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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19, 2007

Florida Seafood Company Settles with NOAA for Red Snapper Violations

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has settled a civil penalty and fishing permit sanction with a Destin, Fla., man who violated Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery regulations.

William J. Sexton, owner and operator of Sexton’s Seafood Inc., was charged with violating fisheries laws on two separate occasions when he failed to obtain a transaction approval code before placing his vessel on a trailer and transporting the red snapper from Joe’s Bayou boat ramp in Destin, Fla. to his business on Highway 98 in Destin.

A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer had previously warned Sexton that he must obtain a transaction approval code prior to transporting the red snapper to his seafood business. Sexton also violated the red snapper advance notice of landing requirements by identifying his land-locked business facility as his vessel’s location of landing.

On January 1, 2007, NOAA implemented an Individual Fishery Quota Program in the Gulf of Mexico commercial red snapper fishery as a management tool to reduce overcapacity and eliminate overfishing.  This new IFQ program replaced traditional Class I and II licenses; and monthly 10-day fishing seasons. This new management measure aims to restore red snapper in the Gulf.

NOAA charged Sexton with an $11,500 civil penalty, a 35-day permit sanction and forfeiture of proceeds in the amount of $1,413 from the sale of seized fish. In lieu of a court hearing, Sexton settled with NOAA and agreed to pay the entire $11,500 civil penalty and forfeit proceeds from the sale of the fish to resolve the matter.

NOAA’s Office of General Counsel for Enforcement and Litigation issues Notice of Violation and Assessments to inform alleged violators of the civil penalties; and issues Notice of Permit Sanctions to inform the alleged violator(s) of any permit sanctions.

NOAA 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.

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