Department of Commerce
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
NOAA Fisheries Service
- Office for Law Enforcement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 30, 2005
CONTACT: |
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Mark Oswell / Marie Trenti
301-427-2300
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NOAA SEIZES ILLEGAL LOBSTERS AT THE CALAIS, MAINE
PORT OF ENTRY
From Dec. 18 through Dec. 23, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA
Fisheries) Office for Law Enforcement (OLE), the Maine Marine Patrol,
and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducted an enforcement
operation at the Calais, Maine port of entry. This border operation
targeted lobster and other seafood shipments entering the United
States from Maritime Provinces of Canada. The operation coincided
with the annual increase in lobster imports for the holiday season.
Over $30,000 in civil penalties were issued in the form of Summary
Settlements. These penalties were levied against the Canadian exporters
for attempting to import illegal harvested lobsters.
Of the approximately 70 tractor trailers that were entering the
United States, 31 were found to be transporting illegal lobster
and violating the United States fisheries regulations. Cases where
more than eleven illegal lobsters were discovered will go to NOAA’s
General Counsel for Enforcement and Litigation (GCEL) for assessment
and potential civil penalties.
“These lobsters being imported into the United States have
to meet the exact same restrictions that are placed on individuals
fishing for lobsters in federal waters along the East coast,” said
Special agent Ross Lane, OLE – Northeast Division. “Everyone
is operating on an even field.”
The illegal lobster violations include possession of undersized
lobsters, egg-bearing lobsters, V-notched female lobsters, and
mutilated female lobsters. The “V-notched female lobster” is
any female lobster with a V-notched cut into the second left flipper
indicating the lobster was bearing eggs when harvested. A mutilated
female lobster has her second left flipper broken off to hide or
obliterate such a V-notch mark.
“We’re please with the outcomes of this operation
in catching so many violations,” stated Deputy Special Agent
in Charge Todd DuBois, NOAA Fisheries Service Office for Law Enforcement – Northeast
Division. “However, we are also concerned with the level
of non-compliance.”
General random “spot checks” of seafood importations
will continue as they have in the past. As well as targeted border
operations.
To report illegal fishing activities contact the NOAA Fisheries
Service’s Enforcement Hot Line 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
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