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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 16, 2005

NOAA SANCTIONS A MAINE SEAFOOD COMPANY DEALER PERMIT FOR FOUR YEARS

On Dec. 5, 2005, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) entered into a settlement agreement with Maine’s Best Seafood that prohibits Maine’s Best Seafood from purchasing seafood from boats that hold a federal fisheries permit for a period of four years. The settlement agreement concluded a case in which Maine’s Best Seafood was assessed a civil penalty by NOAA’s Office of General Counsel for failure to file timely dealer reports.

The investigation, conducted by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service Office for Law Enforcement (OLE) revealed that between Jan. and Sept. of 2003 Maine’s Best Seafood failed to file dealer reports for the purchase of quahog clams in a timely manner. Dealer reports are important because they enable NOAA Fisheries Service to better manage the Maine quahog fishery by tracking the amount of quahogs harvested as the year progresses. This prevents illegal overfishing and provides for a sustainable harvest.

“These rules are important to assist fisheries managers in maintaining a sustainable quahog fishery,” said Special Agent Ross Lane, NOAA Fisheries Service Office for Law Enforcement - Northeast Division. “This information is also critical to ensure that this Downeast fishery remains a viable option for the future.”

To report illegal fishing activities contact the NOAA Fisheries Service’s Enforcement Hot Line at 800-853-1964.

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries Service) is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation’s living marine resources and their habitat through scientific research, management and enforcement. NOAA Fisheries 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. To learn more about NOAA Fisheries, please visit: www.nmfs.noaa.gov.

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 our federal partners and nearly 60 countries to develop a global Earth observation network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.