President Obama Provides Opening Speech for "Our Oceans" Conference in Chile

President Obama kicked off the “Our Ocean” conference in Chile with a video welcome highlighting several new oceans-related policy announcements including:
·         NOAA and the Administration are taking steps to create two new marine sanctuaries in Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan and Maryland’s Mallows Bay-Potomac River.
·         The Administration is developing new sustainable tools to combat illegal fishing including a new program called Sea Scout that will unite global stakeholders to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

See the video of the speech here

Operation Pulse: A Collaborative Effort Between Washington Fish and Wildlife Police, NOAA, and US Customs and Border Patrol to Enforce Commercial Fishing Laws

"Operation Pulse"

State Fish and Wildlife agencies occupy a critical role in the fight against illegal, undocumented, unregulated (IUU) fishing. While the West Coast seafood industry was built on domestic fishing, the infrastructure, cultural diversity, and world-wide market connections have made it an attractive place for international brokers, importers and exporters to operate. Some of the largest commercial ports in the United States are found in Washington, where large quantities of fish and shellfish are delivered, traded, transported, stored and shipped. Choke points such as freight forwarders, retail markets, airports and cold storage facilities provide limitless opportunities to identify illegally harvested product linked to domestic and international fisheries.

Operation Pulse was a collaborative effort to trace seafood backwards to its source to determine compliance and detect violations.   Over 11 months, 163 inspections were conducted and 533 violations were uncovered.

See the full report on Operation Pulse here

Maine Marine Patrol Recovers Deceased Man from Circling Lobster Boat

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM THE MAINE DEPARTMENT OF MARINE RESOURCES
DATE: October 2, 2015
CONTACT: Jeff Nichols, Maine Department of Marine Resources, 207-624-6569
 
Maine Marine Patrol Recovers Body of Deceased Man from Circling Lobster Board
 
The Maine Marine Patrol recovered the body of a North Haven lobsterman who apparently died while underway today.

At approximately 3:15 pm today the Marine Patrol received a report of a lobster boat going in circles near Owls Head Light south of Rockland Harbor. The vessel, Legacy, was owned and operated by lobsterman Robert Staples, 78 of North Haven.

Sergeant Matt Talbot and Specialist Corrie Roberts responded from Rockland in a Marine Patrol Protector vessel and found Staples’ vessel traveling in circles in 3-4 seas and 20 knot winds. They were met at the scene by members of the US Coast Guard who had confirmed that an unconscious individual was on board.

Battling difficult conditions, Sergeant Talbot maneuvered alongside the circling fishing vessel and, after several attempts Specialist Roberts was able to jump on board the Legacy and gain control of the vessel. Members of the US Coast Guard then boarded and attempted to resuscitate Mr. Staples while Specialist Roberts brought the vessel to Rockland Harbor.

There they were met by members of the Rockland EMS who attempted to unsuccessfully resuscitate Mr. Staples.

The State Medical Examiner has ruled that Mr. Staples’ died of natural causes.

NOTE:  See a photo by photographer Bob Trapani who  captured the moment just before Specialist Roberts jumped from the Marine Patrol Protector into Mr. Staples’ boat here.

Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Investigation Uncovers Numerous State and Federal Marine Fisheries Violations

Over the past two months environmental police officers from the Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Law Enforcement conducted a multi-day operation targeting illegal striped bass fishing activity. The effort uncovered numerous violations of state and federal marine fisheries laws.

Read about the cases here

Maine Marine Patrol News Release on Sgt. Troy Dow Attending Leadership Academy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM THE MAINE DEPARTMENT OF MARINE RESOURCES
DATE: October 5, 2015
CONTACT: Jeff Nichols, Maine Department of Marine Resources, 207-624-6569
 
Marine Patrol Sergeant Troy Dow Completes National Leadership Training
 
Maine Marine Patrol Sergeant Troy Dow has recently completed the National Conservation Law Enforcement Leadership Academy (NCLELA). The prestigious program brings together conservation law enforcement leaders from around the country for three-weeks of intensive training.

The goal of the NCLELA, conducted by the National Association of Conservation Law Enforcement Chiefs, is to prepare conservation law enforcement professionals to effectively adapt to a rapidly changing world.  The focus of NCLELA, held at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, is to provide the practical skills and knowledge needed by those in conservation law enforcement leadership roles in state or federal agencies.  

Attendees must be employed in one of the highest tiers of senior leadership in the applying law enforcement agency, be employed by a state, federal, tribal or international conservation law enforcement agency, and have the endorsement of the agency’s Chief Executive.

“Sergeant Dow has shown tremendous initiative during his career and continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to professional development,” said Marine Patrol Colonel Jon Cornish. “That is why we decided to send him through this program. We believe strongly in supporting the efforts of our Marine Patrol professionals to advance their knowledge and skills. This kind of training will help the Marine Patrol continue to adapt to change and to evolve as a conservation law enforcement bureau.”

Attendees took part in programs on adaptive leadership, leading change, resource management, personnel management, shaping organizational culture, strategic planning, surviving and succeeding as an executive, liability, establishing a leadership legacy, and more.

“There were a lot of topics covered that you hadn’t thought about before,” said Sergeant Dow. “This program has made me a better leader - more able to make the people around me better.”

The program also provided an opportunity for attendees to learn from each other and the unique approaches to conservation law enforcement each brought to the table. “I talked about the relationship Marine Patrol has with industry and how we join the Commissioner for outreach meetings to build those connections. Colleagues from around the country were impressed with the way we actively engaged industry.”

The program also gave Sergeant Dow a chance to build connections with members of other agencies around the country. “Hardly a day goes by that I don’t get contacted by one of the people I attended with.”

The training he received and the contacts he made will also allow him and the Marine Patrol to continue to benefit from the training. “If I have a problem, I’ll be able to reach out to colleagues around the country for assistance,” said Sergeant Dow. “This program will last me the rest of my career.”

Sergeant Dow oversees six Officers and one Specialist in Marine Patrol Section 5, which stretches from the Penobscot River to the Hancock Bridge.