PRESS RELEASE
April 26, 2002
MAXIMUM FINES FOR HONDURAN FISHERMEN
Resident Magistrate, His Honour Mr. Martin
Gayle, levied maximum fines for environmental and fishing offences against
the 106 Honduran fishermen who were arrested by the Marine Police early
Sunday morning April 21, 2002. The fishermen were charged with illegal
fishing of conch and possession of a hawksbill turtle in Jamaican waters.
The Hondurans this morning changed their pleas from “not guilty”
to “guilty”.
The Captain, Jose Maguera and Chief Mate Jason
Olin, were each fined the maximum one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000)
or six (6) months imprisonment, under the Wildlife Protection Act, for
possession of an endangered species (a hawksbill turtle).
The Captain was also fined $1 million under the Aquaculture Inland
and Marine Products and By-Products (Inspection Licensing & Export)
Act for operating a factory vessel. The Court also forfeited the catch,
equipment and vessel to the crown.
Each
crewmember was fined one thousand dollars ($1,000) or 30 days each for
fishing without a license and five hundred dollars ($500) or 10 days
each under the Fishing Industry Act and Regulations for fishing lobster
and conch in the closed season. 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 in the Biodiversity Branch,
Richard Nelson, were present at the arrest to weigh the conch (1,119
lbs) and lobster and identify the hawksbill turtle. Senior Legal Officer,
Mrs. Joy Crawford, appeared on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture
while Mr. Gilroy English represented the National Environment and Planning
Agency (NEPA).
In January
2002, Resident Magistrate Her Honour, Mrs. Joyce Bennett awarded the
highest ever fines to date for environmental offences in Jamaica, when
she handed down fines for over $1 million 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”.
Contact: Rosemarie Chung, 754.7575, 906-1394
