Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAA Fisheries Service
- Office for Law Enforcement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 14, 2006
CONTACT: |
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Mark Oswell
(301) 427-2300
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NOAA PENALIZES PANAMA CITY FISHERMAN
FOR SHARK FINNING, OTHER FEDERAL FISHING VIOLATIONS
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued
a $68,000 civil penalty and a 100-day permit sanction to the owner
and operator of the fishing vessel Sea Angel for multiple
violations of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act.
On May 18, 2006, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
officers, operating under a Cooperative Enforcement Agreement
with NOAA Fisheries Service Office for Law Enforcement, conducted
a dockside inspection of the fishing vessel Sea Angel in
Port Canaveral, Fla. Onboard the vessel they discovered
fins of large coastal sharks. The fishing season for large coastal
sharks had already ended. Accordingly, the FWC officers contacted
NOAA special agents, who initiated an investigation. Subsequently,
the agents seized 91 pounds of shark fins and an undersized swordfish
carcass.
NOAA's Office for Law Enforcement utilized a shark fin
expert to sort and identify the fins by species. Additionally,
OLE special agents collected tissue samples which were submitted
to Nova Southeastern University 's Guy Harvey Research Institute
in Ft. Lauderdale , Fla. , for DNA analysis. This analysis confirmed
that some of the fins seized were also prohibited shark species,
specifically from dusky and night sharks.
"With the help of our enforcement partners
and with the use of technology such as DNA analysis, we were able
to catch these violators." said
Special Agent Richard Chesler, OLE - Southeast Division. "The destructive
practice of illegal shark finning is a serious threat to sustainability
of sharks in our oceans."
The Notice of Violation and Assessment
and Notice of Permit Sanction issued to the owner of the Sea
Angel, Fish Hunters, Inc.,
and operator Frank Davis III, list multiple counts of Magnuson-Stevens
Act violations. These violations include shark finning, possession
of large coastal sharks during a closure, possession of prohibited
sharks, possession of undersized swordfish, and operating a vessel
without a dolphin/wahoo operator permit.
The owner and operator
have 30 days to request a hearing before an administrative law
judge.
In 2007 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, celebrates
200 years of science and service to the nation. From the
establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson
to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Bureau of Commercial
Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America 's scientific heritage
is rooted in NOAA.
NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national
safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related
events and information service delivery for transportation, and
by 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,
more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop
a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet
it observes, predicts and protects.
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On the Web:
NOAA Fisheries Service: www.nmfs.noaa.gov
NOAA: www.noaa.gov
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