The Maine Marine Patrol issued citations to two fishermen and a seafood wholesaler for violating laws designed to protect the Atlantic herring fishery. which has faced serious quota reductions in recent years.
Glenn Robbins of Eliot, Maine – who owns and captains the fishing vessel Western Sea – has been charged with exceeding the weekly limit of 160,000 pounds of herring and failing to file accurate reports of his harvest.
Ethan Chase of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who also operated Robbins’ vessel, was cited for failing to properly notify the Maine Department of Marine Resources prior to landing, and for exceeding the weekly harvest limit in September by over 110,000 pounds of herring, all of which was seized by Marine Patrol.
Dustin Reed, owner of wholesale seafood dealer New Moon Fisheries in Friendship, Maine, was charged with failure to report herring he purchased and failure to hold a permit to buy and sell herring.
“At a time when regulators have drastically reduced harvest limits to address declining Atlantic herring recruitment, this is an especially egregious violation.” said Marine Patrol Colonel Jay Carroll in a press release.
“These violations are nothing short of a blatant disregard of the rules that protect Atlantic herring,” said Commissioner Patrick Keliher. “Mr. Robbins has attended many herring management meetings over the years to speak to the need to protect this industry from over fishing. His actions and those of his crew are directly counter to his publicly stated positions – this is disappointing to say the least.”
The charges against Robbins, Chase and Reed could result in fines of USD 100 (EUR 91) per violation. Even though the civil fines are limited under law, the Commissioner of the Department of Marine Resources has the authority to suspend harvester and dealer licenses for failure to comply with reporting requirements and for exceeding landings limits.
