2 days ago
Ship captain convicted of poaching lobsters, crabs and mussels
A Vietnamese national and captain of a 400-foot cargo ship docked in Newington was arrested last week by Fish and Game officers after receiving a tip about illegal lobster trapping.
Bui Cong Doai, 44, pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors for lobster and crab fishing without a license and illegal possession of someone else's lobster gear, as well as five other violations. He had a Vietnamese passport and United States visa, according to Conservation Officer Justin Whipple.
In all, he paid $1,269 as part of the conviction.
Mussels
Bui Cong Doai, 44, pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors for lobster and crab fishing without a license and illegal possession of someone else's lobster gear, as well as five other violations.
The cargo ship, Franbo Lohas, which sails under the Panama flag, had been docked on the Piscataqua River in Newington.
Fish and Game noticed multiple ropes extending from the ship with traps belonging to a licensed New Hampshire commercial fisherman.
'There were four lines total off of the ship, two large and two small,' Whipple said. 'The two large each had a trap they were actively using to fish.'
Officers found lobsters, crabs and bags of blue mussels. A female egg-bearing lobster was found in an undersized cage just to keep it alive.
The investigation started after Whipple received a tip from a local lobsterman who had his gear tangled in lines coming from the cargo ship.
'When he retrieved his gear, he pulled up what was clearly an illegal lobster pot,' he said. 'He took some photos, gave me a call and reported it.'
Fish and Game needed to get permission from the Coast Guard and the pier operator SubCom to board the ship. Based on information provided to Fish and Game, this is the first time the ship docked in New Hampshire.
Bui Cong Doai, 44, pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors for lobster and crab fishing without a license and illegal possession of someone else's lobster gear, as well as five other violations.
'We had probable cause based on the photos to do the investigation with the blessing of the Coast Guard,' Whipple said. 'We wanted to do it quickly because we weren't sure when the ship would be leaving.'
The violations include illegal trap construction, possession of a short egg-bearing lobster, unlawful possession of crabs, unlawful possession of blue mussels and an egg-bearing Jonah crab.
Fish and Game was able to work with the courts for an expedited arraignment, which led to the conviction.
The egg-bearing lobster likely had never been caught before because it did not have a 'v-notch' marking, which fishermen use to mark breeding lobster.
'Hopefully, it will encourage people to keep giving us calls if they see anything skeptical and know that we are willing to get out there and do the investigation and the legwork,' Whipple said.
He's glad the case was able to be settled before the ship left port.
