The captain of a squid-fishing vessel has been fined by the state of California for illegally dumping wastewater in state waters.
According to the Ventura County Deputy Attorney, William Porter McHenry was caught dumping “stick water” – a mixture of squid ink and water with high levels of ammonia – in state waters. State regulations require commercial fishing vessels to go 3 miles offshore into federal waters before dumping stick water.
“This case highlights the importance of protecting our coastal waters,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Karen Wold said in a statement. “Illegally dumping harmful waste threatens our marine ecosystem and the livelihoods of those who depend on it.”
On 6 December 2024, McHenry, the owner and operator of McHenry Fisheries and captain of the 67-foot squid-catching vessel Sea Pearl, dropped off 206,298 pounds of squid in Ventura Harbor, receiving back the stick water from Silver Bay Seafoods.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) then observed the Sea Pearl head back out to sea to dump the stick water; however, the ship turned back to shore before ever crossing into federal waters. A CDFW officer boarded the vessel and confirmed that almost all of the stick water had been dumped, while the vessel’s navigation track logs confirmed that it had never left state waters.
In a settlement, McHenry must pay USD 8,445 (EUR 7,381) in environmental restoration funds to the Ventura County Fish and Wildlife Fund and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, USD 6,555 (EUR 5,729) in penalties and investigation costs to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, and a USD 1,889 (EUR 1,651) fine for unfair business practices.
