Rockland fishing boat crew, other Mainers sentenced in herring fraud scheme
Eight Mainers and a New Hampshire man, all fishermen or fish dealers, have been sentenced to probation and fines in connection with a scheme to falsely under-report catches of Atlantic herring over the course of several years.
According to court records, the owner of a Rockland fishing boat and his crew illegally sold millions of pounds of herring and pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Western Sea, a 100-foot-long purse seiner, made over 80 voyages from June 2016 to September 2019 to fish for herring in the Gulf of Maine. The defendants sold over 2.6 million pounds of their catch without reporting it as required to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Sentences were handed down last week in Portland federal court for:
- Glenn Robbins, 77, Eliot: owner and captain, the Western Sea, sentenced to two years of probation, $25,000 fine.
- Jason Parent, 51, Owls Head: crew member, the Western Sea, sentenced to two years of probation, $2,000 fine, 50 hours of community service, restitution of $28,686.
- Stephen Little, 59, Warren: crew member, the Western Sea, sentenced to two years of probation, restitution of $42,835.
- Neil Herrick, 48, Rockland; crew member, the Western Sea, sentenced to two years of probation, 50 hours of community service, restitution of $32,889.
- Ethan Chase, 46, Portsmouth, N.H.: part-time captain of the Western Sea, sentenced to two years of probation, 50 hours of community service, $2,000 fine, restitution of $39,289.
In addition, the following were sentenced this spring:
- Glenn Lawrence, 70, Owls Head: owner of fishing/transport vessel the Double Eagle, sentenced to two years of probation, $9,500 fine, 50 hours of community service.
- Duston Reed, 42, Waldoboro: owner of New Moon Fisheries, Inc., sentenced to two years of probation, $25,000 fine, 100 hours of community service.
- Samuel Olsen, 73, Cushing: owner Sam’s Seafood LLC, sentenced to one year of probation, $9,500 fine, 50 hours of community service.
- Andrew Banow, 37, Rockport: crew member, the Western Sea, sentenced to one year of probation, $1,000 fine, restitution of $20,177.
Also sentenced were two businesses involved: Western Sea Inc., of Eliot, which received two years of probation and a $175,000 fine, and New Moon Fisheries Inc., of Friendship, which was sentenced to two years of probation and a $15,000 fine.
In the case's original 35-count indictment, handed up by a grand jury in January 2022, some of the counts were Class C felonies, punishable by a prison sentence of up 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
The U.S. attorney for the District of Maine, Darcie N. McElwee, commented on the sentences in a news release: “Atlantic herring is a vital resource in Maine, particularly to the thousands of people involved in the lobster industry in the state. Led by Glenn Robbins and Western Sea, the defendants in this case subverted regulations for the sole purpose of lining their own wallets — regulations that are in place to ensure Atlantic herring are not overfished and are available for future generations of fishermen and safeguard the viability of the marine ecosystem.
“I commend the investigators on this case, including those from NOAA, for their efforts to ensure the sustainable management of an industry so vital to all that is Maine.”
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