Multiple herring fishermen from New England of the commercial fishing vessel Western Sea were involved in underreporting and falsifying tax records for over three years. Their sentences have finally been announced for the illegal behavior that left a mark on the Gulf of Maine herring fishery. However, local herring fishermen feel that the sentences don’t make up for the scheme.

F/V Western Sea and the fishermen engaged in more than 80 fishing trips between June 2016 and September 2019, underreporting substantial catches to NOAA Fisheries. The individuals were indicted in January 2022 on 35 counts of conspiracy, fraud, and falsifying fishing records.

Atlantic herring is Maine's most crucial pelagic fishery resource, supplying the primary bait for the lobster fishery. Landings in the state were about 13 million pounds in 2019, valued at about $5.8 million ex-vessel. The indictment alleged that the crew had sold more than 2.6 million pounds of herring to five separate fish dealers and three lobster captains over the years of the scheme.

Last week, the six fishermen and three dealers involved in the scheme pleaded guilty. Each individual and corporation has been ordered to pay thousands of dollars in fines. However, some herring fishermen in the area have claimed that the fines and probation don’t compensate for this scheme's devastating effects on the industry.

“I truly don’t think that collectively, half a million dollars in fines is enough to make up for the effects of quota cuts years after their scheme,” a herring fisherman out of Portland told NF.

“So many of us in this area work hard to ensure sustainability within this fishery, and having people pull something like this has been devastating.”

Individuals sentenced:

• Western Sea, Inc. (Eliot) - Pleaded guilty on 03/11/24 to falsify records. Sentenced on 07/11/24 to 2 years of probation, $175,000 fine.
• Glenn Robbins (77, Eliot; Owner Western Sea, Inc. & Captain R. Herring; captain of the Western Sea) pleaded guilty on 03/11/24 to conspiracy to submit false information to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce and his/her designees regarding the catch and sale of Atlantic herring and failure to pay taxes. Sentenced on 07/11/24 to 2 years of probation and a $25,000 fine.
• Jason Parent (51, Owls Head; crew member) pleaded guilty on 03/11/24 to conspiracy to submit false information to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce and his/her designees regarding the catch and sale of Atlantic herring and failure to pay taxes. They were sentenced on 07/10/24 to 2 years of probation, a $2,000 fine, 50 hours of community service, and restitution of $28,685.58.
• Stephen Little (59, Warren; crew member) pleaded guilty on 03/11/24 to conspiracy to submit false information to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce and his/her designees regarding the catch and sale of Atlantic herring and failure to pay taxes. Sentenced on 07/10/24 to 2 years of probation, $42,834.93 restitution.
• Neil Herrick (48, Rockland; crew member) pleaded guilty on 03/11/24 to conspiracy to submit false information to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce and his/her designees regarding the catch and sale of Atlantic herring and failure to pay taxes. Sentenced on 07/10/24 to 2 years of probation, 50 hours of community service, $32,889.43 restitution.
• Ethan Chase (46, Portsmouth, NH; part-time captain of the Western Sea) pleaded guilty on 03/11/24 to conspiracy to submit false information to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce and his/her designees regarding the catch and sale of Atlantic herring and failure to pay taxes. They were sentenced on 07/09/24 to 2 years of probation, 50 hours of community service, a $2,000 fine, and $39,289.39 restitution.

Sentence information courtesy of WGME.