Two From Louisiana Cited by Wildlife Agents for Commercial Red Snapper Violations Occurring Over a One-Year Span
Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana – Two from Louisiana were cited by wildlife agents for commercial red snapper violations occurring over a one-year span.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) reported that agents cited two Slidell, Louisiana residents for alleged commercial red snapper violations occurring over a one-year span in Plaquemines Parish.
Authorities charged William Curry, 49, and Pamela Bertucci, 49, with four counts each of failing to keep traceable records and failing to disclose commercial fish data. Curry also received his third, fourth, and fifth offenses for violating Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) restrictions governing commercial red snapper harvesting. Bertucci was also cited for injuring public records and filing false public records.
The charges stem from three separate fishing trips in 2022 and 2023 during which Curry allegedly reported to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that he had caught an exact number of red snapper, while Bertucci filed state trip tickets with LDWF claiming it was a true and correct number.
LDWF agents working under a Joint Enforcement Agreement with NOAA weighed Curry’s red snapper catch, which differed by hundreds of pounds from the weight provided to both NOAA and LDWF. These red snapper went unrecorded and were not deducted against Curry’s yearly quota for fishing in a particular year.
A total of 1,268 pounds of red snapper were discovered to be missing from the weights submitted to NOAA and LDWF.
Each offense of failing to keep records and failing to disclose commercial fish data carries a fine of up to $500 and 90 days in jail. In addition to any other penalty, a second or subsequent violation of the aforementioned charges may result in the revocation of the permit or license under which the violation occurred for the period for which it was issued, as well as the imposition of a prohibition on the issuance of another permit or license for the same period.
NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement will be notified of the IFQ infractions. The Plaquemines Parish District Attorney will prosecute the record charges, while the East Baton Rouge District Attorney will prosecute the injuring public records charges.
Lt. Adam Young, Sgt. Jason Gernados, Corporal Austin Landry, Corporal Blaine Wagner, Agent Heather Fitzgerald, and Agent Josh Schilling are all involved in this investigation.
A person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.