Saving Seafood

US: Forced labor continues on Thai fishing vessels

April 14, 2016 — WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department said Wednesday that forced labor on Thai fishing vessels has continued in the past year despite legal reforms and arrests following an Associated Press investigation into the country’s seafood industry.

The department made the assessment in its annual global review of human rights practices, released in Washington by Secretary of State John Kerry. The report covers the 2015 calendar year.

The report finds that the Thai government has reaffirmed its “zero tolerance” policy for human trafficking and updated many laws that enhance regulatory powers and increase punishment for violations. An amended anti-trafficking law provides protection to whistleblowers and gives authorities the power to halt operations temporarily or suspend licenses of businesses and vehicles involved in human trafficking.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The New Jersey Herald

Maine Marine Patrol Arrest Gardiner Man for Illegal Possession of Elvers

April 7, 2016 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

The Maine Marine Patrol arrested Dana Wayne-Holmes, 61 of Gardiner on Saturday April 2 for illegal possession of elvers. Illegal possession of elvers is a criminal offense and is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2000 fine.

Holmes was arrested in Waldoboro after an investigation by the Marine Patrol revealed that he was attempting to purchase and sell elvers without a license. Holmes held an elver dealer license in 2015, however he does not hold a current dealers license.

Also charged in the investigation was licensed harvester Irving Banks, 47 of Jefferson. Banks was charged with exceeding his individual elver quota, also a Class D crime punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2000 fine.

In addition to fines and jail time, Banks faces possible one-year administrative suspension of his current license while Holmes faces possible one-year suspension of his right to obtain a dealer license in the future.

“It is a privilege to have an elver license in Maine,” said Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner. “This is one of the most lucrative fisheries we have, and one that has required a great deal of work by the Maine DMR and law abiding members of industry to sustain and manage. I will use the full extent of my authority to investigate and bring to justice anyone who violates laws that help us protect this valuable fishery.”

The Marine Patrol investigation involved eight Marine Patrol Officers including Lieutenant Jay Carroll, Sergeant Russell Wright, Sergeant Rob Beal, Sergeant Matt Talbot, Specialist Matt Sinclair, Officer Brian Brodie, Officer Jon Luellen, and Officer Chris Hilton.  The Marine Patrol seized thirteen and half pounds of elvers from Holmes worth an estimated value of more than $18,000 based on per pound value at the time of the violation.

Dana Wayne-Holmes (Two Bridges Regional Jail)

Dana Wayne-Holmes (Two Bridges Regional Jail)

FLORIDA: Men sentenced for poaching spiny lobsters in Miami-Dade waters

April 5, 2016 — MIAMI — Two South Florida men have been sentenced for illegally poaching spiny lobsters in Miami-Dade County.

On Tuesday, 54-year-old Donny Caridad Gonzalez and 77-year-old Nemesio Garcia Gonzalez appeared in court to be sentenced for the crime that occurred on May 9, 2015.

According to officials, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation officers observed a suspicious lobster shell inside a crab trap, even though the boat owner claimed no lobsters were on the boat. As officials investigated the boat, an officer found a total of 87 wrung lobster tails, 66 of which were undersized.

The lobsters were illegally collected outside of regular lobster season, which is Aug. 6 through March 31.

Read the full story at WSVN

Indonesia Sinks 23 Foreign Fishing Boats

April 5, 2016 — JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian authorities on Tuesday blew up 23 foreign vessels that were captured for fishing illegally in the country’s waters.

The boats, 13 from Vietnam and 10 from Malaysia, were blown up simultaneously in seven ports from Tarakan in northern Kalimantan to Ranai on the Natuna Islands in the South China Sea.

Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti witnessed the destruction, which was coordinated by the navy, coast guard and police, via live-streamed Internet video at her office in downtown Jakarta.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The New York Times

NOAA accepting final comments on new illegal seafood rules

April 5, 2016 — PORTLAND, Maine — Federal fishing regulators who are hoping to crack down on illegal fishing imports are closing the public comment period on proposed new rules.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has supported changes that would create a new system to collect data about commercial fishing catch. The new rules would also track trips ashore and the chain of custody of fish and fish products imported into the U.S.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the New Jersey Herald

Former Canadian Mountie accused of smuggling narwhal tusks awaits trial in Maine

March 17, 2016 — A retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer is in U.S. custody awaiting trial on charges stemming from the smuggling of narwhal tusks.

Gregory Logan, 58, of St. John, New Brunswick, waived the right to a detention hearing Wednesday in Bangor after being extradited to face charges of money laundering after pleading guilty in Canada to smuggling narwhal tusks, prosecutors said.

U.S. prosecutors say Logan smuggled 250 tusks worth $2 million across the border into Maine in hidden compartments in his vehicle.

Narwhals are medium-sized whales known for spiral tusks that can grow longer than 8 feet. They are protected by the U.S. and Canada. Their tusks, like elephant tusks, are valued for their use in carvings and jewelry-making.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Portland Press Herald

Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated Fishing Costs Pacific $616 Million

March 15, 2016 — WELLINGTON, New Zealand – An independent report released by the Forum Fisheries Agency has for the first time put a value on the amount of illegal, unreported and unregulated tuna fishing in the Pacific.

The report, which took two years to complete, indicates the amount of lost revenue annually in the region is around US$616 million dollars, or just over 306 million tonnes.

It also shows most offending is due to misreporting by licensed fleets, with unlicensed fishing vessels only making up four percent of offending.

Read the full story at Pacific Islands Report

Private Sector Demonstrates that Seafood Traceability is Possible and Profitable

March 9, 2016 — Ordering seafood off a menu in your favorite restaurant or from your local grocery store’s seafood counter may not be as simple as you think. Right now, it is far too difficult for consumers to know basic facts about the seafood on their plates, such as what species of fish they are actually buying, where the fish is coming from, and how it was caught. The prevalence of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing around the world means that you might be eating an endangered species caught in a protected area, and seafood fraud – the mislabeling of seafood products – means you probably wouldn’t know if you were. Fortunately, a new report released this week by Oceana demonstrates that full-chain traceability for our seafood – a full accounting of its path from catch to consumption – is both achievable and beneficial.

Last month, the Obama administration’s Presidential Task Force on Combating IUU Fishing and Seafood Fraud released a proposed rule that requires traceability to the first point of entry into U.S. commerce for certain species considered “at risk” of these activities. While it is an encouraging sign that the administration is addressing the problems of IUU and seafood fraud, the actions proposed do not go far enough. The proposed rule is currently open for public comment until April 5. Ultimately, the final rule should expand the documentation requirements to all seafood and extend traceability throughout the entire seafood supply chain.

Consumers deserve accurate information about the origins of their seafood, and Oceana’s new report, Fish Stories: Success and Value in Seafood Traceability, demonstrates the feasibility of such a practice. Oceana’s report spotlights the efforts of more than 15 companies that are using traceability now. As the report details, full-chain traceability isn’t just possible; it’s a profitable option for businesses that helps their customers make responsible choices.

Read the full story at The Huffington Post

Jail terms sought for men trafficking fishermen in Indonesia

February 27, 2016 — TUAL, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian prosecutors are seeking prison sentences of up to 4 1/2 years for five Thais and three Indonesians accused of human trafficking in connection with slavery in the seafood industry.

The suspects were arrested in the remote island village of Benjina last May after the slavery was revealed by The Associated Press in a report two months earlier.

The victims — 13 fishermen from Myanmar who testified under protection of Indonesia’s Witness and Victim Protection Agency — told the court that they had been tortured, forced to work up to 24 hours a day and were not paid. They also said they were locked up in a prison-like cell in the fishing company’s compound.

In their sentencing demand, prosecutors on Friday sought 4 1/2-year sentences for Thai captain Youngyut Nitiwongchaeron and four countrymen — Boonsom Jaika, Surachai Maneephong, Hatsaphon Phaetjakreng and Somchit Korraneesuk — as well as Indonesian Hermanwir Martino.

They sought 3 1/2-year sentences for two other Indonesians, Yopi Hanorsian and Muklis Ohoitenan.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at Gloucester Daily Times

Slave Labor on the High Seas

February 20, 2016 — Shocking revelations about the international fishing industry’s reliance on slave labor have caused many people to question the origin of the shrimp or tuna they eat. The disclosures have also led the United States to take some important new steps to clamp down on the use of indentured workers and discourage other unlawful activities on the high seas.

President Obama is expected to sign legislation that effectively bans American imports of fish caught by forced labor in Southeast Asia. The bill, passed by Congress this month, would close a loophole in the Tariff Act of 1930 that prohibits imports made by convicts or forced labor but exempts such goods if American domestic production could not meet demand. Now that is expected to end. The president recently signed an agreement allowing officials to deny port services to foreign vessels suspected of illegal fishing.

In another useful move, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this month said it would improve how seafood is tracked from catch to market by imposing new reporting requirements on American importers, who purchase from overseas sources 90 percent of the seafood that humans and pets consume in the United States. These new requirements would affect 16 species, including cod, snapper and some tuna, and are intended to protect species that are overfished or at risk of being overfished by cracking down on illegally caught or mislabeled fish.

Read the full editorial at The New York Times