Fishermen to be sentenced Thursday for lobster find
Published:Wednesday | April 20, 2022 | 12:05 AM
Two fishermen who pleaded guilty to possession of undersize lobster in the St Ann’s Bay Parish Court will return on Thursday, April 21, for sentencing.
They are 55-year-old Leonard Anderson of Charles Town, St Ann, and 57-year-old Bryan Rutty of Exchange in Ocho Rios, St Ann.
Under the Fisheries Act of 2018, the men could be fined up to $3 million or sentenced to a maximum of two years on each charge.
According to Sergeant D. Lyons of the Marine Police, on January 29, a team was on patrol at the Ocho Rios fishing beach about 9:30 in the morning when the men aroused their suspicion. On the approach of the police team, the men ran, leaving plastic bags which were found to contain frozen lobster.
At least three pounds of undersize Caribbean spiny lobster ( Panulirus argus) were found.
The men were subsequently arrested and charged.
Under the Fisheries Act, it is illegal to harvest lobsters with a carapace length of less than three inches (measurement from the eyes to the back, excluding the tail). It is also against the law to catch egg-carrying, or berried, lobsters, at any time. If caught, undersize and berried lobsters should be immediately returned to the water without being harmed.
Mature Caribbean spiny lobster can reach up to 18 inches in length and up to 15lb in weight. They spawn from March through August in the Florida Keys on offshore reefs and throughout the year in the Caribbean.
Meanwhile, CEO of the National Fisheries Authority, Dr Gavin Bellamy, has hailed the hard-working men and women of the Marine Police for securing convictions in a number of cases.