Busted @ the Elephant Trunk

[Sterling]

This came across the wire today

Norfolk Vessel, 2 Others Cited for Illegal Fishing
By The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.

Oct. 7--PORTSMOUTH -- Three commercial fishing vessels were cited Wednesday for fishing in a restricted area 50 miles off the coast of New Jersey.

The fishing vessels, "No Limits " from Norfolk, "Full Throttle " from Nanticoke, Md., and the "Miss Marley II" from Ocean City, Md., were issued citations after fishing in the Mid-Atlantic Closed Area, known commonly as Elephant Trunk.

Crew members from the Coast Guard cutter Finback, an 87-foot patrol boat from Cape May, N.J., boarded all three vessels and recovered 520 pounds of scallops. Most of the scallops were able to be deposited back into the ocean, the Coast Guard said in a release.

The evidence for the seizure will be forwarded to the National Marine Fisheries Service, which will determine if a formal Notice of Violation will be issued.

Penalties for fishing in a restricted area include fines of up to $200,000 and lost value of the catch.

Repeat offenders could lose their commercial fishing permits.

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Source: The Virginian-Pilot

[CaptBrian]

all I can ask is was it worth it to fish there .....................Big ocean huh