NOAA Charges Florida Dive Charter Businesses for Fishing Without Federal Permits

NOAA has charged two dive business owners in Pensacola, Fla., with illegally operating spearfishing charters without the appropriate permits in federal waters off the Florida panhandle.
 
NOAA and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission launched an investigation in summer 2007 after NOAA special agents in Niceville, Fla., received several complaints about illegal spearfishing charters running out to the USS Oriskany artificial reef and other popular dive spots off Florida’s northern Gulf coast.
 
Undercover officers chartered trips on the vessel Daisy D., owned and operated by Jeffery Michael Folds of Southern Offshore Adventures, and the Y-Knot, owned and operated by David John Mucci of Blue Water Adventures. Folds was charged with three counts – operating without a federal charter permit, prohibited use of a powerhead (a device with an explosive charge) to take reef fish, and making a false statement to law enforcement officials.
The proposed fine against Folds is $19,000. Mucci was charged with one count of operating without a federal charter permit and the proposed fine against him is $12,500.
 
Both men have 30 days from the date they received their notices of violations to request a hearing before an administrative law judge. Mucci received his notice on Nov. 7 and Folds on Nov.19.
 
“It is important that spearfishing charter operators understand they need the same permits as any other fishing charter operating in federal waters,” said Allan Coker, NOAA special agent in Niceville.
 
Anyone with information involving illegal spearfishing charters should contact NOAA’s Fisheries Service Office of Law Enforcement national hotline at 1-800-853-1964. 
 
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit http://www.noaa.gov.

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Carolina Skiff 1655 DLX Yamaha F50TLR

Anything bad for dive boat captains is good for me......  With my encounters with charter dive boats over the years, I cannot remember a pleasant one.......

The more I learn about women, the more i love my boat.

Wow. Granted, they broke the law and are paying the consequences, as happens.

But anything bad for dive captains is good??? WTF? Several of my very good friends are dive boat captains (law abiding), and depend on it to feed there families.

ALso, every time I have been out with them, the encounters with rodnreel guys has been very nice...freeing anchors for them....telling them what kinda fish are down, and where there holding at on the wreck....

If you have had a LOT of encounters with dive boats, and they have ALL been bad...maybe they're not the ones that stink....maybe its you with a poo-poo stain in your drawers that you are always smelling, and you just THINK it's everybody else that stinks.

And if I sound a lil pissed, it's cuz the ones I am good friends with work hard to pay there bills, and struggle just like the rest of us in this economy, and to hear someone wish them ALL bad even though they prob are not the ones you have ever encountered....just chafes my nut-sac the wrong way.

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