BOSTON – The Coast Guard escorted fishing vessel Jessica & Susan to New Bedford, Mass. Tuesday night after finding the vessel fishing for Northeast Multispecies with undersized nets.
A law enforcement team from the Coast Guard Cutter Campbell, of Kittery, Maine, boarded the 63-foot fishing vessel about 4:45 p.m. east of Nantucket, Mass. The boarding team found the vessel using net mesh smaller than the required 6.5 inch opening.
Coast Guard Enforcement personnel escorted the vessel to New Bedford, Mass., where a NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement agent seized the catch, with an estimated value of $40,000. Final enforcement results pend NOAA investigation.
The Campbell as well as Coast Guard assets from Station Chatham and Station Menemsha conducted the escort.
As the nation’s primary federal maritime law enforcement agency, the U.S. Coast Guard is committed to supporting the sustainability of the nation’s fishery resources by enforcing laws and regulations that prohibit illegal fishing practices.
Source: First District Public Affairs
Technorati Tags: Coast Guard, NOAA, Cutter Campbell, Station Chatham, Station Menemsha
