pending Review
NOAA General Counsel for Enforcement & Litigation issued Gregory
Duckworth and the FV Reaper, Inc. a $280,000 civil penalty and
a two year suspension of vessel and operator permits on 14 counts
of failure to file accurate Fishing Vessel Trip Reports (FVTR)
between November 15, 2002 and December 15, 2003.
The Port Judith, R.I., based fishing vessel’s alleged reporting
failures were identified by NOAA Fisheries Service’s Office
for Law Enforcement (OLE). Subsequent information revealed that
the reports were filed, but not within the required time period.
As a result, a review of the charges is pending.
FVTR’s are used by NOAA Fisheries Service to monitor a record
of the total amount of species that are caught, whether landed
or discarded.
To report illegal fishing activities contact the NOAA Fisheries
Service’s Enforcement Hot Line at 800-853-1964.
NOAA Fisheries Service is dedicated to protecting and preserving
our nation’s living marine resources and their habitats through
scientific research, management and enforcement. NOAA Fisheries
Service provides effective stewardship of these resources for the
benefit of the nation, supporting coastal communities that depend
upon them, and helping to provide safe and healthy seafood to consumers
and recreational opportunities for the American public.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency
of the U.S. Commerce Department, is dedicated to enhancing economic
security and national safety through the prediction and research
of weather and climate-related events and 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 nearly 60
countries to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated
as the planet it observes.
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