South Carolina Commercial bust

[Broad Bill]

https://www.nationalfisherman.com/sc...ng-about-catch

Not sure why the above link doesn't show the full article below.


A federal jury has found a commercial fisher operating out of South Carolina guilty of making false statements about the fish he caught and lying to federal agents.


"Those who attempt to circumvent federal fishing regulations and deceive law enforcement will be held accountable. Our marine resources are vital, and we will not tolerate those who prioritize personal gain over sustainable practices and the rule of law,” Acting U.S. Attorney Brook B. Andrews for the District of South Carolina said in a statement. “This conviction underscores the collaborative efforts of NOAA and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources in protecting our fisheries and ensuring fair competition for all."

The commercial fisher at the heart of the investigation is Augustine, Florida resident Don Rynn, who manages several commercial vessels in South Carolina, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The government alleges that on March 21, 2023, Rynn directed his son to take one of the vessels out and “catch as many fish as he could,” despite existing quotas. The vessel returned less than a week later with 560 pounds of snowy grouper – nearly three times the legal limit. The vessel also had roughly 450 pounds of tilefish – also more than the legal limit.

Upon return, some of the fish were moved from the original vessel to a second vessel managed by Rynn or transported to another seafood dealer in Georgetown, South Carolina. In his mandatory trip report, Rynn claimed that the original vessel had only fished up to the legal limit, while the remaining fish had been caught by the second vessel. The fish that were sent to Georgetown were ultimately disposed of to avoid suspicion, according to the government, with Rynn telling NOAA agents that the fish had been contaminated by a fuel spill while at sea.

Following a three-day trial in March 2025, a federal jury found Rynn guilty of making false statements on his trip report and later lying to federal agents. Rynn now faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

“The prosecution of this case and the jury’s verdict emphasizes the importance of holding violators accountable for the harm caused by lying to law enforcement officers and undermining federal fishery regulations. We work closely with our state joint enforcement partners and other federal agencies to detect and identify potential illegal activity related to federal fisheries regulations,” NOAA Office of Law Enforcement Southeast Division Acting Assistant Director Paige Casey said in a statement. “Through our partnerships, we are able to successfully prosecute and convict individuals, such as in this case, who lie to law enforcement officers and who illegally harvest marine resources that could disrupt our fair-trade market.”

Read more on Seafood Source. This article was published with permission.

As understaffed as enforcement is for the recreational sector, it reaches new levels for commercial. A person has every right to make a living from the resources the ocean provides, no one has the right to ignore the laws and harvest those resources at the detriment of everyone else. The fine in this case is a maximum of 5 years in jail, $250,000 in fines and confiscation of equipment. I hope those are the fines levied and not a slap on the wrist which doesn't disincent this behavior as it occurs all the time. Commercial owner and his son involved, lying to law enforcement, illegally moving catch from one vessel to another selling them illegally through a different dealer and destroying evidence by tossing excess catch in the garbage. All great lessons for a father to teach his son, real class act.

All these vessels I thought have transponders on board constantly tracking their movement, wonder why law enforcement can't write an easy app that would allow conservation officers or F&G during the offload process to reveal a commercial operators route over the duration of their trip which in this case would have shown the said vessel offloading in fact never left the dock. Anyone caught doing something to this extreme should face the stiffest of penalties and have their commercial licenses permanently revoked. Others thinking of following suit might actually think twice. The technology is there to better control the distribution of fish from harvest to market, would make sense to start using it to assist enforcement do their jobs and help compensate for the lack of manpower enforcing regulations 24:7 offshore.

Recognize people who play by the rules by setting an example for those who exploit those same resources at everyone else's expense.