Federal review recommends reforms for US fishery enforcement agency, urges transparency
A nationwide review of how the nation's fisheries are policed found Northeast fishermen were given double the fines of other regions and urged reforms to make the penalty process appear "less arbitrary and unfair."
The report released Thursday by the Commerce Department's inspector general followed persistent complaints by New England fisherman.
Massachusetts state Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, a Democrat who represents the fishing town of Gloucester, said the first step is a change in mentality to see fishermen as small businessmen, not criminals.
"This is not about cops and robbers," she said. "It's about fishermen complying with the regulations."
The report, which included interviews with 225 people around the country, found a total of $5.5 million in fines for the Northeast. The next closest area was the Southeast, with $2.2 million in fines.
The inspector general said fishermen believe the fines are cheaper to settle than to fight. For instance, one Northeast fishermen said he was fined $75,000 and had his catch seized for fishing in an illegal area, though tracking data showed he was moving to fast too have fished there. He settled for $25,000.
Fishermen expressed concern that fines amounted to a "bounty" because NOAA keeps the money. The report said NOAA couldn't determine how the money was used due to "weak internal controls," and the inspector general's office said it was commissioning a forensic audit.
The report also faulted NOAA for giving its enforcement attorneys broad discretion on determining the amounts of the fines, but no process to review if the fines are fair.
"As such, we find it difficult to argue with those who view the process as arbitrary and in need of reform," it said.