April 15, 2026 — A New Jersey Captain and seafood dealer have been sentenced in federal court after NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement uncovered what officials described as a lucrative scheme to illegally harvest and sell excess scallops.
The case began in April 2021, when enforcement officers boarded the captain’s vessel and discovered scallops concealed in a hidden compartment– an initial finding that would lead to a four-year investigation involving NOAA special agents and officers, with assistance from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.