San Diego, California, U.S.A.-based seafood companies JM Fisheries LLC and G.S. Fisheries Inc. agreed to pay USD 720,000 (EUR 640,000) to settle Clean Water Act violations.
The settlement relates to a 2018 complaint brought by the U.S. Department of Justice alleging that the two companies discharged harmful quantities of oil from their U.S.-flagged commercial fishing vessel, Capt. Vincent Gann, into Pago Pago Harbor in American Samoa. DaCosta allegedly discharged oil and oily mixtures from the ship’s engine room while performing repairs on the vessel.
“The Coast Guard responded to the discharge in the harbor and oversaw the cleanup efforts. The complaint further alleges a host of violations of pollution-control regulations, including a failure to properly maintain and operate the vessel’s onboard oily water treatment system and a non-approved bypass modification to the system,” according to US DOJ News Today.
The consent decree – in which the companies, along with JF Fisheries General Manager James Sousa and the company’s chief engineer, Edward DaCosta, do not admit liability – call for the companies to pay USD 720,000, and for DaCosta to pay a civil penalty of USD 5,000 (EUR 4,400) to resolve the claims against him. Separately, JM Fisheries LLC reimbursed the U.S. Coast Guard for its assistance in cleaning up the discharge.
Additionally, to resolve the claims in the complaint, the consent decree requires the companies and Sousa to perform corrective measures on all vessels they own or operate, including hiring an independent maritime consultant to conduct a top-to-bottom review of each vessel’s oil-handling practices and operations; providing crew members with training on proper operation and maintenance of the oily water separator system and on the required recordkeeping associated with the system; documenting transfers of oil within and to each vessel; and submitting compliance reports to the Coast Guard and Department of Justice.
“Being a steward to our environment is everyone’s responsibility,” Arex Avanni, the commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu and Captain of the Port of Coast Guard District 14. “We take any violation, no matter the size, extremely seriously and will use all resources available to prevent, investigate and hold violators responsible.”
Photo courtesy of Brenda Smith DVM/Shutterstock
