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Seven allegedly caught fishing at Bird Island
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Posted on Sep 28 2005
Conservation officers caught seven persons who were allegedly fishing illegally within the Bird Island sanctuary for a local fish company.
The fishermen reportedly harvested a huge quantity of fish—possibly more than 100 pounds—from the sanctuary, where law prohibits the taking of marine life. Public Law 14-26 declared the Bird and Forbidden islands as sanctuaries.
Sources said the fishermen were fishing for businesswoman Jacinta Pangelinan, owner of the Asin Fish Market in San Vicente. The Saipan Tribune has received unconfirmed information that a ranking government official, whose name is being withheld at this time, has intervened in the case.
Pangelinan denied that her fishermen went to the Bird Island to fish. “That was a mistake,” she said. “My fishermen didn’t go to Bird Island.”
When pressed as to where her fishermen had gone, Pangelinan said she couldn’t respond to the inquiry.
It was not clear as to whether the conservation officers intercepted the fish alive and returned them back to the sea when the Division of Fish and Wildlife busted the alleged illegal fishing activity.
The division gave no official comment on the issue yesterday, but disclosed that a press statement has been drafted and was awaiting approval from Lands and Natural Resources Secretary Richard Seman before it is released to the media.
Seman’s office said at the close of business hours yesterday that the press statement had yet to be approved. The division did not release the identities of the seven fishermen involved in the Bird Island bust at press time.
