The real fox is watching the hen house!

[Reeltitanium]

Why not do something productive for our fish with our tax money?

FORMER NOAA FISHERY OBSERVER SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS PROBATION; ORDERED
TO PAY RESTITIUTION OF OVER $29,000



The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced this week
that former NOAA observer, John Depersenaire, was sentenced to five
years probation and ordered to pay restitution of $29,541. This
sentencing followed a plea deal that was signed last month in Trenton, NJ.



Depersenaire pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of embezzling / having
received public money which he is not authorized to retain as salary.
This plea followed a three-year investigation by NOAA Fisheries Service
enforcement agents that revealed Depersenaire falsified data from 59
at-sea sampling trips from October 2001 through February 2002.



Depersenaire failed to conduct fishery sampling trips aboard federally
permitted fishing vessels while still accepting his salary during this
period.



Accurate fisheries observer data helps NOAA gauge whether the nation’s
fishery resources are sustainable. Scientists use observer data to
assess the health and abundance of fish populations, and managers use the
information to develop regulations that govern the fishing industry.



In 2007 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency
of the U.S. Commerce Department, celebrates 200 years of science and
service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast
in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and
the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's
scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.



NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety
through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events
and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing
environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources.
Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems
(GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and
the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is
as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.



To report illegal fishing activities contact the NOAA Fisheries
Service’s Enforcement Hot Line at We are the real criminals.

[Capt. Brian Daley]

awh I"ll let deep do the honors on this one

[eppefour]

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/n...-6745977c.html
you need to finish the story. RFA needs to get rid of him because now he has no credibility. If he attacks NOAA's numbers they can point to him as doing it on purpose

[Deep C]

I have stated before that I have seen this kind of crud in person. And have heard of it happening on one boat in particular with pretty sound foundation to the person making that claim. I'm sure this one rep is not even the tip of the iceberg in the scheme of what happens through they system... I know you are expecting some big long winded diatribe about this being a shock. There is no shock at all. I've known of this type stuff and its not new. Finally some back up to what I've claimed all along is all... Won't be the last...

I should point out that in no way am I slamming the comms... This is about the enforcers who should be protecting stuff instead of infringing on a sector they were not created to over see...

[Sterling]

In the press article Depersenaire says that the forms are the same on land. But, I always thought / hoped that the primary purpose of the observers is to document Bycatch and certify the catch.

If the only point was to get the log from the captain...well, that would be pointless.

He sounds like a decent guy that made a mistake, and maybe there is some spin here, but I don't think the RFA can afford to have someone guilty of embezzling funds related to gathering fisheries data, representing them / us.