FLORIDA FISHERMAN FINED FOR FALSIFYING PERMIT APPLICATION

On Dec. 9, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) settled a fishery violation case with Christopher S. Barbara of West Palm Beach, Fla. Barbara was fined $3,000 for falsifying information on a fishing permit application, in violation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Based on the information Barbara provided, NOAA Fisheries approved his application and issued several permits, including a commercial Spanish mackerel permit, to the fishing vessel Vamos.

Qualifications for receiving a commercial Spanish mackerel vessel permit are tied to earned income criteria by the applicant. Specifically, at least 25 percent of the applicant’s earned income (or at least $10,000), must have derived from commercial fishing (i.e., harvest and first sale of fish) or from charter fishing during one of the three calendar years preceding the application. Barbara did not meet this earned income requirement.

Office for Law Enforcement special agents from the Miami Field Office conducted an audit and investigation of Barbara’s application in Nov. 2001, and discovered that Barbara falsely certified that he had met the applicable earned income requirement for the requested permit.

NOAA Fisheries is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation’s living marine resources through scientific research, management, enforcement and the conservation of marine mammals and other protected marine species and their habitat.

NOAA 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.

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http://www.noaa.gov.

To learn more about NOAA Fisheries and responsible marine mammal viewing, please visit:

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov.