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NOAA 2004-R151 |
NOAA
News Releases 2004 NOAA Home Page NOAA Public Affairs |
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration cited Timothy William Ott and his son, Timothy James Ott, a $75,000 Notice of Violation and Assessment and a 75-day Notice of Permit Sanction on May 11 for exceeding daily Atlantic bluefin tuna catch limits and making false statements to an authorized officer. NOAA is an agency of the Department of Commerce. Timothy James Ott is alleged to have landed five Atlantic bluefin tuna on the FV Hot Tuna Oct. 19, 2003 at Saquatucket Harbor in Harwich, Mass., at the direction of his father. The legal landing limit for the vessel at the time was three Atlantic bluefin tuna per day. The Otts allegedly attempted to hide the illegal landing by falsely stating to special agents from NOAA’s Office for Law Enforcement that two of the five Atlantic bluefin tuna were landed by another vessel. “The outcome of this case was the result of a joint investigation between the NOAA Office for Law Enforcement and the Massachusetts Environmental Police,” said Special Agent Louis Jachimczyk, Office of Law Enforcement – Northeast Division. “Successful Investigations like these highlight the positive cooperation that is fostered by joint enforcement agreements.” NOAA requires an accurate accounting of all Atlantic bluefin tuna caught off the East Coast of the U.S. to ensure proper management of the species. 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. On The Web: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: http://www.noaa.gov National Marine Fisheries Service: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov NOAA’s
Office For Law Enforcement: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ole |
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