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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 8, 2005

NOAA FISHERIES SERVICE SPECIAL AGENTS JOIN FORCES TO PATROL OCULINA BANK

NOAA Fisheries Service’s Office for Law Enforcement (OLE) special agents teamed with U.S. Coast Guard personnel and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers in a patrol operation within the Oculina Bank protected area.

During the operation, officers of the joint patrol from the Kingfisher, supported by the C.T. Randall, boarded eleven fishing vessels. The patrol units intercepted a commercial longline fishing vessel outside of the protected area and discovered the fishing vessel’s Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) unit did not appear to function in the manner required. The fishing vessel was subsequently ordered to return to Fort Pierce for dockside inspection by an OLE special agent and Coast Guard marine safety inspectors.

A sport fishing vessel was also observed bottom fishing within the Oculina closed area by the FWCC patrol vessel C.T. Randall. OLE agents and FWCC officers checked the vessel and determined that there were no snapper-grouper onboard. The owner/operator was issued a warning for bottom fishing. Regulations prohibit fishing for or possessing snapper-grouper in or from the area.

“This operation highlights the cooperative efforts between the OLE, Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in protecting the vital Oculina coral habitat,” said Special Agent Richard Chesler, OLE – Southeast Division. “We will continue to utilize various methods, including at-sea patrols, VMS monitoring, and outreach to ensure compliance with the Oculina regulations.”

The operation was conducted to ensure compliance with regulations designed to protect the fragile coral habitat and the snapper-grouper species that use the area for spawning and utilized Coast Guard aircraft, the Cutter Kingfisher, and the Florida FWCC offshore patrol vessel C.T. Randall to patrol the Oculina Bank Habitat Area of Particular Concern and the Oculina Experimental Closed Area.

During these vessel checks, agents and officers provide sport fishing vessel operators with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council‘s Fishing Regulations for U.S. South Atlantic Federal Waters (May 2005) brochure. These brochures contain Oculina Bank regulations and boundary coordinates, and can also be downloaded from South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s website: http://www.safmc.net/fishid/SAFMCregs05.pdf

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.

On the Web:
NOAA Fisheries Service: www.nmfs.noaa.gov
NOAA: www.noaa.gov