Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAA Fisheries Service
- Office for Law Enforcement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 8, 2005
CONTACT: |
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Mark Oswell
(301) 427-2300 |
NOAA FISHERIES SERVICE SPECIAL AGENTS JOIN FORCES
TO PATROL OCULINA BANK
NOAA Fisheries Service’s Office for Law Enforcement (OLE)
special agents teamed with U.S. Coast Guard personnel and Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers in a patrol
operation within the Oculina Bank protected area.
During the operation, officers of the joint patrol from the Kingfisher,
supported by the C.T. Randall, boarded eleven fishing vessels.
The patrol units intercepted a commercial longline fishing vessel
outside of the protected area and discovered the fishing vessel’s
Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) unit did not appear to function
in the manner required. The fishing vessel was subsequently ordered
to return to Fort Pierce for dockside inspection by an OLE special
agent and Coast Guard marine safety inspectors.
A sport fishing vessel was also observed bottom fishing within
the Oculina closed area by the FWCC patrol vessel C.T. Randall.
OLE agents and FWCC officers checked the vessel and determined
that there were no snapper-grouper onboard. The owner/operator
was issued a warning for bottom fishing. Regulations prohibit fishing
for or possessing snapper-grouper in or from the area.
“This operation highlights the cooperative efforts between
the OLE, Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission in protecting the vital Oculina coral habitat,” said
Special Agent Richard Chesler, OLE – Southeast Division. “We
will continue to utilize various methods, including at-sea patrols,
VMS monitoring, and outreach to ensure compliance with the Oculina
regulations.”
The operation was conducted to ensure compliance with regulations
designed to protect the fragile coral habitat and the snapper-grouper
species that use the area for spawning and utilized Coast Guard
aircraft, the Cutter Kingfisher, and the Florida FWCC offshore
patrol vessel C.T. Randall to patrol the Oculina Bank Habitat Area
of Particular Concern and the Oculina Experimental Closed Area.
During these vessel checks, agents and officers provide sport
fishing vessel operators with the South Atlantic Fishery Management
Council‘s Fishing Regulations for U.S. South Atlantic Federal
Waters (May 2005) brochure. These brochures contain Oculina Bank
regulations and boundary coordinates, and can also be downloaded
from South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s website:
http://www.safmc.net/fishid/SAFMCregs05.pdf
To report illegal fishing activities contact the NOAA Fisheries
Service’s Enforcement Hot Line at 800-853-1964
NOAA Fisheries Service is dedicated to protecting and preserving
our nation’s living marine resources and their habitats through
scientific research, management and enforcement. NOAA Fisheries
Service provides effective stewardship of these resources for the
benefit of the nation, supporting coastal communities that depend
upon them, and helping to provide safe and healthy seafood to consumers
and recreational opportunities for the American public.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency
of the U.S. Commerce Department, 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.
Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems
(GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners and nearly 60
countries to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated
as the planet it observes.
On the Web:
NOAA Fisheries Service: www.nmfs.noaa.gov
NOAA: www.noaa.gov
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