Smugglers flew Canadian flag

Yellowfin tuna crime ring smashed, officials say

Canadian and U.S. authorities have smashed a high seas crime ring whose members were using a ship that illegally flew a Canadian flag to catch and smuggle valuable yellowfin tuna, officials say.

George A. Townsend, 64, of St. Petersburg, Fla., pleaded guilty Tuesday to using the FV UNDA, a 25-metre tuna longliner, to smuggle 5,000 kilos of yellowfin, worth $250,000, from Trinidad and Tobago to Miami in June 2005, U.S. and Canadian officials said.

Townsend, who will be sentenced on June 2, faces up to five years in jail, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

"This is a rare occurrence," Jim Jones, regional director general of the department of fisheries and oceans in Moncton, N.B., said. "This is the first case of its kind I've seen in 30 years."

The FV UNDA was at one time registered as a Canadian vessel but never licensed, he said yesterday.

'NOT AUTHORIZED'

"This is a very serious concern for us," Jones said. "This vessel is not authorized by the government of Canada to fish or fly a Canadian flag."

Canadian registered vessels are required to have citizens on board, can only fish in certain areas and must notify federal officials of their harvest, he said.

"We are looking to see what other action can be taken," Jones said. "We notified our partners once this vessel was sighted."

Jeff Radonski, of the U.S. national oceanic and atmospheric administration, said the ship, which can be modified into a factory vessel for processing fish, can stay at sea for weeks with its crew of 10.

"This vessel was out there fishing without the knowledge of Canadian authorities," Radonski said from Miami yesterday. "This is the tip of the iceberg because there's big money to be made."

Atlantic yellowfin, one of the world's most valuable fish, is regulated by the 1966 international convention for the conservation of Atlantic tunas, he said.

Canoe.com

March 14, 2008