Eight Charged with Illegally Harvesting and Selling Striped Bass

The U.S. Department of Justice reports in its press release (quotation, not an independent finding): “WASHINGTON— Five commercial fishermen in St. Mary’s County, Md., a fish wholesaler, its owner and an employee have been charged in Maryland and Washington, D.C., for their role in the illegal harvest, sale, and purchase of hundreds of thousands of pounds of striped bass from the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River from 2003 through 2007, the Justice Department announced today. According to the criminal informations, the individuals and corporation have been charged with violating the Lacey Act, which is a federal law that prohibits individuals or corporations from creating false records for fish or wildlife, and from transporting, selling, or buying fish and wildlife harvested illegally. Specifically, the informations allege that the commercial fishermen transported and sold striped bass, knowing that they had falsely recorded on their permit allocation cards the numbers and weight of the striped bass they caught and failed to accurately record the times when the fish were actually harvested. Individuals charged include: Thomas L. Crowder Jr. of Leonardtown, Md. John W. Dean of Scotland, Md. Charles Quade of Churchtown, Md. Thomas L. Hallock of Catharpin, Va. Keith A. Collins of Deale, Md. Robert Moore Sr. of Falls Church, Va. Robert Moore Jr. of Ashburn, Va. The company charged is Cannon Seafood Inc., located in Washington, D.C., with Robert Moore Sr., as its owner. Two additional St. Mary’s County commercial fishermen were indicted in October 2008 for similar conduct. Joseph Peter Nelson and Joseph Peter Nelson, Jr., are charged in the District of Maryland in a seven count f”