The crew of the 22-meter, 56-ton Te Hung Fa is alleged to have been illegally fishing for sharks, tuna and other types of fish with its long line gear deployed well within the U.S. EEZ surrounding the CNMI, approximately 400 miles north-northwest of Guam.
The Te Hung Fa was met by officers of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement for investigation into alleged violations of the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act.
“Our maritime domain awareness command center ‘watch’ spotted what looked to be behavior consistent with long line fishing activity in U.S.waters,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jay Caputo, fisheries enforcement officer with the 14th Coast Guard District in Honolulu.
“We informed NOAA Office of Law Enforcement and NOAA General Counsel for Enforcement and Litigation of the situation and worked together to determine the best course of action. Ultimately, it was decided that the crew of our patrol boat would seize the vessel and escort it to Saipan.”
