Weekly Highlights - June 4, 2021

Northeast

• An EO worked with U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Detroit Metro Airport, MI to inspect DHL Packages. The EO inspected multiple packages of Seafood and Supplements, no OLE violations were found. 

• An SEO and an EO conducted a joint operation in Ocean City, MD with the Maryland Natural Resources Police targeting HMS anglers and commercial scallop vessels. Thirteen vessels were boarded with two vessels having violations.

Southeast

• A Savannah Georgia EO prepared a case package for supervisory review regarding over 90 blue crab pots located east of Edisto Island, SC in violation of ALWTRP gear requirements.

• A Corpus Christi EO investigated a complaint in which a dog was swimming with a dolphin.  The Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network reported the photo posted on a social media site.  The EO determined that the owner of the dog was conducting “duck retrieval” training when the dolphin swam up to the dog.  The EO provided the dog owner a stranding network guideline/information sheet.

Alaska

• An Enforcement Officer investigated a landing after a vessel reported to have landed halibut from a statistical area in which the permit holder did not have quota available. Inspection of the logbook determined the issue was a clerical error arising due to a transposed coordinate and that the permit holder had failed to ensure the correct statistical area was reported. Compliance assistance provided.

• A team of Special Agents and Enforcement Officers conducted vessel patrols of the A/B line Canadian disputed border and Pearce and Portland Canal areas.

West Coast

• Eleven land patrols completed (three Magnuson Stevens Act, four Endangered Species Act, and four Marine Mammal Protection Act).  No violations found.

• One Port of Entry IUU inspection patrol completed. Possible U.S. Fish and Wildlife and CBP violations were noted.  No NOAA violations found.

Pacific Islands

• Special Agent and Joint Enforcement Agreement Partners from the Department of Marine & Wildlife Resources in American Samoa conducted inspections of containers with frozen fish, as part of the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP).  Review of the cargo manifest and physical inspection of the cargo confirmed the contents of the cargo were fish bait. The cargo was offloaded at Star-Kist Tuna Cannery. PID is working in coordination with Star-Kist and the ASG Customs office to identify and inspect all imported seafood products arriving in American Samoa from a foreign port.