Weekly Highlights - September 20, 2019

Northeast

• An Enforcement Officer issued a summary settlement to the owner of a restaurant for receiving a Bluefin tuna without a federal dealer permit.

• An Enforcement Officer examined an air cargo import of canned tuna in support of  a US Customs and Border Protection Office of Trade Enforcement operation to detect tariff avoidance. The exam detected 142 cases of tuna imported without a proper Fisheries Certificate of Origin, Captains Statements, or an electronically filed data set. The importer has been notified and will be receiving a $2,000 summary settlement.

Southeast

• A New Bern, NC Enforcement Officer conducted landside patrols of Wanchese, Atlantic Beach, Radio Island, Ocean Isle and Beaufort, NC to conduct outreach and to investigate an Observer complaint.  An outreach effort emphasizing compliance assistance was conducted with shrimpers in the Pamlico Sound area.

Alaska

• A Special Agent and Enforcement Officer completed a patrol on the P/V NATOMA Bay. Three vessels were boarded. The patrol covered the area of Tongass Narrows and West Behm Canal. Two state violations were documented for undersized sport Dungeness Crab and failure to record yellow eye rockfish.  One Federal violation was documented for failure to record a Charter Halibut Permit.

Pacific Islands

• A Special Agent received a hotline complaint of a group of canoe paddlers belonging to a local recreational club harassing and approaching too close to a pod of Melon-Headed Whales on Sugar Beach on the Island of Maui. The Special Agent subsequently spoke to the president of the club and reminded him, and their members of the MMPA regulations enforced by NOAA OLE.