Thirteen Commercial Fishermen, Illegally Harvesting and Selling Atlantic Striped Bass, North Carolina 2010

Thirteen commercial fishermen in North Carolina and Georgia have been charged in federal court in Raleigh, North Carolina, for their role in the illegal harvest and sale and false reporting of approximately 90,000 pounds of Atlantic striped bass from federal waters off the coast of North Carolina during 2009 and 2010, the Justice Department announced today.

The average retail value of the illegally harvested striped bass is approximately $1.1 million.

All of the defendants are licensed by the state of North Carolina and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to fish in state waters only for striped bass.

The individuals charged are:

Gaston Saunders Jr. of Wanchese, North Carolina

Bryan Daniels of Belhaven, North Carolina

Ellis Leon Gibbs Jr. of Engelhard, North Carolina

David Saunders of Poplar Branch, North Carolina

Michael Potter of Bayboro, North Carolina

Steven Daniels of Wanchese, North Carolina

James R. Craddock of Manns Harbor, North Carolina

James K. Lewis of Gloucester, North Carolina

Joseph H. Williams of Brunswick, Georgia

Dewey W. Lewis, Jr. of Newport, North Carolina

Dwayne J. Hopkins of Belhaven, North Carolina

Ronald W. Berry of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

John F. Roberts of Engelhard, North Carolina

The individuals have been charged with violating the Lacey Act, which is a federal law that prohibits individuals from transporting, selling or buying fish and wildlife harvested illegally. Additionally, 11 of these fishermen also have been charged with filing false reports in connection with the illegally harvested fish. One of the fishermen is also charged with obstruction of a proceeding before a federal agency.

“The illegal poaching of striped bass by commercial fishermen can have a huge collective impact on the fish resource and has the potential to devastate the future livelihoods of law abiding commercial fishermen,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.

“The Atlantic Striped Bass fishery is extremely important to the economy of the State of North Carolina as well as our sister States along the Atlantic seaboard, and it represents a success in species recovery thanks to conservation, management, and law-abiding fishermen,” said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Thomas G. Walker.

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