A commercial scallop boat was cited on 9 April in New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.A., for failing to disclose to authorities a cache of scallops hidden aboard the vessel, Massachusetts Environmental Police inspectors reported.
The vessel, Lugia, was on a “closed area trip,” which restricts the landing limit for scallop meats to a specific poundage. Authorities offloaded the vessel’s recorded catch during a routine inspection and found the boat to be well over the allowable weight.
“Upon completion of the off-load, the vessel was found to be over the limit by 300 pounds. Multiple bags of scallop meats were found hidden throughout the interior of the vessel,” the Massachusetts Environmental Police said on its Facebook page.
Lugia’s operator was issued a citation for failing to display catch, and the overage was reported to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for further enforcement.
Massachusetts Environmental Police did not respond to SeafoodSource’s request for comment. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for NOAA said it is “standard NOAA policy not to discuss ongoing or potential investigations.”
Photo courtesy of the Massachusetts Environmental Police
