NOAA''s Office of Law Enforcement has uncovered a conspiracy ring that illegally harvested Atlantic striped bass.
Two Special Agents from NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement spent more than 15,000 hours investigating an illegal fishing scheme that was operating off of the coast of North Carolina. Thirty co-conspirators were part of the illicit activity, but only 12 subjects were charged and sentenced in connection to this case, which saw 52 charges in 13 indictments.
The 12 subjects that were prosecuted for illegally harvesting 31,306 pounds (14 tonnes) of Atlantic striped bass in 2009 and 102,296 pounds (46 tonnes) in 2010. The annual trawl quota for North Carolina is only 160,160 pounds (72.60 tonnes), which means the illegal harvesting of this species reduced the quota available to be caught by honest fishermen.
The sentencing of the 12 subjects collectively resulted in:
- *The forfeiture of four vessels. The US Attorney’s Office initially sought forfeiture of seven vessels. Ultimately, four were forfeited and substitute assets in the amount of $124,000 were collected and paid to the US Marshals Service.
- *Restitution amounting to $1.23 million. The most egregious conspirator was ordered to pay $653,795. All restitution was paid to the US Treasury.
- *Probation from fisheries activities for a total of 38.5 years. The average probation sentence was three years. The maximum sentence was five years.
- *850 hours of community service. Seven of the 12 conspirators received community service, while three were individually sentenced to six months of home confinement.
