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U.S. Coast Guard
Seventh District - Miami, FL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 17, 2002
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Public Affairs Office
305-415-6683 |
Coast Guard "catches" repeat offender; more than 17,000 pounds of illegal
shrimp seized from vessel
The Coast Guard Cutter Nantucket boarded the commercial fishing vessel Miss Christine V and seized its catch Monday night after the vessel was detected by Coast Guard air and surface assets fishing inside the Dry Tortugas North Ecological Preserve, an area closed to commercial fishing.
"This is the second time in less than a week that a Coast Guard helicopter from Air Station Miami and cutters from Key West have played a crucial role in catching suspected illegal fishing in the act," said Lt. Cmdr. David Cinalli, chief of fisheries enforcement for the Seventh Coast Guard District.
The 88-foot commercial fishing vessel was initially detected by the cutter Key Largo by radar as being within the boundaries of the preserve. An Air Station Miami helicopter was called and visually confirmed Miss Christine V was shrimp trawling in the federally protected area. The cutter Nantucket, also confirmed Miss Christine V's position with radar and found it to be inside the protected area.
Crewmembers from the Nantucket boarded the vessel and found approximately 1,000 pounds of shrimp on board.
The evidence package for this seizure has been forwarded to the National Marine Fisheries Service who will determine if a formal Notice of Violation will be issued.
This is the second time the Miss Christine V has had a catch seized in the past week. Thursday night law enforcement officers from Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission seized 16,259 pounds of shrimp from Miss Christine V after it was boarded for suspected fishing inside the State Tortugas Shrimp Sanctuary.
According to FWCC officials, Thursday's catch was sold for $23,682.25 and the owner of the vessel must pay a $3,500 bond to prevent the vessel's nets and net doors from being seized. Money from the catch goes into an escrow account pending the findings of an investigation.
The cutters Nantucket and Key Largo are 110-foot patrol boats from Key West, Fla.
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