A commercial fisher from South Carolina has been sentenced to a year of incarceration after a federal jury found him guilty of making false statements about his catch.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, in March 2023 Augustine, Florida, U.S.A. resident Don Rynn directed his son to ignore existing quotas and “catch as many fish as he could.” The vessel returned a week later with 560 pounds of snowy grouper – three times the legal limit – and 450 pounds of tilefish, again above the legal limit.
Rynn claimed that the vessel had only caught the legal limit, while claiming that a second vessel had caught some of the fish. Additional fish from the haul were transported to Georgetown, South Carolina, and disposed of, with Rynn claiming they had been contaminated by a fuel spill when confronted by NOAA agents.
“It is our job to protect honest fishermen. This verdict should serve as a reminder that those who break the rules will be held accountable,” Manny Antonaras, the assistant director of NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement, Southeast Division, said in a statement. “The expertise of our investigators and state partners at South Carolina’s Saltwater Unit were integral in the successful prosecution of this case.”
With evidence gathered by NOAA law enforcement, the Justice Department charged Rynn with making false statement about his catch and lying to federal officials. A federal jury found him guilty in March 2025.
“NOAA Fisheries’ special agents and state officers obtained key prosecution evidence, including testimony implicating the subject, logbooks and video footage.” Antonaras said. “The video footage showed Rynn and his fishing vessel crew illegally transferring fish between the Maximum Retriever and another of his managed boats, the Crystal C.”
While the charges carried a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to USD 250,000 (EUR 231,000), Rynn was sentenced to 12 month and a day of incarceration and a USD 7,500 (EUR 6,385) fine by District Judge Richard M. Gergel on 22 July.
