FY 2019 Annual Report 

NOAA Office of Law Enforcement
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About NOAA Law Enforcement ...................................3 

Staffing and Budget......................................................................................................4 

Equipment and Training ............................................................................................5 

Headquarters: Special Programs ...........................................................................6 

Investigative Analysts................................................................................................. 7 

International Program ...................................................8 

Combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing .........................8 

International Programs: Operations....................................................................8 

Implementing Port State Measures.......................................................................9 

Combating Wildlife Trafficking.............................................................................10 

Formal Meetings..........................................................................................................10 

OLE Enforcement Activities at a Glance...................12 

Alaska Division.........................................................................15 

Working with Regional Partners ........................................................................ 15 

Significant Investigations........................................................................................16 

AKD Enforcement Activities ..................................................................................17 

Northeast Division ...................................................................19 

Working with Regional Partners .........................................................................19 

Significant Investigations....................................................................................... 20 

NED Enforcement Activities.................................................................................. 21 

Pacific Islands Division............................................................23 

Working with Regional Partners ........................................................................ 23 

Significant Investigations....................................................................................... 24 

PID Enforcement Activities.................................................................................... 25 

Southeast Division ...................................................................27 

Working with Regional Partners ........................................................................ 27 

Significant Investigations ...................................................................................... 28 

SED Enforcement Activities................................................................................... 29 

West Coast Division ................................................................31 

Working with Regional Partners ........................................................................ 31 

Significant Investigations....................................................................................... 32 

WCD Enforcement Activities ................................................................................ 33 

Appendix ..................................................................... 34 

FRONT COVER: NOAA Fisheries
 

 

Overview

NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) is essential 

to the effective management of our nation’s marine 

natural resources. In 2019, OLE continued to play 

an essential role in supporting NOAA Fisheries’ core 

mission to end overfishing and to protect and conserve 

our nation’s marine resources and their natural 

habitat. Beyond science and regulations, OLE serves 

as the critical third leg of this mission. Through our 

efforts to promote and ensure compliance with marine 

resource protection laws, OLE remains committed 

to protecting our fishermen from those willing to 

break the rules, defending U.S. economic and public 

health interests, and ensuring that these resources are 

available for future generations to enjoy. 

Throughout 2019 we were hard at work across our 

divisions and around the world. In Alaska, we teamed 

up with counterparts in New Zealand to conduct a 

23-day joint patrol of their exclusive economic zone—

fulfilling our goal of building productive relationships

at home and abroad. In the Pacific Islands, we utilized

social media to successfully investigate the killing of

an endangered green sea turtle. On the West Coast, we

collaborated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

to investigate and bring to justice a former Border

Patrol agent for smuggling hundreds of thousands of

dollars’ worth of dried sea cucumber into the U.S. from

Mexico. In the Northeast, we carried out investigations

of containerized seafood imports in support of our

Seafood Import Monitoring Program. Lastly, in the

Southeast, we patrolled the Florida Keys National

Marine Sanctuary to ensure compliance during the

spiny lobster “mini-season.”

Beyond our borders, OLE continued to work with 

partners around the world to bolster efforts to 

combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) 

fishing in order to 

protect U.S. consumers 

and fishermen. As 

a signatory of various international conservation 

and fishery management agreements, the United 

States is a leader in the global fight to combat IUU 

fishing. In addition to enforcing our international 

treaty obligations, OLE provides capacity building 

and technical assistance to partners worldwide. 

OLE continues to share our expertise in marine law 

enforcement with the international community 

through training, joint operations, and information 

sharing. In 2019, our efforts focused on partnerships in 

Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. 

The goal of this report is to highlight various ways 

OLE continues to carry out our enforcement mission. 

As this report demonstrates, OLE has continued to 

ensure that domestic laws and regulations, along with 

our international obligations, are effectively enforced. 

However, these successes are only made possible by 

our exceptional team of enforcement, investigative, 

and mission support professionals. It is through their 

tireless and dedicated efforts that we are able to 

foster and grow our mission-essential federal, state, 

territorial, and international partnerships. As OLE 

continues to strengthen our staffing organization and 

these partnerships, I look forward to building on these 

successes in the year ahead.

JAMES LANDON

Director, Office of Law Enforcement

National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration

U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 1 
U.SS.. D Department of Commerce | NNaational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administratioonn 

NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

2 
FY 2019 Annual Report

About OLE

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 

the 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.

Staffing Numbers Per Year

3

Headquarters Staffing Snapshot

19 Full-Time Employees

• 1 Director (Senior Exec. Service)

• 1 Deputy Director

• 6 Special Agents

• 9 Mission Support

• 2 Investigative Support

• 12 Contractors
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

 

 

 

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.

• 14 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 53 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 181 employees—71 Special

Agents, 52 Enforcement Officers, and 58 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

2018, OLE hired 37 new employees, including 14 Special

Agents and three Enforcement Officers, in FY 2019.

Budget

The FY 2019 appropriation for Fisheries Enforcement

was $69.8 million. OLE distributed these funds among

five sub Program, Project, and Activities (PPAs),

which are:

• $41.1 million for Enforcement and Surveillance.

• $18.3 million for the Cooperative Enforcement

Program (CEP), which provides joint enforcement

agreements with state and U.S. territory natural

resources enforcement agencies.

• $7.0 million for the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS)

program.

• $1.4 for the High Seas Driftnet Act Implementation.

• $2.0 million for NOAA Fisheries activities related to

Driftnet Act Implementation.

1Data as of September 30, 2019.

4 
FY 2019 Annual Report

Equipment and Training

Vessels

Location Size

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

Southeast Division

F3401 34 feet

F3402 34 feet

Seahunter 2 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

Pacific Islands Division

F3503 35 feet

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 2019, OLE continued to transition from a

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

At the end of FY 2019, over 85 percent of the fleet was 

leased through GSA.

Location Vehicle Count

Headquarters 6

Alaska Division 43

Northeast Division 34

Southeast Division 44

West Coast Division 38

Pacific Islands Division 14

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 must 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

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 5
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

 

 

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 pages 8-11.

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.

Funding By Region

Total Cost of Support, $0.5 Alaska Division, $1.1 

Pacific Islands Division, $1.3 

West Coast Division, 

$2.5 

Northeast Division, 

$5.6 

Southeast Division, 

$4.8 

Funding figures represent total planned dollars to state 

territorial partners by region.

Total cost of support consists of labor and travel costs of OLE 

staff supporting JEAs, such as JEA enforcement technicians 

and JEA program manager.

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 28 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:

• Alabama • Massachusetts

• Hawaii • South Carolina

• Northern Mariana • Delaware

Islands • Mississippi

• Alaska • Texas

• Louisiana • Florida

• Oregon • New Hampshire

• American Samoa • Virginia

• Maine • Georgia

• Puerto Rico • New Jersey

• California • U.S. Virgin Islands

• Maryland • Guam

• Rhode Island • New York

• Connecticut • Washington

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 2019, the OLE VMS program monitored more

than 5,900 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 to the public (in aggregated form) for a

variety of uses and studies.

6 
FY 2019 Annual Report

 

Additional capabilities and uses of VMS include:

• Monitoring sensitive areas such as marine

sanctuaries and marine national monuments.

• Supporting catch share programs.

• Monitoring activity and arrivals in ports to plan for

sampling.

• Coordinating observer trips.

• Tracking, monitoring, and predicting fishing effort,

activity, and location.

• Identifying fishing vessels.

In FY 2019, NOAA issued approximately $335,664 in

reimbursement payments to fishermen to ease the cost

burden associated with the purchase of their onboard

transceivers.

Investigative Analysts

Background

OLE’s Analyst Team provides in-depth research and

analytic support for policy development and 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. 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,

places “holds” for physical examinations of selected

consignments by OLE, and coordinates with other CTAC

participating agencies. OLE also supports national-level

import enforcement operations through CTAC.

In FY 2019, the Analyst Team worked with CBP to halt

importations of Patagonian toothfish (Chilean sea

bass) into the United States. The partial government

shutdown prevented NOAA’s National Seafood

Inspection lab from verifying that toothfish products

complied with domestic conservation regulations,

as well as those laid out in the Commission for the

Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. The

team worked with the Department of State to notify

international exporting countries of the ban, while

the CTAC Analyst coordinated with CBP to notify all

importers of the ban. In addition, OLE conducted a joint

operation with CBP, Bonito del Norte, targeting highgrade tuna products entering the U.S. misclassified as

low-quality tuna species.

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 2019, the Analyst

Team responded to more than 400 RFIs in support of

investigations through the use of proprietary databases

and intelligence research tools.

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. ports. For FY 2019, the

Analyst Team reviewed more than 1,900 vessel advance

notices of arrival for vessels entering U.S. ports, which

represented 450 unique vessels. The Analyst Team

also supported OLE’s international PSMA efforts by

taking part in PSMA trainings and providing technical

assistance to help detect evidence of IUU fishing.

The Analyst Team also participates in the North

Atlantic Fisheries Intelligence Group (NA-FIG), whose

goal is to change illegal behavior in the fisheries sector

through improved intelligence sharing. They encourage

tax and fishery agencies to operate jointly to identify

proceeds from illegal fishery operations and to use

suspicious revenue to identify sources of illegal fishery

products.

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 7 
NOAA 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 80 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 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 multilateral 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 fishing-related activities.

• Being 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 Network.

International Programs: Operations

OLE Special Agents, Enforcement Officers, and

enforcement support staff regularly participate in

international operations. OLE agents and officers

participate in joint patrol efforts with international

partners such as New Zealand to conduct boardings

and inspections of commercial deep-water vessels

within the New Zealand EEZ. This opportunity allows

boarding officers to exchange information and share

fisheries enforcement best practices. OLE also joined

Canadian partners on high-seas driftnet patrols in

the North Pacific as well as high-seas patrols in the

convention area of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries

Organization.

The scope of OLE’s international engagements also

includes 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. By working with our enforcement partners

globally, NOAA assists nations to better detect and

interdict IUU fish and fish products before they enter

into global commerce. More broadly, these efforts will

help to reduce the level of IUU fish products being

landed and exported from nations around the world,

supporting sustainable fisheries management and

leveling the playing field for legitimate fishermen.

Counter-IUU Fishing Capacity Building

and Technical Assistance

Indonesia: OLE, with support from USAID, continued

to partner with the Government of Indonesia (GOI) to

support the development of legislative frameworks

and standard operating procedures to implement the

Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) as well as

develop a training curriculum for fisheries inspectors

to carry out the provisions of the PSMA. OLE also

continued to work with the GOI on counter-IUU fishing

8 
FY 2019 Annual Report

 

investigations and other complementary activities to

combat IUU fishing and crimes associated with IUU

fishing.

Latin America and the Caribbean: The United States

has funded a multi-year project under the UN Food and

Agriculture Organization (FAO) Umbrella Program to

support the implementation of the PSMA and other

instruments to combat IUU fishing in The Bahamas,

Guyana, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad

and Tobago. Through this project, OLE and NOAA’s

General Counsel Enforcement Section (GCES) provide

technical assistance to strengthen national policy

and legislative frameworks along with operational

capacity for coordinated Monitoring, Control and

Surveillance (MCS) operations in these countries. In

FY 2019, OLE and GCES supported the development of

national strategies and action plans for compliance in

The Bahamas and Jamaica. In addition, OLE conducted

an MCS assessment in Trinidad and Tobago that helped

designate ports under the PSMA and identified further

training needs and gaps in MCS to effectively combat

IUU fishing.

Southeast Asia (regional): OLE, in partnership

with USAID-Regional Development Mission for

Asia, facilitated a regional inspector training on the

operational implementation of the PSMA in Bangkok,

Thailand. This training was hosted by the Southeast

Asian Fisheries Development Center, bringing together

inspectors and representatives from PSMA Parties

and non-Parties. This workshop promoted regional

fisheries enforcement collaboration and enhanced

information sharing, and provided the opportunity

to share best fisheries law enforcement practices.

Participants included fisheries inspectors and related

personnel from member states of the Association of

Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and also included

observers from India and Sri Lanka.

In addition, in FY 2019, OLE presented at several

workshops and symposiums including:

• Multilateral Pacific Islands Fisheries Law

Enforcement Symposium, hosted by USCG and DOS.

• 6th Global Fisheries Enforcement Training

Workshop, hosted by the International Monitoring,

Control and Surveillance Network and Thailand

Department of Fisheries.

• ASEAN Regional Forum Workshop and Table

Top Exercise on Enhancing Law Enforcement,

Preventative Measures, and Cooperation to Address

Complex Issues in the Fisheries sector, hosted by the

Indonesia Ministry of Foreign Affairs and DOS.

Implementing the Port State Measures

Backgro

On June 5, 2016, the Agreement on Port State Measures

to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate IUU Fishing (PSMA)

entered into force, after 29 countries, including the

United States and the European Union, ratified the

agreement. PSMA is the only international treaty

dedicated to combating IUU fishing and sets minimum

standards for exercising port state measures

for foreign-flagged fishing and fishing-support

und

9 
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

 

vessels seeking entry into ports, as well as fisheries

enforcement activities conducted while in a country’s

port. PSMA also places great emphasis on increased

information sharing and communications among

participating nations, relevant enforcement agencies,

and international organizations, such as regional

fisheries management organizations.

Ratifications of the PSMA steadily continued throughout

FY 2019. The Agreement reached 63 Parties covering

82 countries and roughly half of the coastal countries

worldwide.

Global Implementation Updates

In a series of meetings in the spring of 2019,

OLE participated in discussions central to the

implementation of the PSMA including:

• Establishing the rules of procedure for future

meetings.

• Building the mechanism for the information

exchange required by the PSMA.

• Planning for the review and assessment of the

effectiveness of the PSMA in 2020.

• Advancing the PSMA’s capacity building mechanism

and other related programs.

Combating Wildlife Trafficking

OLE’s work in combating wildlife trafficking largely

encompasses the investigation of illegal handling

of marine wildlife products protected under the

Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection

Act, and Shark Finning Conservation Act. Our law

enforcement personnel enforce these statutes by

working with enforcement counterparts at ports and

borders to identify illegal trade routes and to detect the

possession, purchase, and transfer of such products.

Throughout FY 2019, OLE participated in joint

enforcement inspections and investigations targeting

the illegal trade of protected marine products alongside

government partners including the Coast Guard,

Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security

Investigations, Food and Drug Administration, and

state enforcement partners. OLE also participated in

the U.S.-Canada Border Intelligence Working Group

hosted by the U.S. Border Patrol in Calais, Maine.

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 inform U.S. strategic plans to combat wildlife

trafficking within focus countries and engage in

collaboration with non-governmental organizations.

In FY 2019, OLE reviewed counter-wildlife trafficking

(CWT) strategies prepared by U.S. Missions in 30

focus nations. OLE also provides annual information

regarding its CWT operations, adjudicated cases,

and technical assistance efforts. This information is

required by the Eliminate, Neutralize, and Disrupt

(END) Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016 and informs

corresponding reports to Congress as well as the

annual strategic assessment of the implementation of

the Act.

OLE actively participates in INTERPOL’s Global

Fisheries Enforcement program, which supports

member countries in identifying, deterring, and

disrupting trafficking of protected marine products.

These efforts have resulted in coherent international

law enforcement collaboration and effective

investigative responses worldwide. In FY 2019, OLE

worked with INTERPOL crime analysts to support their

analysis of the legal and illegal or black market trade

in shark fins. OLE also participates in the INTERPOL

Wildlife Crime Working Group to share information

about transnational networks involved in the illegal

wildlife trade. This group traditionally focuses on

terrestrial wildlife and timber, but OLE brings needed

marine resource expertise due to the increased

identification and listing of marine species under the

Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Formal Meetings

11th SE Asia Regional Plan of Action to Combat IUU 

Fishing (RPOA-IUU): OLE participated as an observer

on behalf of the United States at the 11th SE Asia

RPOA-IUU Fishing meeting in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

OLE presented on U.S. efforts to combat IUU fishing;

provided an update on OLE’s counter-IUU fishing and

PSMA implementation, capacity building, and technical

assistance activities in the region; and provided

fisheries law enforcement expertise.

10 
FY 2019 Annual Report

 

Bilateral meetings: OLE supports U.S. delegations to

fisheries bilateral meetings by providing fisheries law

enforcement expertise on topics related to combating

IUU fishing and trade in IUU-fishing products. These

meetings provide an opportunity to discuss issues of

direct concern with key partners including the EU,

Russia, China, Taiwan, Norway, Canada, and Mexico.

Additionally, OLE holds fisheries enforcement-specific

bilateral meetings with counterparts from Canada and

Mexico and through the US-EU Counter-IUU Fishing

Working Group.

RFMO participation: OLE personnel provide

fisheries enforcement expertise to U.S. delegations

to regional fisheries management organizations

(RFMO) to which the U.S. is a Party. OLE participates

in pertinent international patrols and investigations,

including: supporting the enforcement of RFMO

conservation and management measures, advancing

strong and effective processes for addressing

non-compliance with such measures, and ensuring

responsible Flag State responses through RFMO

enforcement and compliance committees.

INTERPOL: OLE participated in INTERPOL’s First

Forum on Ship-born Forensics in Singapore. The

goal of the forum was to generate a first responder

guide to vessel forensics, along with a global training

package upon completion. OLE also attended the U.N.

Fisheries Crime Symposium and INTERPOL Fisheries

Crime Working Group in Denmark, serving as a panel

moderator and engaging in a number of peripheral

events—including forced labor in fisheries.

WECAFC: OLE serves on the Western Central Atlantic

Fishery Commission (WECAFC) Regional Working Group

on IUU fishing (RWG-IUU). The RWG-IUU developed a

Regional Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate

IUU fishing that was adopted at the 17th Session of

WECAFC in July of 2019. This will help harmonize efforts

to combat IUU fishing across the Caribbean.

CITES/WEN: OLE participated in the 3rd Global

Meeting of Wildlife Enforcement Networks (WEN) held

in conjunction with the 18th CITES meeting. The WEN

meeting included an interactive workshop supporting

the development of guidelines for establishing and

strengthening WENs. It also served as a platform for

enhancing synergies between existing initiatives and

regional enforcement bodies to strengthen cooperation

at regional and global levels. OLE also attended a side

event discussing the listing of certain sharks under

Appendix II of CITES.

11 
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

OLE Enforcement Activities at a Glance

12 
Western Pacific/FFA 

ACFCMA 

Lacey Act 

Highly Migratory Species 

Endangered Species Act 

Northern Pacific Halibut Act 

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

Magnuson Stevens Act 

Other 

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 

99

102

191

239

286

718

866

2631

407

FY 2019 Annual Report

Complaint

1,974

Investigation

3,565

OLE Enforcement Activities at a Glance 

INCIDENT BY LAW 

INCIDENT TYPE INCIDENT STATUS 

Open, 241 

Closed, 5,298 

PATROLS INVESTIGATION DISPOSITIONS 

Air, 25 

Sea, 390 

Land, 1,123 

Open, 92 Final Adjudication Adjudicated, 535 

Pending, 47 

Closed, 2,891 

13 
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

14 
FY 2019 Annual Report

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 15 

Alaska Division

Will Ellis

Assistant Director 

Staffing Snapshot

36 Full-Time Employees 

• 10 Special Agents 

• 19 Enforcement Officers

• 4 Mission Support 

• 3 Investigative Support 

• 16 Contractors 

AKD Budget: $10.8 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

600+ 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 comprises the mainland and more than 200 islands. 

Within this boundary lie some of the 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.

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. Fishery management, along with the 

conservation of marine mammals and habitat, is supported by a robust 

scientific enterprise led by the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center. It is 

within this governance and scientific framework that policy is created by 

NOAA and then enforced by the Division.
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

Significant Investigations

Northern Pacific Halibut Act

An OLE Enforcement Officer investigated a fishing 

vessel owner/operator for failing to completely and 

continuously offload all halibut onboard at a single 

offload site. In addition, they submitted an inaccurate 

statement regarding halibut retained for personal 

use. A notice of violation and assessment (NOVA) was 

issued for $17,600 and settled for $15,840.

An

Magnuson-Stevens Act

 OLE Special Agent and five Enforcement Officers 

conducted an observer focused pulse operation 

in Dutch Harbor from February 4 through 15. The 

team focused on 191 individual observer statements 

involving 60 distinct vessels and multiple shoreside 

processors. The team resolved 87 cases and made 

progress on an additional 14. The team also initiated 

several new investigations. OLE worked with U.S. 

Customs and Border Protection to board one foreign 

tramper and one foreign cargo vessel.

An OLE Special Agent investigated a trawl vessel 

fishing in the Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod fishery for 

not carrying an operable NMFS-approved Vessel 

Monitoring System (VMS) and for not complying with 

VMS requirements. The owner and operator were 

charged jointly under the Magnuson-Stevens Act and 

issued a $15,000 NOVA.

An OLE Enforcement Officer investigated a trawl 

vessel fishing in the Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod fishery 

for bycatch overages of four groundfish species that 

exceed the maximum retainable amount. The vessel 

operator/owner was issued a $13,348 NOVA and 

settled for $12,873. 

An OLE Special Agent investigated a crew member of 

a Bering Sea catcher processor vessel who assaulted 

and sexually harassed an observer in violation of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act. The crew member was issued a 

$55,000 NOVA. 

Marine Mammal Protection Act

International Cooperation

Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing

An OLE Special Agent investigated a recreational 

vessel that struck a humpback whale at a high rate of 

speed that left a gash in front of the whale’s dorsal fin. 

The owner/operator was charged under the Marine 

Mammal Protection Act for an unlawful take of a 

humpback whale. They were issued a $7,500 NOVA that 

was settled for $4,000.

An OLE Enforcement Officer participated in a 23-day 

patrol in New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone 

during December as part of OLE’s international 

mission. The team boarded 51 commercial fishing 

vessels at sea, along with over 25 recreational and 

charter vessels. The patrol uncovered violations 

including failure to record or report catch, failure 

to report the catch of protected species, failure to 

accurately weigh and document quota species, and 

operating without proper permits and registrations. 

These violations were referred to New Zealand 

fisheries officers. 

An OLE Enforcement Officer and Special Agent 

participated in a 2-day coordinated international 

patrol with Canadian counterparts. The patrol was 

targeted at the eastern side of the A-B line and involved 

one Canadian patrol vessel and OLE’s Natoma Bay 

vessel. On the first day, officers boarded a Canadian 

sportfishing vessel operating in U.S. waters without 

sportfish licenses and they also identified illegal 

gear in U.S. waters from a Canadian citizen. On the 

second day, officers patrolled the disputed zone south 

of Prince of Wales Island and found one U.S. vessel 

without proper documentation, but no Canadian 

vessels.

16 
FY 2019 Annual Report

Endangered Species Act 

Lacey Act 

Northern Pacific Fisheries Act 

State Law/Regulation 

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

Northern Pacific Halibut Act 

Magnuson Stevens Act 

Other 

8

9

21

45

109

675

1330

48

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 

Complaint

553

Investigation

1,692

AKD Enforcement Activities at a Glance 

INCIDENT BY LAW 

INCIDENT TYPE INCIDENT STATUS

Open, 39 

Closed, 2,206 

PATROLS INVESTIGATION DISPOSITIONS 

Air, 9 

Sea, 135 

Land, 206 

Final Adjudication Open, 17 

Pending, 6 Adjudicated, 302 

Closed, 1,367 

17 
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement
FY 2019 Annual Report

Snapshot

Northeast Division

Tim Donovan

Assistant Director 

Staffing

45 Full-Time Employees 

• 17 Special Agents 

• 13 Enforcement Officers

• 6 Mission Support 

• 9 Investigative Support 

• 1 Contractor 

NED Budget: $15.7 million 

Headquarters

55 Great Republic Drive 

Suite 02-300 

Gloucester, MA 01930 

Field Offices

Bellport, NY 

Falmouth, MA 

Gloucester, MA 

Narragansett, RI 

New Bedford, MA 

Newport News, VA 

Northfield, NJ

Portland, ME 

New Castle, NH 

Salisbury, MD 

Scituate, MA 

Wall, NJ 

VMS

936 Reporting Vessels 

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 19 years as the top port in 

terms of value landed—a direct result of the scallop fishery. Throughout 

FY 2019, the Division also had more than 200,000 individual fishing trips, 

which resulted in hundreds of millions of pounds of fish landed.

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.

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 Magnuson-Stevens Act 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 the 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.

19 
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

Significant Investigations acey Act

Magnuson-Stevens Act

On August 19, 2019, NOAA settled its pending civil 

administrative investigation against Carlos Rafael 

and his fishing captains for false reporting, gear, 

observer, and restricted area violations. Rafael was 

required to pay a $3,010,063 civil monetary penalty, 

relinquish the seafood dealer permit issued to Carlos 

Seafood, permanently cease all commercial fishing 

except for scalloping, and sell all of his fishing vessels 

and limited access federal fishing permits. Beyond his 

civil penalties, Rafael was criminally sentenced to 46 

months jail-time, three months of supervised release 

in which he is barred from the fishing industry, and 

issued approximately $300,000 in fines and restitution. 

He was also required to forfeit two fishing vessels in 

connection with his criminal case. 

In addition, 17 of Rafael’s former fishing vessel 

captains had their operator permits suspended, which 

barred them from being aboard a federally permitted 

vessel while at sea or offloading. The captains were 

also required to serve probationary periods of 

anywhere from one to three years. These probationary 

periods place captains under additional monitoring 

and reporting requirements, and subject them to a 

permanent ban from commercial fishing if they are 

found liable for intentional or reckless violations.

Highly Migratory Species

L

Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing

OLE investigated a Massachusetts-based vessel for 

unreported and unpermitted landings, retention, 

and sales of at least 30 bluefin tuna. Following the 

investigation, NOAA General Counsel Enforcement 

Section (GCES) issued a settlement agreement in the 

amount of $7,350 to the vessel owner. This was the last 

party of a three subject investigation, in which another 

vessel owner paid a $1,000 summary settlement and 

a federally permitted dealer paid $1,750. In total, the 

multi-year OLE investigation resulted in $10,100 in 

monetary penalties.

Following an OLE investigation, two subjects and 

their corporations pleaded guilty in federal court on 

November 25, 2019, to their scheme to falsely label 

seafood that they later sold across the country. From 

2011 to 2014, the subjects imported, processed, 

marketed, sold, and distributed over 113,000 pounds 

of squid falsely labelled as octopus worth $1,100,100. 

In general, octopus has a greater retail price than 

squid. The subjects would import giant squid from 

Peru, market it as octopus, and sell to grocery stores 

in multiple states. This scheme was in violation 

of the Lacey Act, which prohibits submitting false 

descriptions of fish that were transported and sold in 

interstate commerce. The maximum sentence for the 

subjects is five years imprisonment, three years of 

post-release supervision, and a fine of up to $250,000. 

Their corporations may be placed on five years of 

probation, and pay a fine of up to $500,000.

In support of the Seafood Import Monitoring Program, 

OLE agents and officers conducted investigations of 

containerized, imported seafood. This program is 

designed to comprehensively interdict IUU fished 

products from entering the United States. In addition, 

a U.S./Canada International Border operation in Maine 

resulted in the investigation of 63 containers. This led 

to six NOAA GCES referrals, one criminal referral, and 

13 summary settlements.

20 
FY 2019 Annual Report

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 

72

90

102

184

526

101

Lacey Act 

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

ACFCMA 

Highly Migratory Species 

Magnuson Stevens Act 

Other 

Complaint

231

Investigation

844

NED Enforcement Activities at a Glance 

INCIDENT BY LAW 

INCIDENT TYPE INCIDENT STATUS 

Open, 42 

Closed, 1,033 

PATROLS INVESTIGATION DISPOSITIONS 

Open, 23 Final Adjudication Adjudicated, 73 Pending, 12 

Closed, 736 

Land, 232 

Sea, 53 

21 
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

22 
FY 2019 Annual Report

Pacific Islands Division

Bill Pickering 

Assistant Director 

Staffing Snapshot

25 Full-Time Employees 

• 7 Special Agents 

• 7 Enforcement Officers

• 5 Mission Support 

• 6 Investigative Support 

• 0 Contractors 

PID Budget: $7.05 million 

Headquarters

1845 Wasp Blvd. 

Building 176 

Honolulu, HI 96818 

Field Offices

American Samoa 

Guam 

VMS

235 Reporting Vessels 

1,500 Foreign Vessels apx. 

The Pacific Islands Division was established in October 2004 and is 

geographically the largest division in OLE. Bounded 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 (PMNM)—which OLE is charged with protecting and 

spans nearly 583,000 square nautical miles—the Marianas Trench, Pacific 

Remote Islands, and Rose Atoll Marine National Monuments, as well as 

the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and 

National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa.

The Division serves as the center of activity for the implementation 

of both domestic and international responsibilities related to the Port 

State Measures Agreement. Numerous longline and purse seine vessels 

within the U.S.-permitted fleet operate extensively throughout U.S. and 

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

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

enforcement challenge for the Division.

Working with Regional Partners

The monitoring of landing, importation, and processing of fish within 

Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 

Islands (CNMI), and landings by U.S. purse seine vessels in foreign ports, is 

an enforcement priority for Division staff. The Division works closely with 

the governments of the foreign nations in the region, the U.S. Coast Guard, 

and the U.S. Department of State in supporting and enforcing a number of 

treaties and conventions, such as the South Pacific Tuna Treaty, Western 

and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, South Pacific Regional Fisheries 

Management Organization, Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, and 

Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. 

23 
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

 

Significant Investigations

Lacey Act

An OLE Special Agent completed an ongoing marine 

mammal ivory investigation. The investigation

involved the trafficking of contemporary endangered 

species, specifically whale teeth and walrus tusks. 

The subject confessed to buying prohibited marine 

mammal ivory from an undercover agent on three 

separate occasions, and selling prohibited items to 

an undercover agent on one occasion. OLE worked 

with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Hawaii, on 

negotiations with the defense counsel involving a 

possible plea to one felony Lacey Act count. This case is 

ongoing.

OL

Marine Mammal Protection Act

E conducted investigations into two separate U.S. 

flagged purse seine fishing vessels illegally setting 

on live whales on the high seas that occurred from 

January to June 2018 in the South Pacific Ocean. These 

acts are in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection 

Act. Following the investigations, NOAA General 

Counsel Enforcement Section (GCES), Pacific Islands 

Region, issued two notices of violation and assessment 

(NOVA) for $29,239 each.

An 

Magnuson-Stevens Act

OLE Special Agent completed an investigation 

into a longline fishing vessel owner and captain 

who admitted that they changed the coordinates on 

their fisheries logs to conceal that they had fished 

in the Main Hawaiian Islands Longline closed area. 

This fraudulent scheme was discovered after careful 

examination of the logbooks submitted to OLE. This 

case was forwarded to NOAA GCES, and a civil penalty 

was issued to the owner and captain in the amount of 

$61,174.22.

Endangered Species Act

OLE investigated the killing of a green sea turtle, in 

which a subject was alleged to have sliced the turtle’s 

throat and harvested its meat. The U.S. Attorney’s 

Office sentenced the subject on June 19, 2019, to serve 

six months in prison and 100 hours of community 

service. The subject was found to be guilty of the take 

and slaughter of an endangered green sea turtle at 

Kekaha Beach Park on the island of Kauai. 

An OLE Enforcement Officer initiated an investigation 

into a social media post that showed a subject holding 

a green sea turtle, a violation of the Endangered 

Species Act. The officer was able to identify the subject 

through their profile picture, and to run background 

checks for criminal history and driver’s license 

information. This led to the officer contacting the local 

police department where the subject lived, who in turn 

provided current contact information. A summary 

settlement in the amount of $750 was issued. 

OLE

International Fisheries

 Special Agents completed multiple investigations 

involving fishery violations under implemented 

regulations of the Western and Central Pacific 

Fisheries Commission (WCPFC). These cases consisted 

of fishing in the closed Effort Limit Area for Purse 

Seine area, Marine Mammal Protection Act violations 

for setting on schools of fish associated with live 

whales, and illegal sets conducted on Fish Aggregating 

Devices during the WCPFC closure period. NOAA 

GCES issued various NOVAs totaling $425,062, and 

subsequently obtained a combined global settlement of 

$338,471.

24 
FY 2019 Annual Report

Lacey Act 

Magnuson Stevens Act 

Other 

Endangered Species Act

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

Western Pacific/FFA 

Marine Sanctuaries Act 

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 

1

6

79

99

107

131

26

PID Enforcement Activities at a Glance 

INCIDENT BY LAW 

INCIDENT TYPE INCIDENT STATUS 

Open, 19 

Investigation

191

Complaint

258

Closed, 430 

PATROLS 

Air, 2 

INVESTIGATION DISPOSITIONS 

Open, 11 

Land, 349 

Sea, 57 

Adjudicated, 9 Final Adjudication 

Pending, 1 

Closed, 170 

25 
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

26 
FY 2019 Annual Report

 

Southeast Division

Tracy A. Dunn

Assistant Director 

Staffing Snapshot

40 Full-Time Employees 

• 20 Special Agents 

• 12 Enforcement Officers

• 3 Mission Support 

• 5 Investigative Support 

• 2 Contractors 

SED Budget: $12.2 million 

Headquarters

263 13th Avenue South 

St. Petersburg, FL 33701 

Field Offices

Charleston, SC 

Corpus Christi, TX 

Houston/Galveston, TX 

Florida Keys 

Miami/Sunrise, FL 

Morehead City, NC 

New Orleans, LA 

Panama City, FL 

Port Orange, FL 

San Juan, Puerto Rico 

St. Petersburg, FL 

VMS

1,093 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 northernmost 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 the 83°W 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 includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In total, the 

Division is charged with monitoring and enforcing marine resource laws 

over 350,000 square nautical 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 154,900 trips in 2019 

totaling upward of $608.5 million in revenue, while the number of 

recreational fishing trips far exceeded those numbers with an estimated 

119.7 million trips.

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

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

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

seafood fraud through the monitoring of seafood entering through U.S.-

Mexico gateways. 

To a

Working with Regional Partners

ccomplish 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 Program is the main partner program 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. 

27 
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

Significant Investigations

Magnuson-Stevens Act

An OLE Enforcement Officer worked with the Georgia 

Department of Natural Resources (GADNR) to follow 

up on information alleging that a fishing vessel owner 

and operator were illegally harvesting shark fins and 

South Atlantic black sea bass. OLE and GADNR’s joint 

operations led to two boardings of the subjects’ vessel 

during which shark fins from one small shark were 

found and documented. Upon further investigation, 

officers discovered 20 shark fins and 24 undersized 

black sea bass. The shark fins were analyzed by the 

NOAA Forensics Lab in Charleston, South Carolina. 

The subject was charged by NOAA General Counsel 

Enforcement Section (GCES), Southeast Region, under 

the Magnuson-Stevens Act with possessing shark fins 

and exceeding the recreational bag limit for South 

Atlantic black sea bass. GCES issued a $15,500 NOVA 

and the case settled for $13,950 with time payments. 

Lacey Act

An OLE Enforcement Officer assisted a Louisiana 

Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) agent 

during a blue crab fishery operation. The officer and 

agent monitored several vessels and documented one 

vessel operator who possessed 211 female blue crabs, 

a number much higher than the legal incidental take 

of immature female blue crabs set by the state. During 

the course of the investigation, the officer and agent 

determined that the subject intended on taking the 

blue crabs out of Louisiana to sell in a neighboring 

state in violation of the Lacey Act—which prohibits 

the interstate transport of illegally harvested fishery 

products. A $2,000 summary settlement was issued to 

the 

An OLE Special Agent and Florida Fish and Wildlife 

Conservation Commission (FWC) officers investigated 

the unlawful take of an endangered smalltooth 

sawfish. This species has been listed as endangered 

since May of 2003. On July 18, 2018, the subject was 

observed removing the rostrum from a live 12-foot 

smalltooth sawfish with a power saw aboard his 

fishing vessel off the coast of Ponte Vedra, Florida. 

OLE Special Agents procured a search warrant for the 

captain/owner. 

Endangered Species Act

subject’s vessel and were able to link seized items to 

the sawfish with the assistance of the NOAA Forensics 

Lab in Charleston, South Carolina. The U.S. Attorney’s 

Office in Jacksonville, Florida, filed charges against 

the subject, who ultimately pleaded guilty to killing 

an endangered species. The subject faced a maximum 

penalty of one year in federal prison and a $50,000 

fine.

National Marine Sanctuaries Act

OLE Enforcement Officers conducted a patrol operation 

during the Spiny Lobster Mini-Season in the Florida 

Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The patrol focused 

on enforcing the National Marine Sanctuary Act 

regulations between Key Largo and the Dry Tortugas. 

In total, four patrol boat crews conducted 322 hours 

of underway time, boarded 246 vessels, contacted 906 

people, and documented 102 violations. 

Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing

OLE Special Agents and Enforcement Officers 

conducted several IUU fishing port operations in 

conjunction with federal and state partners in FY 

2019. During one of these operations, OLE worked in 

conjunction with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 

(TPWD), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the U.S. 

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to target imports 

of marine species and products entering the Port of 

Galveston, Texas, from Mexico. During the course of 

the three-day operation, OLE and TPWD examined 

eight seafood trucks and one truck full of live frogs. No 

federal seafood violations were documented; however, 

TPWD issued one citation to a truck with eight 

undersized red snapper and several minor paperwork 

violations.

28 
FY 2019 Annual Report

SED Enforcement Activities at a Glance 

INCIDENT BY LAW 

Highly Migratory Species 

Marine Sanctuaries Act 

Lacey Act 

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

Endangered Species Act 

Magnuson Stevens Act 

Other 

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 

37

57

63

80

41

100

546

INCIDENT TYPE INCIDENT STATUS 

Open, 113 

Complaint

287

Investigation

637

Closed, 811 

PATROLS INVESTIGATION DISPOSITIONS 

Final Adjudication Open, 34 

Pending, 21 Adjudicated, 134 

Land, 65 

Sea, 103 

Closed, 448 

29 
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

30 
FY 2019 Annual Report

 

West Coast Division

Greg Busch

Assistant Director 

Staffing Snapshot

35 Full-Time Employees 

• 14 Special Agents 

• 8 Enforcement Officers

• 7 Mission Support 

• 6 Investigative Support 

• 1 Contractor 

WCD Budget: $8.9 million 

Headquarters

7600 Sand Point Way NE 

Seattle, WA 98115 

Field Offices

Alameda, CA 

Astoria, OR 

Bellingham, WA 

Coos Bay, OR 

Lacey, WA 

Long Beach, CA 

Monterey, CA 

Newport, OR 

Sacramento, CA 

San Diego, CA 

Santa Rosa, CA 

Seattle, WA 

Vancouver, WA 

Westport, WA 

VMS

1,323 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 square nautical miles 

of EEZ, and 339,375 square miles of critical habitat 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 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.

An integral part of OLE’s enforcement effort is done through education 

and outreach efforts. Ensuring the general public, importers/exporters, 

and the commercial fishing industry has the latest information on 

regulations is of the utmost importance to maintaining sustainability and 

conservation standards. 

31 
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

Significant Investigations

Magnuson-Stevens Act

An OLE Special Agent’s investigation into a 2016 

collision at sea led to NOAA GCES issuing a NOVA with 

a settlement summary of $5,175. The investigation 

began after a collision at sea was reported between 

a commercial groundfish trawler and a commercial 

salmon troller. Both vessels were found to be negligent 

in maintaining proper lookout and wheel watch. The 

investigation also revealed that, at the time of the 

collision, the trawler was carrying a federal fisheries 

observer and the assigned bridge watchstander was 

not in position. While both vessels sustained damage 

from the collision, no one was injured.

Marine Mammal Protection Act

An OLE Enforcement Officer investigated a subject 

alleged to have shot a harbor seal with a pellet 

rifle in the San Juan Islands. Sheriff’s Officers from 

San Juan County were the first to respond to the 

incident, capturing the seal and transporting it to a 

rehabilitation center. They located and interviewed the 

subject, collected evidence, then transferred the case 

to OLE. NOAA GCES issued a NOVA with a settlement 

summary of $5,625. 

National Marine Sanctuaries Act

Two OLE Enforcement Officers investigated a fuel 

discharge from a 28-foot recreational vessel that 

ran aground in the Monterey Bay National Marine 

Sanctuary. The investigation was in coordination 

with Monterey Bay Sanctuary personnel and the U.S. 

Coast Guard. Preliminary investigative work indicated 

that the vessel lost power and control offshore before 

crashing into the rocks. The rest of the investigation 

revealed that negligence on the part of the owner/

operator contributed to the vessel running aground. 

In addition to this occurring within a National Marine 

Sanctuary, the grounding also impacted the habitat of 

endangered black abalone. The owner/operator was 

issued a summary settlement of $800.

Lacey Act

An OLE Special Agent conducted an investigation in 

2018 into a subject suspected of unlawfully purchasing 

and transporting 165 subsistence-caught Klamath 

River Chinook salmon from a tribal member on Yurok 

tribal land. The subject was initially stopped by a state 

trooper for a vehicle violation, but the trooper became 

suspicious of the truckload of fish. The state trooper 

contacted a California Department of Fish and Wildlife 

(CDFW) warden, who then contacted OLE. The 2018 

Yurok Tribe Harvest Management Plan did not have an 

open commercial salmon season, so this subject was 

in violation of the Lacey Act. A NOVA was issued with a 

settlement agreement of $3,150.

Followi

International Cooperation

ng a joint investigation in 2018 between OLE 

and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a former Border 

Patrol agent was sentenced by the U.S. Attorney’s 

Office in San Diego for conspiring with others to 

smuggle dried sea cucumber into the United States 

from Mexico. The defendant organized couriers 

to conceal and transport bags of dried fuscus sea 

cucumber into the United States from Mexico on 

approximately 80 occasions. This is a listed species 

under the Convention on International Trade 

in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 

(CITES). It is estimated that the courier transported 

approximately 1,000 kilograms of dried sea cucumber 

worth over $250,000. The former agent was sentenced 

to 24 months jail time, and ordered to pay $5,400 

restitution to the Government of Mexico, which 

regulated fuscus sea cucumber. 

32 
FY 2019 Annual Report

WCD Enforcement Activities at a Glance 

INCIDENT BY LAW 

Endangered Species Act 

Marine Sanctuaries Act 

Northern Pacific Halibut Act 

Lacey Act 

Magnuson Stevens Act 

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

Other 

INCIDENT TYPE INCIDENT STATUS 

Open, 28 

Investigation

200

Complaint

645

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 

21

28

43

45

73

122

508

Closed, 817 

Land, 271 

Closed, 169 

PATROLS INVESTIGATION DISPOSITIONS 

Air, 14 Open, 7 

Sea, 42 

Adjudicated, 17 Final Adjudication 

Pending, 7 

33 
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

 

 

 

 

 

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, archeological, educational, or 

esthetic qualities as national marine sanctuaries. Dayto-day 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 act 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 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.

34 
FY 2019 Annual Report

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) 

35 
U.S. Secretary of Commerce 

Gina M. Raimondo 

Acting Under Secretary of Commerce 

for Oceans and Atmosphere 

Dr. Richard W. Sprinrad 

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries 

Janet Coit 

August 2021 

www.fisheries.noaa.gov 

OFFICIAL BUSINESS 

National Marine 

Fisheries Service 

1315 East-West Highway 

Silver Spring, MD 20910