FY 2018 Annual Report

NOAA Office of Law Enforcement
About NOAA Law Enforcement 

Staffing and Budget 

Equipment and Training 

Special Programs 

Cooperative Enforcement and Vessel Monitoring Systems 

Investigative Analysts

International Program 

Combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing 

Implementing Port State Measures

Alaska Division 

Significant Investigations

Enforcement Activities 

Northeast Division

Significant Investigations

Enforcement Activities 

Pacific Islands Division 

Significant Investigations

Enforcement Activities 

Southeast Division 

Significant Investigations

Enforcement Activities 

West Coast Division

Significant Investigations

Enforcement Activities 

Appendix 

2

2

3

5

5

6

9

9

10

12

13

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) successful management of living 

marine resources depends on the effective enforcement of federal laws and regulations. In fiscal year 

2018, NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) played a critical role in supporting the NOAA Fisheries 

mission by enforcing the laws, rules, and regulations that conserve and protect our nation’s ocean 

resources and their natural habitat. Through our efforts to ensure compliance with these laws and 

regulations, OLE aims to support sustainable fisheries, combat illegal fishing, reduce seafood fraud, 

and protect marine resources to ensure they’re around for future generations. 

Specific information about our enforcement activities in fiscal year 2018 is included in this report, and 

shows the variety of ways OLE is carrying out our enforcement mission. For example, in OLE’s Alaska 

Division, we placed four new patrol vessels into service, which will help improve patrol coverage 

and enforcement efforts along Alaska’s vast coastline. In the Southeast Division, agents uncovered 

a fishing scheme that involving 50,000 pounds of illegally harvested reef fish. In the Pacific Islands 

Division, agents put an end to a wildlife trafficking operation involving whale bone and sea turtle shell. 

In the West Coast Division, a case involving 250,000 pounds of illegally harvested sea cucumber 

resulted in jail time for the ring leader. Exemplifying the challenging, complex, and multi-faceted nature 

of modern conservation law enforcement, OLE’s Northeast Division wrapped up a case involving 

millions of dollars in mislabeled crab meat. 

Commercial fishing is a global industry, so the focus and reach of our enforcement activities must also 

be global. OLE works closely with foreign governments to implement several international treaties 

related to marine resources. As part of the U.S. government’s efforts to support the recently ratified 

Port States Measures Agreement (PSMA), OLE provided training to our counterparts in Indonesia, 

Thailand and The Philippines on how to conduct boarding and inspections of vessels entering their 

ports to look for violations. By providing training assistance to port inspectors and law enforcement 

personnel from other countries on boarding techniques, information sharing, and other tools to 

combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, OLE continues to support the global 

response to this global problem. 

OLE continues to be successfully engaged in helping to ensure that domestic laws and regulations 

and international obligations are effectively enforced. That success, however, would not be possible 

without the efforts of a dedicated cadre of enforcement professionals within OLE, and the synergies 

realized through strong international, federal, state, and territorial partnerships. As OLE continues to 

strengthen both its internal staffing organization and these partnerships, I look forward to building on 

these successes in the year ahead. 

Director’s Message

JAMES LANDON

Director, Office of Law Enforcement

National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

U.S. Department of Commerce

1 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service
NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement protects marine wildlife and habitat by 

enforcing domestic laws and supporting international treaty requirements 

designed to ensure global resources are available for future generations. 

OLE special agents, enforcement officers, and enforcement support staff 

provide stakeholders with compliance assistance and education about the 

nation’s marine resource laws. 

While OLE enforces marine resource protection laws, the Office of the 

General Counsel’s Enforcement Section (GCES) is NOAA’s civil prosecutor. 

Together, the two offices make up NOAA’s enforcement program and work 

with other NOAA program offices to establish national law 

enforcement policy. 

OLE supports the core mission mandates of NOAA Fisheries—maximizing 

productivity of sustainable fisheries and fishing communities, as well as 

protection, recovery, and conservation of protected species—through 

its efforts to enforce and promote compliance with the marine resource 

protection laws and implementing regulations under NOAA’s purview. 

Stats and Facts about OLE

OLE jurisdiction generally covers ocean waters between 3 and 200 miles 

offshore and adjacent to all U.S. states and territories; this is called the 

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Jurisdiction includes:

• 3.36 million square miles of ocean.

• More than 95,000 miles of U.S. shoreline.

• 13 National Marine Sanctuaries and five Marine National Monuments.

Staffing and Budget

To cover this extensive territory, OLE personnel are assigned to five 

divisional offices and 50 field offices throughout the states and U.S. 

territories. Additionally, OLE partners with state and territory law 

enforcement agencies and other federal organizations to maximize 

efficiency. OLE is staffed by 173 employees—64 special agents, 53 

enforcement officers, and 56 mission and investigative support personnel. 1 

Staffing

Protecting the nation’s marine environment and helping to ensure a level 

playing field for those whose jobs and businesses rely on the fair use of our 

marine resources requires a significant commitment of personnel. 

Guided by the staffing plan, written and approved in FY 2016, OLE recruited 

22 new uniformed enforcement officers—nine of whom came to us through 

Veterans Recruitment Appointments. 

1 Data as of September 30, 2018.

Headquarters 

Staffing Snapshot

• 21 Full-Time Employees 

- 1 Director (Senior Exec. 

 Service)

- 1 Deputy Director

- 7 Special Agents

- 10 Mission Support 

- 2 Investigative Support

• 13 Contractors

Headquarters Budget: $17.2 million

About OLE

2 
Budget

The FY 2018 allocation for Fisheries Enforcement was 

$69.0 million. OLE distributed these funds among five 

sub Program, Project, and Activities (PPAs), which are: 

• $40.3 million for Enforcement and Surveillance. 

• $18.2 million for the Cooperative Enforcement 

Program (CEP), which provides joint enforcement 

agreements with state and U.S. territory natural 

resources enforcement agencies.

• $6.9 million for the Vessel Monitoring 

System (VMS) program.

• $1.4 million for the High Seas Driftnet 

Act Implementation.

• $1.9 million for NOAA Fisheries activities 

related to Driftnet Act Implementation.

Equipment and Training

Vessel Acquisition

Cost: $1.28 million

2018 saw the deployment of four new patrol vessels 

in OLE’s Alaska Division. Two vessels measure 

approximately 30 feet in length and have been 

deployed in the South Central Alaska area and Kodiak; 

and together the vessels cost $864,900. The other two 

vessels measure 30 feet and are used in Southeast 

Alaska; combined the vessels cost $431,764.72. 

The new Alaska patrol boats bring the OLE total 

number of patrol vessels to 26.

Vessels

Alaska Division

Cape Elizabeth – 37 feet

Kingfisher – 37 feet

Natoma Bay – 30 feet

Sitkoh Bay – 30 feet 

Aleutian Wind – 27 feet

Chinook Wind – 27 feet

Taku Wind – 26 feet

Williwaw Wind – 26 feet

Kenai Guardian – 26 feet

Susitna – 20 feet

Northeast Division

F3403 – 34 feet

F3404 – 34 feet

Pacific Islands Division

F3503 – 35 feet

Southeast Division

F3402 – 34 feet

F3401 – 34 feet

Seahunter2 – 29 feet

Carolina – 25 feet

Titusville – 24 feet

Galveston – 24 feet

Barracuda – 24 feet

Harlingen – 24 feet

West Coast Division

F2706 – 27 feet

F2708 – 27 feet

Almar – 21 feet

North River – 17 feet

Water Skeeter – 13 feet

ABOUT OLE

3 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service
Vehicles

The OLE mission requires the use of a large fleet of 

law enforcement vehicles. Our special agents and 

enforcement officers need to be out in the field and 

on the docks to perform their jobs. OLE primarily leases 

vehicles from the General Services Administration 

(GSA). In FY 2018 OLE continued to transition from 

a fleet of owned vehicles, to a fleet of GSA leased 

vehicles. At the end of FY 2018, just over 85 percent 

of the OLE fleet of vehicles was leased through GSA.

Headquarters – 4 vehicles

Alaska Division – 41 vehicles

Northeast Division – 33 vehicles

West Coast Division – 38 vehicles

Pacific Islands Division – 20 vehicles

Southeast Division – 43 vehicles

Training

All OLE enforcement officers and special agents 

attend training at the Federal Law Enforcement 

Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, Georgia. The 

extensive training received for initial entry to the 

force spans a total of 28 to 30 weeks.

Enforcement Officers and special agents also attend 

a yearly law enforcement refresher in-service training. 

During the week-long course mandatory content 

includes a variety of topics designed to ensure our 

special agents and enforcement officers are 

maintaining required qualifications and have the 

most up-to-date case law review, legal requirements, 

and policy information.

Becoming an Enforcement Officer:

• 12 Weeks – FLETC Uniformed 

Police Training Program 

• 4 Weeks – FLETC Marine Law 

Enforcement Training Program

• 12 Weeks – NOAA Field Training 

and Evaluation Program 

Becoming a Special Agent:

• 12 Weeks – FLETC Criminal 

Investigator Training Program 

• 4 Weeks – FLETC Marine Law 

Enforcement Training Program

• 2 Weeks – FLETC Case Organization 

and Presentation Training Program

• 12 Weeks – NOAA Field Training 

and Evaluation Program

Port State Measures Training Program

As the primary office responsible for enforcement of the 

Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter, 

and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated 

Fishing (PSMA), OLE developed a domestic training 

program for implementing the Agreement in 2016. 

Specific training modules were designed to ensure 

law enforcement personnel are well versed in the 

requirements of the U.S. implementing legislation—

the PSMA Act of 2015 (16 USC § 7401 et. seq.), the 

Agreement itself, and relevant regional fisheries 

management organizations’ (RFMO) conservation 

and management measures. 

For more information about Port State Measures and 

international training information, see page 9. 

ABOUT OLE

4 Office of Law Enforcement Annual Report FY18
• Alabama

• Alaska

• American Samoa

• California

• Connecticut

• Delaware

• Florida

• Georgia

• Guam

• Hawaii

• Louisiana

• Maine

• Maryland

• Massachusetts

• Mississippi

• New Hampshire

• New Jersey

• New York

• Northern Mariana Islands

• Oregon

• Puerto Rico

• Rhode Island

• South Carolina

• Texas

• Virginia

• Washington

Headquarters: 

Special Programs

Cooperative Enforcement Program 

OLE enhances its active presence, visibility, 

and interactions with the regulated industry 

by partnering with state and territorial marine 

and natural resource enforcement agencies 

through the Cooperative Enforcement 

Program (CEP). OLE’s partnerships with 

these agencies help promote compliance 

with federal laws and regulations under the 

purview of NOAA. OLE agents and officers 

leverage Joint Enforcement Agreements 

(JEAs) to conduct multi-agency operations 

and to carry out OLE’s mission. 

Under the CEP, OLE has signed 27 JEAs, 

which deputize state and U.S. territorial 

marine law enforcement officers to enforce 

federal laws and regulations. Below are the 

states and territories with which we have 

signed agreements: Vessel Monitoring System 

The Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) is a satellite surveillance 

system primarily used to monitor the location and movement 

of commercial fishing vessels in the U.S. EEZ and treaty areas 

for compliance purposes. The system uses satellite-based 

communications from transceiver units on-board vessels that 

are required to carry them. The transceiver units send data that 

include vessel identification, time, date, and GPS location. The 

vessel operators can also use these units to communicate by 

sending electronic forms, fishing declarations, and even text 

messages over email.

In FY 2018, the OLE VMS program monitored more than 4,500 

vessels. The VMS program shares data with authorized partners 

such as the U.S. Coast Guard for homeland security and fisheries 

enforcement purposes, NOAA’s science centers for fisheries 

management purposes, Department of Defense for national 

security missions, and the public (in aggregated form) for a 

variety of uses and studies. 

Additional capabilities and uses of VMS include:

• Monitoring sensitive areas such as marine 

sanctuaries and marine national monuments.

• Monitoring activity and arrivals in port to plan 

for sampling.

• Supporting catch share programs.

• Tracking, monitoring, and predicting fishing 

effort, activity, and location.

• Coordinating observer trips.

• Identifying fishing vessels.

In FY 2018, NOAA issued approximately $407,421 in reimbursement 

payments to fishermen to ease the cost burden associated with the 

purchase of their onboard transceivers.

ABOUT OLE

5 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service
Investigative Analysts

Background

OLE’s Analyst Team provides 

in-depth research and analytic 

support on a broad range 

of international fisheries law 

enforcement issues—including 

criminal networks, enforcement 

operations, investigations, 

suspected import trade violations, 

and cooperative international 

fisheries enforcement—and support 

for policy development. The Analyst 

Team fuses information and data 

from a variety of official and open 

sources, evaluates its reliability, 

and applies analytic techniques to 

develop judgments or additional 

context that significantly enhance 

OLE’s operations. 

Commercial Targeting 

and Analysis Center (CTAC)

Through a memorandum of 

understanding with U.S. Customs 

and Border Protection (CBP), OLE 

participates as a member agency 

of CBP’s Commercial Targeting 

and Analysis Center (CTAC). This 

multi-agency facility provides OLE 

analysts with direct access to CBP 

import processing, targeting, and 

law enforcement systems, as well 

as other member agencies’ data 

systems. Leveraging the CTAC 

resources, the Analyst Team 

identifies suspicious shipments 

prior to their U.S. arrival, place 

“holds” for physical examinations 

of selected consignments by OLE, 

and coordinates with other CTAC 

participating agencies. 

In FY 2018, the Analyst Team 

expanded on previous outreach 

efforts at the CTAC by conducting 

a CBP-only webinar explaining 

the OLE mission and import 

enforcement role to approximately 

130 CBP officers at ports of entry 

nationwide. The CTAC Analyst also 

participated in meetings involving 

DHS, CBP, and NOAA Fisheries 

IASI to discuss requirements, 

methodologies, and timelines to 

implement the new U.S. Court of 

International Trade order banning 

U.S. imports of fisheries products 

caught with gillnets in the Sea of 

Cortez, Baja Mexico—a step to 

protect the endangered Vaquita 

porpoise that is taken as bycatch 

as a result of the illegal trade in 

Totoaba swim bladders.

Team Support

The analysts provide support that 

includes sharing of resources and 

databases, review of products, and 

general support for requests for 

information (RFIs) from OLE agents 

and officers. In FY 2018, the Analyst 

Team responded to some 200 RFIs 

in support of investigations through 

the use of proprietary databases 

and intelligence research tools. 

The team leveraged its presence at 

CTAC to respond to an additional 

544 requests to research or take 

operational action on suspicious 

international shipments of seafood entering the United States. In 

addition, the Analyst Team responded to approximately 340 RFIs that 

supported international policies, the 

Presidential Task Force to Combat 

IUU Fishing and Seafood Fraud, and 

RFMO annual meetings.

PSMA and International Outreach 

In support of the Port State 

Measures Agreement (PSMA), 

the Analyst Team is responsible 

for reviewing all foreign flagged 

fishing and fishing support vessels 

scheduled for arrival in U.S. port. 

For FY 2018, the Analyst Team 

reviewed more than 1,400 vessel 

announcements of arrival (ANOAs) 

and 850 unique vessels and 

forwarded about 4 percent of those 

to the respective OLE division for 

further screening. The Analyst Team 

also supported OLE’s international 

PSMA efforts by taking part in PSMA 

trainings in Indonesia, Thailand, 

and Philippines.

During FY 2018, the Analyst Team’s 

international activities also included 

presentation and evidence review 

at an INTERPOL-sponsored meeting 

in Jakarta, Indonesia concerning 

the seized IUU vessel STS-50 

(aka Aida, Andrey Dolgov, etc.), 

a matter in which the team had 

previously supported international 

attempts at location. The Analyst 

Team also participated in the U.S./

Canada Fisheries Bilateral Meeting 

and met directly with the Canadian 

Intelligence lead to discuss potential 

collaboration efforts.

Technology 

The Analyst Team has worked 

to evaluate emerging vessel 

location and tracking technology, 

stay apprised of developments in 

existing systems, and has pursued 

contacts with NOAA partners 

to further advance such system 

familiarity and access. In FY 2018, 

such work included:

• Participation in the Intelligence 

Support Working Group 

(ISWG) to discuss AIS 

technology sources.

• Taking part in a demonstration 

of the Office of Naval 

Research’s “Sealink Advanced 

Analysis (S2A)” Program. This 

new, unclassified version of 

Sealink will allow us more 

routine system access and 

enhanced tracking capabilities.

• Cooperation with the Coast 

Guard Maritime Intelligence 

Fusion Center Atlantic 

(MIFCLANT) to participate in a 

beta test with Vulcan, an effort 

to better identify vessels of 

concern that have “gone dark” 

in order to avoid detection.

• A site visit and liaison with 

the National Reconnaissance 

Office (NRO). Discussion topics 

included drift net beacon 

detection technology now 

in NOAA testing, as well as 

partnership and additional 

activities in support 

of IUU fishing missions.

ABOUT OLE

6 Office of Law Enforcement Annual Report FY18
Combating Wildlife Trafficking

OLE’s work in wildlife trafficking largely 

encompasses the illegal handling of 

marine wildlife products protected under 

the Endangered Species Act, Marine 

Mammal Protection Act, and Shark Finning 

Conservation Act. Our sworn personnel 

enforce these statutes by working with 

enforcement counterparts at ports and 

borders to identify illegal trade routes and 

the possession, purchase, and transfer 

of such products. 

As one of several agencies included in 

the Presidential Task Force on Wildlife 

Trafficking, OLE assisted with the 

development of guiding principles and 

priorities that will inform the U.S. strategic 

plans to combat wildlife trafficking within 

focus countries and engage in collaboration 

with non-governmental agencies. 

Additionally, as directed by the Eliminate, 

Neutralize, and Disrupt (END) Wildlife 

Trafficking Act of 2016, OLE assisted with 

the drafting of the first END wildlife 

trafficking report to Congress as well as 

the annual strategic assessment of the 

implementation of the Act.

OLE also participated in joint enforcement 

inspections targeting illegal or illicit marine 

wildlife products with both Canadian 

and Mexican counterparts at different 

points this year, alongside U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service, CBP, the Food and 

Drug Administration (FDA), and state 

enforcement partners. OLE has also 

participated in international representation 

and engagement with respect to wildlife 

trafficking, including attending and 

presenting at the China-Mexico-U.S. 

Trilateral on the totoaba this year.

ABOUT OLE

7 
8 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

Enforcement Activities at a Glance

OFFICE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT
International Programs

Combating Illegal, 

Unreported, and 

Unregulated Fishing

The United States is one of the 

world’s leading destinations 

for globally harvested seafood. 

Estimates indicate that more than 

90 percent of the seafood 

consumed annually in the United 

States is imported. OLE’s mission 

includes ensuring that the seafood 

products being sold in American 

markets, whether domestically 

caught or imported, are legally 

harvested so that honest fishermen 

have a fair market in which to 

compete. The OLE International 

Program plays a key role in this 

mission by combating illegal, 

unreported, and unregulated (IUU) 

fishing, fishing-related activities, and 

trade in IUU fish and fish products. 

This requires a multi-faceted 

approach that includes:

• Monitoring imports into the 

United States, as well as 

seafood products in 

global trade. 

• Partnering with other federal 

and state law enforcement 

agencies to combat IUU fishing 

and seafood fraud throughout 

the United States.

• Engagement in multi-lateral 

and bilateral discussions with 

international partners to create 

enforceable provisions to 

combat IUU fishing and develop 

cooperation and collaboration 

in detecting, deterring, and 

interdicting IUU fishing 

activity and trade.

• Technical assistance to global 

partners, with emphasis on 

major exporters of seafood 

to the United States, to assist 

in developing the fisheries 

enforcement capacity to detect 

and interdict IUU fish and fish 

products before they enter the 

global market.

• Education of the public, 

consumers, and international 

audiences about the impacts 

of IUU fishing and fishingrelated activities. 

Engagement in multilateral and 

bilateral efforts in order to combat 

IUU fishing involves OLE serving 

on U.S. delegations to various 

RFMOs and taking part in meetings 

with foreign governments. Our 

mission is to develop positive 

working relationships with fisheries 

enforcement and management 

agencies globally to ensure that 

international obligations are both 

enforceable and compatible with 

U.S. fisheries requirements.

OLE is also an active member 

of international organizations 

specifically designed to combat 

IUU fishing such as the INTERPOL 

Fisheries Crime Working Group and 

the International Monitoring, Control 

and Surveillance (MCS) Network. 

These organizations bring together 

global fisheries enforcement 

resources to combat IUU fishing as 

well as to enhance communication 

and collaboration between 

international partners. 

9 Office of Law Enforcement Annual Report FY18
Implementing the 

Port State Measures 

Background

On June 5, 2016, the Port States 

Measures Agreement (PSMA) 

entered into force, after 29 

countries, including the United 

States and the European Union, 

ratified the Agreement. As one 

of the most significant global 

initiatives to combat IUU fishing, 

the PSMA sets minimum standards 

for exercising port state controls 

for foreign-flagged fishing and 

fishing-support vessels seeking 

entry into ports, as well as activities 

conducted while in a country’s 

port. The implementation of the 

PSMA also ensures compliance 

with RFMOs’ conservation and 

management measures. Another 

major provision of the PSMA is an 

emphasis on increased information 

sharing and communications among 

participating nations, relevant 

enforcement agencies, and relevant 

international organizations, 

such as RFMOs.

Note: Ratifications of the PSMA steadily 

continued throughout FY 2018. The 

Agreement reached 51 Parties covering 

77 countries and roughly half of the 

coastal countries worldwide.

International Port State 

Measures Training Programs

Through collaboration with the Food 

and Agriculture Organization of the 

United Nations (FAO), OLE has been 

providing technical assistance for 

the operational implementation of 

the PSMA. OLE has provided this 

training in Indonesia, through a 

partnership with the U.S. Agency for 

International Development (USAID). 

OLE’s training consists of classroom 

lessons as well as interactive vessel 

boarding scenarios for fisheries 

inspectors and port officials on 

best practices to implement the 

PSMA. These lessons are designed 

to ensure fisheries inspectors and 

other authorized law enforcement 

personnel are familiar with the 

requirements of the PSMA, 

can successfully complete an 

Agreement-compliant inspection, 

and ensure a country’s national 

obligations of the PSMA are met.

In FY 2018, OLE presented its 

International Port State Measures 

Inspector Training Program to the 

Association of Southeast Asian 

Nations and Southeast Asian 

Fisheries Development Center 

at the PSMA Implementation 

Workshop; the Safe Ocean Network 

Meeting; and at the Regional Plan of 

Action IUU Coordination Committee 

Meeting, among other workshops. 

As a result of this work, USAID/

Regional Development Mission for 

Asia formally requested OLE to 

develop a PSMA regional workshop 

for managers and decision-makers 

within member countries in 

Southeast Asia. 

International Programs: 

Operations

OLE special agents, enforcement 

officers, and enforcement support 

staff regularly participate in 

international operations. The scope 

of these engagements include 

providing foreign governments, 

organizations, and communities 

with the tools, resources, and 

information sharing avenues to 

allow them to address complex 

IUU fishing issues. This is usually 

accomplished through technical 

assistance and training workshops. 

Training and Technical Assistance 

The first meeting of the PSMA 

Open-ended Technical Working 

Group on Information Exchange was 

held in London in April 2018. The 

working group is considering the 

information exchange requirements 

supporting implementation of 

the PSMA, including the most 

appropriate structure for an 

information exchange system and 

how such a system would interact 

with complementary tools. The 

working group agreed that a global 

information exchange system was 

necessary, and that a two-stage 

approach should prioritize the 

need to access basic information 

such as national points of contact 

and designated ports. It also agreed 

that the system would include 

a publicly available information 

section and a limited-access section 

for protected information such as 

port inspection reports, facilitate 

the near real-time exchange of 

information, and link with the 

relevant RFMO and global systems.

The Philippines: OLE continued 

to collaborate with INL staff to 

host a second workshop in Cavite 

City, Philippines, in June 2017. 

Officials from the Government of 

Philippines attended this Combating 

IUU Fishing Workshop, which 

focused on conducting counterIUU fishing investigations and case 

package development.

Republic of South Korea: In May 

2017, OLE held a workshop that 

focused on tools and technologies 

to combat IUU fishing with 

participants from the Republic 

of South Korea at the NOAA 

Western Regional Center in 

Seattle. Representatives from the 

Korean Ministry of Oceans and 

Fisheries, Korean Coast Guard, 

Korean National Police, and the 

Environmental Justice Foundation 

were in attendance. 

Ghana: In March 2017, a team of 

OLE special agents assisted the 

U.S. Naval Forces Africa Office and 

Ghanaian Navy in their training 

operation in Ghana. The training 

workshop focused on sharing 

best enforcement practices, 

with both classroom and on-thewater components. 

OLE returned to Ghana in 

September 2017 to provide joint 

training on fisheries inspections, 

import and container inspections, 

vessel bridge inspections and 

information analysis in partnership 

with INL, the Fisheries Committee 

for the West Central Gulf of Guinea’s 

West Africa Task Force, and Trygg 

Mat Tracking. Thirty-five participants 

attended this workshop, including

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

10 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service
representatives from the fisheries departments, navies, 

and maritime agencies of Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, 

Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.

Formal Meetings 

Coordination Committee Meeting of the Regional 

Plan of Action, Southeast Asia: In November 2016, 

OLE participated as an observer in the Coordination 

Committee Meeting of the RPOA-IUU. OLE provided 

presentations on how the United States is combating 

IUU fishing, implementing PSMA, and ways to combat 

the trade of IUU fish and fish products.

U.S.-Russia Intergovernmental Consultative 

Committee Meeting: In September 2017, 

representatives from OLE, NOAA’s General Counsel, 

NOAA Fisheries’ Office of International Affairs and 

Seafood Inspection, NOAA’s Alaska Region, the 

Department of State, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other 

industry representatives attended the meeting in 

La Jolla, California.

U.S.-Chinese Taipei Fisheries Bilateral: In September 

2017, OLE provided law enforcement expertise on 

topics related to combating IUU fishing by attending 

the U.S.-Chinese Taipei Fisheries Bilateral Meeting in 

La Jolla, California. OLE reported on our collaborative 

efforts with Chinese Taipei to conduct joint boardings, 

share best law enforcement practices, and enhance 

information sharing. OLE also led discussions on 

crosscutting issues related to combating IUU fishing.

INTERPOL Fisheries Crime Working Group: 

In September 2017, OLE special agents attended 

INTERPOL’s Fisheries Crime Working Group meeting in 

Vienna, Austria. An OLE special agent was elected by 

the countries as a member of the Executive Board for 

the working group. 

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

11 Office of Law Enforcement Annual Report FY18
Alaska Division

WILL ELLIS, 

Assistant Director

Staffing Snapshot:

• 36 Full-Time Employees 

- 10 Special Agents

- 19 Enforcement Officers 

- 5 Mission Support 

- 3 Investigative Support

• 15 Contractors

AKD Budget: $11.2 million

Headquarters:

709 W. 9th Street

Room 831L

Juneau, AK 99802-1767

Field Offices:

Anchorage

Dutch Harbor 

Homer

Juneau

Ketchikan

Kodiak 

Petersburg

Seward

Sitka

VMS: 618 Reporting Vessels 

Alaska supports a massive seafood industry and has the greatest number 

of domestic fish landings in the United States, with 59 percent of all U.S. 

seafood landings (measured by weight) occurring in Alaska. If it were a 

country, Alaska would be the ninth largest seafood producer in the world. 

The geographic area of responsibility for the Alaska Division covers 28 

percent of the U.S. EEZ, 70 percent of the U.S. continental shelf, and five of 

the 11 Large Marine Ecosystems located within the U.S. EEZ. 

OLE’s Alaska Division is unique in that the region only includes the state 

of Alaska, which is comprised of the mainland and more than 200 islands. 

Within this boundary lie some of most productive fishing grounds on the 

planet. Waters off Alaska account for more than half of all annual U.S. 

seafood harvests. Alaska also has five of the nation’s top 10 fishing ports 

ranked by value of landings.

New Enforcement Vessels

In May 2018, OLE received four new near shore patrol vessels. Two 33-

foot patrol vessels (Natoma Bay and Sitkoh Bay), built by North River, were 

stationed in Petersburg and Ketchikan, Alaska. Two 37-foot patrol vessels 

(Cape Elizabeth and Kingfisher), built by Bay Weld Boats, were stationed in 

Homer and Kodiak. 

In one of the first patrols for the P/V Natoma Bay, An Enforcement Officer 

and a Special Agent completed a multi-day patrol that covered 1,063 

nm and multiple areas of Southeast Alaska. Officers followed up on four 

investigations, boarded 35 vessels, and initiated 17 new cases (state and 

federal). Officers seized 

chunked charter halibut, an 

illegal sized charter halibut, 

a subsistence halibut skate 

with too many hooks, and a 

subsistence halibut used for 

bait. Investigations included: 

a charter vessel without a 

CHP and logbook; an IFQ 

vessel with unmarked buoys 

and no IPHC logbook; and 

an operator who was in 

possession of sport and 

subsistence halibut onboard 

the same vessel. OLE also 

forwarded several state 

violations to the Alaska 

Wildlife Troopers.

12 
Working with Regional Partners

Alaska’s vast geography, limited 

infrastructure, and complex 

fisheries management scheme 

necessitate robust interagency 

partnerships. These partnerships 

act as a force multiplier to maximize 

our enforcement footprint and 

minimize duplicative efforts. While 

nationally OLE partners with the 

U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest 

Service, regional partners are 

also essential. The Cooperative 

Enforcement Program provides the 

Division the ability to leverage the 

resources and assistance of the 

Alaska Wildlife Troopers. Additional 

strong working relationships with 

Alaska’s Department of Fish and 

Game, industry groups, and tribal 

governments are instrumental in the 

successful enforcement of marine 

resources laws. 

The Division also relies on close 

working relationships with the 

North Pacific Fishery Management 

Council, International Whaling 

Commission, International Pacific 

Halibut Commission, Pacific 

Salmon Commission, North Pacific 

Anadromous Fish Commission, 

North Pacific Fisheries Commission, 

Pacific States Marine Fisheries 

Commission, and the parties to the 

Convention on the Conservation 

and Management of Pollock 

Resources in the Central 

Bering Sea. 

Significant Investigations

Marine Mammal Protection Act

Two individuals from the F/V 

Iron Hide were sentenced under 

the Marine Mammal Protection 

Act (MMPA) for admitting to the 

take of at least three Steller sea 

lions near Cordova, Alaska. One 

was sentenced to five years 

of probation, three months of 

home incarceration, 400 hours of 

community service, a $20,000 fine, 

and required to write an apology 

letter to be published in National 

Fisherman magazine. The other 

individual was sentenced to four 

years of probation, one month 

home incarceration, 40 hours 

of community service, and 

a $5,000 fine. 

Sustainable Fisheries

An enforcement officer embarked 

on a patrol of the Bering Sea and 

Aleutian Islands with the Alaska 

Wildlife Troopers on board P/V 

Stimson from March 6 to 27. 

The patrol focused on observer 

reported complaints, groundfish, the 

IFQ Sablefish/Halibut fisheries, and 

outreach with stops in Sand Point, 

King Cove, Akutan, Atka, and Adak. 

The officer boarded 28 vessels, 

inspected four processing facilities, 

and inspected pot gear. The team 

provided compliance assistance 

to the manager of a processing 

plant and to the operators of three 

vessels. Officers also initiated 

record keeping and reporting, 

state license, pot gear, and VMS 

related investigations.

ALASKA DIVISION

13 Office of Law Enforcement Annual Report FY18
A special agent and five enforcement 

officers conducted an observer focused 

pulse operation in Dutch Harbor from 

February 4 to 15. The team focused on 191 

individual observer statements involving 

60 distinct vessels and multiple shoreside 

processors. The team resolved 87 cases, 

made progress on an additional 14, and 

initiated several new investigations. 

Northern Pacific Halibut Act

In July, AKD officers patrolled 950 nautical 

miles in the Gulf of Alaska and Prince William 

Sound onboard the P/V Cape Elizabeth. Two 

NOAA Enforcement Officers and an Alaska 

Wildlife Trooper contacted 284 individuals 

and boarded 29 vessels: six commercial, 

eight charter, and 15 recreational. Officers 

also inspected five fish processing plants. 

Five federal and two state investigations 

were initiated as a result of the patrol. 

Additionally, officers provided community 

outreach and education in Seward, 

Cordova, and Chenega.

ALASKA DIVISION

14 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service
15 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

Enforcement Activities at a Glance

ALASKA DIVISION
Northeast Division

The Northeast Division covers the 20 northeastern states from Virginia to 

Maine to Minnesota and includes the Great Lakes. The Division’s area of 

responsibility covers more than 100,000 square nautical miles of the U.S. 

EEZ, 110 international Ports of Entry, and 265 individual domestic ports. 

Four of the top 10 international landing ports, by weight and value, are 

found in the Division—New York, Portland, Boston, and Norfolk. Additionally, 

the Division has four of the top 10 states for domestic fish landings in the 

nation; this includes Massachusetts with the port of New Bedford, which 

has led the United States for 14 years as the top port in terms of value 

landed—a direct result of the scallop fishery. 

Throughout FY 2018, the Division had more than 221,000 individual fishing 

trips, which resulted in over half a billion pounds of fish landed, worth 

more than $1 billion.

Working with Regional Partners

The Division has strong working relationships with the 10 coastal state 

fishery enforcement agencies under the Cooperative Enforcement Program. 

These relationships enable OLE to leverage resources and improve 

compliance with federal fishery regulations. In addition to state partners, 

the Division works closely with three U.S. Coast Guard districts. Recent 

partnerships have expanded with key federal agencies, including the Food 

and Drug Administration and Customs and Border Protection, which are 

involved in ensuring consumer safety and integrity as it relates to seafood 

fraud and wildlife trafficking.

TIM DONOVAN, 

Assistant Director

Staffing Snapshot:

• 49 Full-Time Employees 

- 17 Special Agents

- 16 Enforcement Officers 

- 7 Mission Support 

- 8 Investigative Support

- 1 Compliance Liaison

• 3 Contractors

NED Budget: $13.1 million

Headquarters:

55 Great Republic Drive

Suite 02-300

Gloucester, MA 01930

Field Offices:

Bellport, NY

Boston, MA

Falmouth, MA

Gloucester, MA

Narragansett, RI

New Bedford, MA

Newport News, VA

Northfield, NJ

Portland, ME

Portsmouth, NH

Salisbury, MD

Scituate, MD

Wall, NJ

VMS: 986 Reporting Vessels 

16 
The Division also works closely with 

two regional fishery management 

councils and one major interstate 

commission. The New England 

Fishery Management Council is 

one of eight regional councils 

established by the MagnusonStevens Act (MSA) and manages 

fishery resources within the EEZ 

off the coasts of Maine, New 

Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode 

Island, and Connecticut. The 

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management 

Council is responsible for 

management of fisheries in federal 

waters that occur predominantly 

off the mid-Atlantic coast. States 

with voting representation on the 

Mid-Atlantic Council include New 

York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, 

Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, 

and North Carolina. 

The Division also provides support 

to the Atlantic States Marine 

Fisheries Commission. This group 

was formed by the 15 Atlantic 

coast states in 1942 in recognition 

that fish do not adhere to political 

boundaries. The Commission 

serves as a deliberative body, 

coordinating the conservation and 

management of the states shared 

near-shore fishery resources—

marine, shell, and anadromous

—for sustainable use.

Significant Investigations

Protected Resources

The Northeast Division continues to 

partner closely with their colleagues 

in the Southeast Division to provide 

a safer habitat throughout the 

entire U.S. migratory route of the 

critically endangered North Atlantic 

right whale. Vessel strikes pose a 

significant threat to these animals. 

Both divisions took an aggressive 

role in reducing these events. The 

Northeast charged the Motor Vessel 

(MV) Molly Pitcher with five counts 

of violating the Right Whale Ship 

Strike Reduction Rule, and received 

a NOVA of $11,500. 

Lacey Act

James R. Casey of Poquoson, 

Virginia, pleaded guilty in federal 

court in Newport News, Virginia, on 

charges that he led a lucrative 

conspiracy to falsely label foreign 

crab meat worth millions of dollars 

as “Product of USA.” Casey 

was the owner and President of 

Casey’s Seafood Inc., a wholesale 

processor of crab meat and other 

seafood. Casey had contracts with 

several large grocery store chains 

to supply them with fresh, local 

crab meat throughout the year. 

In the winter months when crabs 

were unavailable commercially, 

the owner resorted to purchasing 

foreign crab meat and repacking 

it into his own cups, selling it as 

“Product of the USA” crab meat. 

This practice began as early as 2010 

and continued through June 2015. 

During this time, Casey’s Seafood 

also purchased discounted foreign 

crab meat that had been recalled, 

returned, or was approaching or 

beyond the “best when used by” 

dates posted on the packaging. This 

meat was then “re-conditioned,” 

meaning it was repasteurized, 

repackaged, and sold as “Product 

of the USA” locally sourced blue 

crab meat. From 2010 to June 2015, 

the company sold approximately 

397,917 pounds of foreign crab 

meat as “Product of the USA” with 

a wholesale value of approximately 

$4.7 million. In September 2018, the 

owner, James Casey, plead guilty to 

Conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act. 

Magnuson-Stevens Act 

In August of 2018, the Brett Wilson 

and Hindsight Sportfishing LLC 

were fined $7,000 and found liable 

for failure to maintain a bluefin 

tuna in proper form, as well as 

multiple counts of failure to report 

the landings of bluefin tuna from 

both the commercial and angling 

category. These regulations have 

been under constant objection 

from stakeholders and industry 

members for the past several years. 

In her decision, the Administrative 

Law Judge noted that landing 

form and reporting requirements 

found in the Highly Migratory 

Species (HMS) regulations were 

critical to the management and 

accountability measures to which 

the United States is obligated by 

several international treaties. This 

outcome was significant to the 

HMS managers and the Office of 

Law Enforcement, as it validated 

the necessity of the regulations for 

both field-level law enforcement 

and international-level treaty 

compliance. Furthermore, the 

Administrative Law Judge provided 

language to document that it 

was warranted to look through 

the corporate veil used to shield 

captains and owners from liability 

when a fishery violation 

has occurred.

OLE opened an investigation 

involving false statements made 

by a fishing vessel operator to a 

Massachusetts Environmental Police 

Officer. The investigation revealed 

that the vessel operator concealed 

over 360 pounds of Atlantic sea 

scallops and did not report the 

total catch to NOAA Fisheries. 

The Office of General Counsel, 

Enforcement Section (GCES) 

issued a joint and several NOVA 

civil penalty of $15,000 to 

the respondents. 

An investigation into clam fishing 

inside the New York Bight closed 

area found that a fishing vessel 

operator, on two occasions, fished 

for, possessed, and landed 18 

cages of surf clams. This area is 

closed to surf clam and ocean 

quahog fishing due to adverse 

environmental conditions, 

specifically contamination by the 

presence of hazardous pollutants. 

OLE contacted the U.S. Food 

and Drug Administration, New 

Jersey Department of Health, 

and New Jersey Department of 

Environmental Protection to notify 

them of the situation. State and 

federal officials were able to work 

together to destroy the hazardous 

product. GCES issued a $27,000 

NOVA to the fishing vessel owner 

and operator. 

NORTHEAST DIVISION

17 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service
18 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

Enforcement Activities at a Glance

NORTHEAST DIVISION
Pacific Islands Division

BILL PICKERING, 

Assistant Director

Staffing Snapshot:

• 28 Full-Time Employees 

- 9 Special Agents

- 7 Enforcement Officers 

- 5 Mission Support 

- 7 Investigative Support

• 0 Contractors

PID Budget: $6.6 million

Headquarters:

1845 Wasp Blvd.

Building 176

Honolulu, HI 96818

Field Offices:

American Samoa

Guam

VMS: 

235 Reporting U.S. Vessels

1,500 Foreign Vessels (approx.) 

 The OLE Pacific Islands Division (PID) was established in October 2004 

and is geographically the largest division in OLE. Bound by the Hawaiian 

Islands in the north, American Samoa and U.S. Pacific remote Island areas 

in the south, and the Mariana Archipelago (including Guam) in the west, the 

Division encompasses the largest geographical management area within 

both NOAA Fisheries and the regional fishery management council system. 

The total area of the U.S. EEZ waters included in the region is more than 

1.5 million square nautical miles, which accounts for nearly half of the entire 

U.S. EEZ. Within this massive marine area is the Papahānaumokuākea 

Marine National Monument that OLE is charged with protecting and spans 

nearly 583,000 square miles. OLE is also responsible for three additional 

Monuments (Marianas Trench, Pacific Remote Islands, and Rose Atoll 

Marine National Monuments), as well as two U.S. Sanctuaries (Hawaiian 

Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and National Marine 

Sanctuary of American Samoa). 

The OLE Pacific Islands Division serves as the center of activity for 

implementation of both domestic and international enforcement 

responsibilities related to the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), 

IUU fishing, South Pacific Tuna Treaty, and four Regional Fisheries 

Management Organizations (RFMOs). Numerous longline and purse seine 

vessels within the U.S. permitted fleet operate extensively throughout 

U.S. and international waters. The need to monitor these U.S. vessels, 

along with foreign vessels that engage in IUU fishing, poses a unique 

enforcement challenge for the Division.

19
Working with 

Regional Partners

PID Agents and Officers from Guam 

and America Samoa participated in 

Operation TUI MOANA-18 (OPTM18), 

the Forum Fishing Association–led 

multilateral Monitoring Control & 

Surveillance (MCS) operation, from 

May 24 to June 7, 2018. OPTM18 

involved seven Forum Fisheries 

Agency members (Cook Islands, 

Fiji, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, 

and Tuvalu) and forces from the 

Quadrilateral Defense Coordination 

Group nations targeting IUU fishing 

activities in the Western Central 

Pacific area.

Significant Investigations

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

PID and U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Special Agents’ joint investigation 

into the illegal import of whale bone 

and turtle bone into the United 

States, and the export of the same 

from the United States to Japan, 

resulted in a U.S. Federal Grand 

Jury handing down a four-count 

indictment against subjects living 

in Hawaii. The federal charges 

against the subjects include 

Conspiracy, Lacey Act Wildlife 

Exporting, and Lacey Act Wildlife 

Trafficking. The subjects allegedly 

had been illegally importing 

whalebone and turtle bone from 

Tonga for a period of almost seven 

years, via commercial airlines 

and express shippers. Evidence 

obtained in the investigation and 

subsequent confessions by the 

subjects revealed that on at least 

two separate occasions, they 

falsely declared and exported 

wildlife to Japan. A search warrant 

subsequently executed at the 

subjects’ residence and business 

resulted in a seizure and later 

abandonment by the subjects of 

approximately 2,200 whalebone 

and green sea turtle bone carvings, 

with an approximate street value 

of $300,000. 

Magnuson-Stevens Act

A PID Enforcement Officer 

completed an investigation of a 

commercial shrimp boat operating 

out of Honolulu. The investigation 

revealed the illegal fishing for 

deep-water shrimp species in the 

Crustacean Permit Area 2 without a 

valid permit and failure to maintain 

and/or submit required logbook 

records. A NOVA for $29,000 was 

issued by NOAA General Council, 

Enforcement Section (GCES).

A PID Special Agent completed 

an investigation of a commercial 

Hawaii-based longline fishing 

vessel that was suspected of 

harassing a fisheries observer. 

The investigation revealed that a 

foreign national crewmember did 

illegally harass, sexually harass, 

and/or assault a NOAA Fisheries 

authorized observer. A NOVA for 

$80,000 was issued by GCES.

Endangered Species Act

A PID Enforcement Officer 

completed an investigation 

regarding a subject harassing an 

endangered Hawaiian monk seal on 

the Island of Kauai. Upon review of 

the subject’s social media posts, an 

additional video was found of the 

same subject pursuing a green sea 

turtle while snorkeling, ultimately 

touching the turtle as it tried to 

swim away. The Enforcement 

Officer issued the subject a $1,500 

Summary Settlement.

PACIFIC ISLANDS DIVISION

20 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service
21 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

Enforcement Activities at a Glance

PACIFIC ISLANDS DIVISION
Southeast Division

TRACY DUNN, 

Assistant Director

Staffing Snapshot:

• 40 Full-Time Employees 

- 20 Special Agents

- 9 Enforcement Officers 

- 3 Mission Support 

- 6 Investigative Support

• 2 Contractors

SED Budget: $12 million

Headquarters:

263 13th Avenue South

St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Field Offices:

Charleston, SC

Corpus Christi, TX

Houston/Galveston, TX

Marathon, FL

Miami/Sunrise, FL

Morehead City, NC 

New Orleans, LA

Panama City, FL

Port Orange, FL

San Juan, Puerto Rico

St. Petersburg, FL

VMS: 1,085 Reporting Vessels 

The Southeast Division is the largest of the continental divisions, with 

approximately 3,230 miles of coastline covering the South Atlantic, Gulf 

of Mexico, and the Caribbean. North Carolina is the northern-most state 

of the Division, followed by South Carolina, Georgia, and the East Coast 

of Florida, with the Dry Tortugas at the western extent of the Florida Keys 

being the southern boundary. The Gulf of Mexico picks up at 83 degrees 

West Longitude following the coast of western Florida, around the Florida 

Panhandle, Alabama, Mississippi, and then down the Texas coast to the 

international border between Mexico and the United States. The Caribbean 

area of responsibility surrounds Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands 

completing the Division’s area of responsibility. In total, the Division is 

charged with monitoring and enforcing marine resource laws over 350,000 

square miles of the EEZ.The fishery fleet in the Division is comprised of 

smaller commercial vessels relative to other areas of the nation, but has 

the largest recreational fisheries sector in the continental United States. 

The Division’s federally permitted commercial fleet conducted more 

than 184,700 trips in fiscal year 2018 totaling upward of $643.5 million in 

revenue, while the number of recreational fishing trips far exceeded those 

numbers with an estimated 55.5 million fishing trips. The number of fishing 

trips for these sectors provides an enormous challenge in monitoring effort, 

especially because of the many potential landing sites.

In addition to domestic fisheries, the Division is responsible for three 

national marine sanctuaries—Florida Keys, Gray’s Reef, and Flower 

Garden Banks—and is actively engaged in combatting IUU fishing and 

seafood fraud through the monitoring of seafood entering through 

U.S.-Mexico gateways. 

Working with Regional Partners

To accomplish its mission, the Division works closely with the NOAA 

Fisheries Southeast Regional Office and the Southeast Fisheries Science 

Center, two interstate marine fisheries commissions, three regional fishery 

management councils (Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and Caribbean), as 

well as numerous local, state, territorial, and federal agency partners. 

The Cooperative Enforcement Partnership (CEP) is the main partner 

program that the Division relies on to increase patrol, monitoring, and 

inspection services across the region. Seven states, one commonwealth, 

and one territory have signed agreements to partner with the Division. 

Several NOAA OLE personnel from the Southeast, Northeast, and West 

Coast Divisions were deployed in support of the federal government’s 

response to Hurricane Florence in areas around Myrtle Beach, South 

Carolina. The team was appointed as Special Deputy U.S. Marshals and 

provided law enforcement escort to a deployed Unified Search and Rescue 

team from Virginia conducting damage assessments of heavily flooded 

areas. The team worked alongside similar law enforcement teams 

provided by the FBI and NPS.

22 
Significant Investigations

Marine Protection and Sanctuaries Act 

A SED special agent’s investigation resulted in a $5,000 

Notice of Violation and Assessment (NOVA) issued by 

NOAA General Council, Enforcement Section (GCES) 

to a marine contracting company for the lethal take of 

a bottlenose dolphin by an unapproved construction 

buoy used in one of their projects. The investigation 

was initiated by a citizen who noticed a dead 

bottlenose dolphin entangled in the buoy. The OLE 

investigation determined the company responsible for 

the construction of temporary No Wake Buoys had not 

followed the approved design, and left them in place 

after realizing they did not meet requirements. The 

investigation involved a necropsy, retrieval of the 

buoy and documentation of the construction, review 

of permitting documents, and several interviews. 

The individuals involved were cooperative and 

accepted full responsibility.

Magnuson-Stevens Act

NOAA issued a $24,000 NOVA to a Texas-based 

charter operation for conducting reef fish charter trips 

in federal waters without a federal permit, fishing during 

closed season, and circle hook violations. The NOAA 

OLE led investigation was assisted by agents from the 

Coast Guard Investigative Service.

A federally permitted commercial fisherman pled to four 

counts of mail fraud for his involvement in a scheme 

to overharvest more than 50,000 pounds of Gulf of 

Mexico reef fish off of the coast of Florida. The subject 

knowingly and illegally harvested, landed, and sold 

federally regulated Gulf reef fish including red grouper 

and snapper and submitted false documents to state 

and federal agencies in order to conceal his overfishing. 

The lead OLE special agent worked with Florida 

state investigators during the multi-year investigation 

documenting the illegal activity. 

NOAA OLE and the USCG Investigative Service 

conducted a joint investigation leading to a South 

Carolina commercial fisherman pleading guilty to 

obstructing a USCG investigation after disposing of 

illegally harvested fish upon the approach of a USCG 

cutter. The illegally harvested fish, which had also 

been gutted, included primarily snowy grouper, as well 

as small amounts of yellow edge grouper, wreckfish, 

and amberjack. Five months prior to the boarding, 

NOAA imposed a commercial closure on the harvest 

of snowy grouper because the quota had been 

reached for the year. 

SOUTHEAST DIVISION

23 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service
24 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

Enforcement Activities at a Glance

SOUTHEAST DIVISION
West Coast Division

GREG BUSCH, 

Assistant Director

Staffing Snapshot:

• 33 Full-Time Employees

- 13 Special Agents

- 6 Enforcement Officers 

- 6 Mission Support 

- 6 Investigative Support

• 2 Contractors

WCD Budget: $8.3 million

Headquarters:

7600 Sand Point Way NE

Seattle, WA 98115

Field Offices:

Alameda, CA

Arcata, CA

Astoria, OR

Bellingham, WA

Coos Bay, OR

Lacey, WA

Long Beach, CA

Monterey, CA

Newport, OR

Portland, OR

Sacramento, CA

San Diego, CA

Santa Rosa, CA

Seattle, WA 

Westport, WA

VMS: 1,249 Reporting Vessels 

The West Coast Division encompasses the coastal states of Washington, 

Oregon, and California. The area of responsibility also extends inland to 

Idaho, North and South Dakota, and Montana. 

This unique division shares borders with Canada and Mexico, has five 

national marine sanctuaries along its coast, and includes 290 Marine 

Conservation Areas. The Division is responsible for 1,293 miles of Pacific 

coastline and 7,863 miles of tidal shoreline, 222,471 nautical miles of EEZ, 

and 339,375 square miles of land encompassing numerous rivers and 

tributaries feeding into the Pacific Ocean.

Two of the top 10 international ports for exporting and importing seafood 

products by weight and value are found in the Division—Seattle and 

Los Angeles. In addition to those two seaports the Division monitors 16 

international airports, 21 seaports, and numerous border crossings for 

imports/exports of seafood products.

Working with Regional Partners

The Division’s enforcement officers and special agents leverage federal 

and state partnerships to address resource violations. Federal partners like 

the U.S. Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency help the Division identify 

and investigate incidents at sea, in critical habitat, and on the borders. Our 

state law enforcement partners in Washington, Oregon, and California are 

given authority and responsibility to conduct patrols and outreach in areas 

where Division resources are scarce.

Native tribes located throughout the region have long been an asset to the 

Division, but recently cooperative efforts have been a focal point that has 

provided additional resources. 

25
An integral part of OLE’s 

enforcement effort is done 

through education and outreach 

efforts. Ensuring the general 

public, importers/exporters, and 

commercial fishing industry has the 

latest information on regulations 

is of the utmost importance to 

maintaining sustainability and 

conservation standards. 

Significant Investigations

Endangered Species Act

A Consent Decree in a federal civil 

injunction case was signed by a 

Federal District Court. This was a 

joint Endangered Species Act/Clean 

Water Act injunction case resulting 

from the activities of a ranch 

owner on the Van Duzen River 

(a tributary of the Eel River near 

Fortuna, California) for placement 

of construction spoils and various 

large objects in the river bed and 

along the river banks over several 

years. These actions caused the 

take and had potential for continued 

future take of Southern Oregon/

Northern California Coast coho 

salmon, California Coastal Chinook 

salmon, and Northern California 

steelhead within critical habitat. 

In addition to the NOVA penalty 

of $10,000, the Consent Decree 

requires the property owner to 

undertake extensive actions to 

clean up the river and restore fish 

habitat, as well as applying for 

permits to further access the river 

under certain situations.

Lacey Act

A one-count felony was filed in 

the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the 

Western District of Washington 

against the ringleader in a 

conspiracy to purchase, process, 

and sell unreported sea cucumber 

harvested by state and tribal 

fishermen in Washington State. 

A multi-year investigation revealed 

the subject trafficked over 

250,000 pounds of unlawful sea 

cucumber worth $1.49 million from 

2013 to 2016. The product was 

subsequently processed and sold 

in China, Canada, and several U.S. 

states. The scheme allowed coconspirator fishermen to circumvent 

weekly harvest limits and annual 

quotas. The subject pled guilty 

to one count of Conspiracy to 

Violate the Lacey Act in the U.S. 

District Court, Western District of 

Washington, and was sentenced 

to 24 months in prison, three years 

supervised release, and $1.5 million 

in restitution. Four other subjects 

related to the scheme pled guilty 

in Clallam County Superior Court 

to multiple counts of Unlawful 

Fish and Shellfish Accounting and 

were each sentenced to 240 hours 

of community service and fines 

of $5,800, $4,800, $2,700, and 

$2,700, respectively. More than 25 

tribal fishermen associated with the 

scheme also had cases adjudicated 

in the tribal court system. The 

overharvest by some tribal 

fishermen resulted in Puget Sound 

tribes as a whole exceeding annual 

quotas by as much as 30 percent in 

some areas, and has required the 

tribes repay the state sector in a 

multi-year restitution agreement.

Magnuson-Stevens Act 

During an investigation into an 

Alaska Individual Fishing Quota 

(IFQ) Pacific halibut overage, an 

Enforcement Officer determined 

an overage of 1,712 pounds had 

occurred. Based on the fair 

market value of $6.87 per pound, 

a Summary Settlement penalty of 

$11,778.42 was issued for 

the violation. 

National Marine Sanctuaries Act

A Special Agent initiated an 

investigation in response to 

a complaint referred from the 

Greater Farallones National Marine 

Sanctuary, alleging dredge material 

was discharged on three occasions 

from a scow under tow in sanctuary 

waters. A Summary Settlement 

penalty of $2,400 was issued for 

the violation.

WEST COAST DIVISION

26 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service
27 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

Enforcement Activities at a Glance

WEST COAST DIVISION
Appendix

NOAA’s Office of 

Law Enforcement 

is responsible for 

enforcing more than 

35 federal statutes, 

with the majority of 

cases falling under 

the ESA, Lacey Act, 

MSA, MMPA, NMSA, 

and NPHA. 

Endangered Species Act of 1973 

(16 U.S.C. 1531-1543).

This act prohibits the importation, 

exportation, taking, and 

commercialization in interstate 

or foreign commerce of fish, 

wildlife, and plants that are listed 

as threatened or endangered 

species. The act also implements 

the provisions of the Convention on 

International Trade in Endangered 

Species (CITES). 

Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 

(16 U.S.C. 3371-3378). This 

act prohibits the importation, 

exportation, transportation, sale, 

or purchase of fish, wildlife, or 

plants taken or possessed in 

violation of state, federal, tribal, 

and foreign laws. It also authorizes 

the Secretary of the Interior to 

designate injurious wildlife and 

ensure the humane treatment 

of wildlife shipped to the United 

States. Originally enacted in 1900, 

the Lacey Act is the nation’s oldest 

federal wildlife protection law. 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management 

Act (16 U.S.C. 1801-1882). This act 

is the primary law governing marine 

fisheries management in U.S. 

federal waters. First passed in 1976, 

the MSA fosters long-term biological 

and economic sustainability of our 

nation’s marine fisheries within the 

U.S. EEZ. Key objectives of the MSA 

are to prevent overfishing, rebuild 

overfished stocks, increase longterm economic and social benefits, 

and ensure a safe and sustainable 

supply of seafood. 

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1361-1407). 

This act establishes a moratorium 

on the take and importation of 

marine mammals, including parts 

and products, and defines federal 

responsibilities for the conservation 

of marine mammals. The 

Department of Commerce through 

the National Marine Fisheries 

Service is charged with protecting 

whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, 

and sea lions. Walrus, manatees, 

otters, and polar bears are 

protected by the Department of the 

Interior through the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service. The Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service, 

a part of the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, is responsible for 

regulations managing marine 

mammals in captivity. 

National Marine Sanctuaries 

Act (16 U.S.C. 1431-1439). This 

act authorizes the Secretary of 

Commerce to designate and protect 

areas of the marine environment 

with special national significance 

due to their conservation, 

recreational, ecological, historical, 

scientific, cultural, archaeological, 

educational, or esthetic qualities as 

national marine sanctuaries. Day-today management of national marine 

sanctuaries has been delegated 

by the Secretary of Commerce to 

NOAA’s Office of National Marine 

Sanctuaries. The primary objective 

of the NMSA is to protect marine 

resources, such as coral reefs, 

sunken historical vessels, or 

unique habitats. 

Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 

1982 (16 U.S.C. 773-773k). This 

Act is the implementing legislation 

for the Convention between the 

United States and Canada for the 

preservation of the halibut fishery 

of the northern Pacific Ocean and 

28 
Bering Sea. The Act authorizes 

the Secretary of State, with the 

concurrence of the Secretary of 

Commerce, to accept or reject on 

behalf of the United States the 

halibut fishery regulations and 

management recommendations 

developed by the International 

Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC). 

The Act also authorizes the North 

Pacific Fishery Management 

Council and the Pacific Fishery 

Management Council to develop, 

and the Secretary of Commerce 

to implement, additional halibut 

fishery regulations governing the 

U.S. portion of Convention waters. 

Ultimately, the Act was created to 

conserve, manage, and rebuild the 

halibut stocks in the Convention 

Area to those levels that would 

achieve and maintain the maximum 

sustainable yield from the fishery. 

Other Statutes 

and Responsibilities

Agreement on Port State 

Measures to Prevent, Deter and 

Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and 

Unregulated Fishing 2015 (16 

U.S.C. 7401-7409)

American Fisheries Act of 1998

(Pub. Law 105-277)

Anadromous Fish Products Act (16 

U.S.C. 1822 note, Section 801(f)) 

Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978 

(16 U.S.C. 2401-2413) 

Antarctic Marine Living Resources 

Convention Act of 1984 (16 U.S.C. 

2431-2444)

Antarctic Protection Act of 1990 (16 

U.S.C. 2465(a)) 

Antigua Convention Implementing 

Act of 2015 (Pub. Law 114-181) 

Atlantic Coastal Fisheries 

Cooperative Management Act (16 

U.S.C. 5103(b)) 

Atlantic Salmon Convention Act of 

1982 (16 U.S.C. 3601-3608) 

Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation 

Act (16 U.S.C. 1851 note)

Atlantic Tunas Convention Act of 

1975 (16 U.S.C. 971-971k)

Billfish Conservation Act of 2012 

(Pub. Law 112-183, 126 Stat. 1422-

1423)

Convention on the Conservation 

and Management of High Seas 

Fishery Resources in the South 

Pacific 2017 (16 U.S.C. 7801-7810)

Deep Seabed Hard Mineral 

Resources Act (30 U.S.C. 1401 et 

seq.) 

Dolphin Protection Consumer 

Information Act (16 U.S.C. 1385 et 

seq.) 

Driftnet Impact Monitoring, 

Assessment, and Control Act (16 

U.S.C. 1822 note, section 4006) 

Eliminate, Neutralize, and Disrupt 

Wildlife Trafficking 2015 (16 U.S.C. 

7601-7644)

Fish and Seafood Promotion Act of 

1986 (16 U.S.C. 4001-4017) 

Fisherman’s Protective Act of 1967 

(22 U.S.C. 1980(g)) 

Fur Seal Act Amendments of 1983 

(16 U.S.C. 1151-1175) 

High Seas Driftnet Fishing 

Moratorium Protection Act (16 

U.S.C. 1826(d)-1826(k)) 

High Seas Fishing Compliance Act 

(16 U.S.C. 5506(a)) 

Illegal, Unreported, and 

Unregulated Fishing Enforcement 

Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-81)

Land Remote-Sensing Policy Act of 

1992 (15 U.S.C. 5601 et seq.) 

North Pacific Anadromous Stocks 

Convention Act of 1992 (16 U.S.C. 

5002-5012) 

North Pacific Fisheries Convention 

2017 (16 U.S.C. 7701-7710)

Northwest Atlantic Fisheries 

Convention Act of 1995 (16 U.S.C. 

5601-5612) 

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion 

Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9101 et seq.) 

Pacific Albacore Tuna Treaty Act 

(Pub. Law 108-219, 118 Stat. 615- 617, 

16 U.S.C. 1821 note) 

Shark Conservation Act (Pub. Law 

111-348, 124 Stat. 3668-3673, 16 

U.S.C. 1801 note) 

Shark Finning Prohibition Act (Pub. 

Law 106-557, 114 Stat. 2772- 2775, 

16 U.S.C. 1822 note) 

South Pacific Tuna Act of 1988 (16 

U.S.C. 973-973r) 

Sponge Act (16 U.S.C. 781 et seq.) 

Tuna Conventions Act of 1950 (16 

U.S.C. §§ 951-961) 

Weather Modifications Reporting 

Act (15 U.S.C. 330-330e) 

Western and Central Pacific 

Fisheries Convention 

Implementation Act (16 U.S.C. 6901 

et seq.) 

Whaling Convention Act of 1949

(16 U.S.C. 916-9161) 

APPENDIX

29 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

U.S. Secretary of Commerce

Wilbur Ross

Acting Under Secretary of Commerce

for Oceans and Atmosphere

Neil Jacobs, Ph.D.

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries

Chris Oliver 

July 2020

www.fisheries.noaa.gov

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

National Marine 

Fisheries Service

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Silver Spring, Maryland 20910