Department of Commerce NOAA Fisheries
Office for Law Enforcement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 8, 2001
CONTACT: |
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Chris Smith
(727) 570-5301 |
RED SNAPPER POACHER ORDERED TO PAY $18,000
Late last month in Mobile, Ala., Albert C. Adams, owner and operator
of the fishing vessel LILLIE LOUISE, was ordered to pay a fine
for unlawfully harvesting red snapper during the closure of this
recreational and commercial fishery, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration announced today.
Administrative Law Judge P. Thomas
McElligott, assessed an $18,000 civil monetary penalty as well
as a 120-day permit suspension against
Adams for numerous charges including unlawfully harvesting 474
pounds of red snapper, possessing 29 undersized red snapper, making
false statements to an authorized officer regarding his fishing
activities, and impeding the conduction of the investigation.
The
charges filed by NOAA upheld the 1976 Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act.
"Judge McElligott's decision should alert the fishing community
that those who break the rules designed to rebuild the overfished
red snapper fishery will be brought to justice," said NOAA
Enforcement Attorney Cynthia S. Fenyk. "It simply does not
pay to violate the law and is even more foolish to compound any
violation with lies and efforts at concealment."
"A concerned citizen called us with information about Adams'
poaching activity and NOAA enforcement agents conducted the investigation
that led to the charges," said Gene Proulx, special agent
in charge of NOAA's Office for Law Enforcement's Southeast Office. "This
case illustrates how one well-founded call can help curtail poaching.
Our enforcement staff will work with everyone to ensure that our
nation's precious marine resources are harvested at a sustainable
rate."
Adams has 30 days to appeal the decision.
NOAA Fisheries urges
all citizens to report suspected fishery violations during weekly
business hours of 8:00 a.m. - 4:30
p.m. Eastern,
to its Southeast Region Law Enforcement Division at (727) 570-5344,
or after hours and weekends at its National Enforcement Hotline
at (800) 853-1964.
This and other Southeast Regional news releases
and fishery bulletins are available on the region's Internet
home page:
http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov or
NOAA's Internet home page, http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2001/feb01/noaasero01005.html.
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