NEWS RELEASE 

April 24, 2002

For Immediate Release                                            

Honduran Fishermen plead not guilty

The 104 Honduran fishermen who were arrested by the Marine Police early Sunday morning April 21, 2002, yesterday pleaded not guilty to charges of illegal fishing of conch and possession of a sea turtle in the court of Resident Magistrate His Honour Mr. Martin Gayle. The Hondurans are charged under the Fishing Industry Act and Regulations, the Aquaculture Inland and Marine Products and By-Products (Inspection Licensing & Export) Act and the Wildlife Protection Act.

According to Senior Legal Officer with the Ministry of Agriculture, Joy Crawford, the Captain and Chief Mate are charged with fishing without a license, operating an unlicensed boat, operating a factory vessel, fishing in the closed season and catching and destroying buried lobsters.  Legal Officer of the National Environment & Planning Agency (NEPA), Gilroy English, said they were also charged with possession of an endangered species. The 106 crew members face charges of fishing in the closed season.

If convicted, the Hondurans face maximum fines ranging from J$200 to Jamaican J$1,000 dollars for all charges except operating a factory vessel, for which the maximum fine is Jamaican $1million and possession of endangered species, for which the maximum fine is J$100,000.

The Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard apprehended the Honduran vessel, the “Captain Hanks”, on Saturday, April 20, 2002 off the Pedro Banks in Jamaica’s territorial waters.

NEPA Enforcement Officer Marva Smith-Moodie and Coordinator Biodiversity Branch, Richard Nelson were present at the arrest to weigh the conch and lobster and identify the turtle.

In January 2002, Resident Magistrate Her Honour Mrs. Joyce Bennett awarded the highest ever fines for environmental offenses in Jamaica, when she handed down fines for over $1million for fishing charges and  $80,000 for charges under the Wildlife Protection Act to the Captain and Chief Mate of the Honduran vessel “Thunder Ridge”.  The trial of the crew of “Captain Hanks is set for Friday, April 26, 2002.

Contact: Rosemarie Chung, 754.7575, 906-1394