Oregon crew member arrested for 'assaulting fishery observer'
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SCOM]
NOAA has released no details about the arrest of an Oregon fishing crew member who is accused of assaulting a federal fishery observer.
According to NOAA, Richard Palek was arrested in Knappa, Oregon, last week, and charged with a misdemeanor violation of Magnuson Stevens Act for interfering with a federal fisheries observer, while on a groundfish trawler from Astoria in May.
Observers often wait until they are off a vessel to file a report of interference.
Protecting observers is a priority for NOAA Fisheries, Deputy Assistant Administrator Samuel D. Rauch III wrote in a June email to fishery management councils across the country. “The success of fisheries management in the United States is due in no small part to a robust observer program..
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