Shredder Gate: NOAA Top Cop Slips Deeper

Since NOAA’s chief enforcement officer for the Northeast Region Dale Jones, was caught with his hand in the federal agencies till there has been no official statement from NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, what she intends to do about it.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, revealed Jones had later shredded 75% of the materials in his files last November. The shredding took place during the Investigator General’s investigation into charges that he had been taking funds collected from fines on fishermen, and spending that money for personal uses.

Fishermen have for years complained of the excessive fines and the heavy-handed tactics of Jones’ office. This apparently unregulated account in question contained the gleanings from fishermen by Jones’ office. It has been reported that fishermen in the northeast were for years paying fines in amounts that were 250% higher than those in other areas of the country.
In the fall of 2009 Gloucester fishermen Bill Lee said he was driven out of the fishing business directly as a result of the excessive fines levied on him by Jones’ office. Lee was a life long fisherman who is well known in his community, and for his many collaboration fisheries research projects.

Jones was hired to run NOAA Law Enforcement 10 years ago. His experience was as a local police chief in Hagerstown, Maryland. He hired colleagues from the local police circuit. Jones has admitted that his agents had no fisheries experience. The enforcement office was an administrative office, but they have been accused of operating it like a criminal unit.

Jones has been criticized for his agents heavy-handed tactics in the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction case. Enforcement agents threatened witnesses in the same case. Treating businessmen like criminals, harassing fishermen, levying excessive fines, ruining fishing businesses, are complaints fishermen have said went unheard.

With Jones being caught red handed, and shredding federal documents to cover his tracks, he is beginning to look like Lubchenco’s Watergate burglar.

Senator Jon Kerry D-MA has said it is imperative that NMFS suspend all active prosecutions against American fishermen. Congressman John Tierney, D-MA has said he intends to formally request the public release of documents in the case.

Although a number of congressmen have called for more vigorous action in the Jones case. But after months of inaction Lubchenco has not released a statement on what she intends to do about Jones, or what his status is with the agency.

Lubchenco and NMFS it is believed are concentrating on driving the Amendment 16 agenda through on May 1, regardless of the charges against Jones’ office, or the unprecedented support of fishermen by members of congress.