Fishing boat captain fined for dumping toxic waste into ocean off Ventura County coast
A commercial fishing boat captain was fined nearly $17,000 by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office for allegedly dumping toxic waste into waters along the California coast.
They say that William Porter McHenry, who owns and operates McHenry Fisheries, Inc. and runs the 67-foot commercial fishing vessel Sea Pearl, allowed waste known as "stick water" to be dumped into the ocean on Dec. 6, 2024.
"This waste can pollute the water and harm marine life," said a press release from the DA's office. "Authorities saw the Sea Pearl heading out to sea while releasing stick water, then turning back toward shore without crossing the state waters boundary line."
Prosecutors described stick water as a byproduct of squid fishing. It's produced after squid are caught using seine nets and placed in the ship's fish hold, where they're stored in salt water. As the squid die, they release ink that contains high levels of ammonia, which turns the water dark and toxic and creates a harmful substance.
"After the squid are offloaded onshore, the stick water and any leftover wastewater from the offloading process are stored in the vessel's hull," the release said. "Proper disposal requires it to be released at least three nautical miles offshore."
Investigators with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife found that the Sea Pearl offloaded nearly 206,300 pounds of market squid at the Ventura Harbor before they received the stick water back from onshore tanks operated by Silver Bay Seafoods, the release noted. CDFW officers watched the vessel as it traveled past the Ventura Harbor break wall and allegedly dumped the stick water before turning back towards shore.
"A CDFW warden boarded the Sea Pearl to inspect the vessel's fish holds and commercial fishing licenses. The inspection revealed that three of the four fish holds were completely empty, with only a small amount of stick water remaining in the fourth hold," the DA's office release said. "When asked to provide the vessel's most recent navigation track logs, McHenry complied, and the data confirmed that the Sea Pearl had never made it beyond the state waters border."
McHenry was ordered to pay $8,444.69 for environmental restoration to the Ventura County Fish and Wildlife Fund and CDFW. He was also told to pay $6,555.31 in penalties and investigation costs to the DA's office, plus an additional $1,889.39 for unfair business practices.
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