cdiver2
Contributor
They should hang this guy
Fishing boat captain accused of excessive catch
Thursday, April 7, 2005
Hundreds of illegal grouper were seized by wildlife officials.
After following up on a tip, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers seized hundreds of illegal fish from a fishing boat as it docked in St. Petersburg Thursday morning.
The captain of the MGB Fishing Vessel will be charged with violating federal laws regulating the amount and size of fish that can be taken.
Wildlife officers said the sheer size of the violations was a shocker.
"We were surprised at the amount of violations that they found," said Lt. Roger Young of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "It's not uncommon to find minor violations here and there, but I think the magnitude of the violations that the officers found set them back just a little bit."
Hundreds of red grouper were seized from the boat because they were not the proper size. Grouper have to be more than 20 inches long to be legal catches.
Officers also found dozens of shark fins, which is a violation of National Marine Fishery laws. The fins are sold for high prices in countries like Japan, while the rest of the shark carcasses are discarded.
The fishing boat's captain faces federal charges.
All the violations could eventually affect the price consumers pay for some seafood.
"This will eventually drive the price of fish up because you're talking about depleting a resource which is not ready to be harvested yet," Young said.
The captain of the boat will have to appear in federal court to answer the charges. If convicted, he could face large fines and even lose his fishing boat.
The fish seized will be sold and the money placed into an escrow account until the captain's court date.
The fishing boat captain has not been arrested, so Bay News 9 is not reporting his name, in accordance with the station's crime guidelines.
Fishing boat captain accused of excessive catch
Thursday, April 7, 2005
Hundreds of illegal grouper were seized by wildlife officials.
After following up on a tip, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers seized hundreds of illegal fish from a fishing boat as it docked in St. Petersburg Thursday morning.
The captain of the MGB Fishing Vessel will be charged with violating federal laws regulating the amount and size of fish that can be taken.
Wildlife officers said the sheer size of the violations was a shocker.
"We were surprised at the amount of violations that they found," said Lt. Roger Young of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "It's not uncommon to find minor violations here and there, but I think the magnitude of the violations that the officers found set them back just a little bit."
Hundreds of red grouper were seized from the boat because they were not the proper size. Grouper have to be more than 20 inches long to be legal catches.
Officers also found dozens of shark fins, which is a violation of National Marine Fishery laws. The fins are sold for high prices in countries like Japan, while the rest of the shark carcasses are discarded.
The fishing boat's captain faces federal charges.
All the violations could eventually affect the price consumers pay for some seafood.
"This will eventually drive the price of fish up because you're talking about depleting a resource which is not ready to be harvested yet," Young said.
The captain of the boat will have to appear in federal court to answer the charges. If convicted, he could face large fines and even lose his fishing boat.
The fish seized will be sold and the money placed into an escrow account until the captain's court date.
The fishing boat captain has not been arrested, so Bay News 9 is not reporting his name, in accordance with the station's crime guidelines.
