March 28, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Four men charged with illegal scalloping

SWANS ISLAND — Four Ellsworth men were charged with taking scallops from the Frenchboro-Swans Island cable area after being observed dragging and diving for the shellfish Saturday morning.

The underwater power line sends electricity from Swans Island to Frenchboro. A 4-square-mile area around the cable is closed to scallop fishing.

Marine Patrol Officer D. Williams Smith said he spotted one scallop dragger and three dive boats inside the closed area shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday. Smith observed the fishing vessels from the shores of Swans Island.

Marine Patrol contacted the U.S. Coast Guard at the Southwest Harbor station for assistance in detaining the boats. Soon after radio contact was made, the four boats quickly scattered from the scene, Smith said.

The Coast Guard rounded up the scallop dragger and one of the dive boats, according to Smith. Coast Guardsmen detained the two vessels until a Marine Patrol vessel arrived at the scene. Patrol officers apprehended a second dive boat later in the day.

The officers issued court summonses to Stanley Black, 38, owner and operator of the scallop dragger Paladin; James McMillan, 28, operator of the dive boat Cody Lee; and William Haass, 28, diver for the boat; and James Card, 40, owner of the dive boat Brandy II, all of Ellsworth.

Marine Patrol confiscated dragging equipment from the Paladin, and diving gear from the Cody Lee.

Although Smith witnessed the Brandy II in scallop diving activity inside the closed area, patrol officers did not find any diving gear aboard the boat when they caught up with it in the afternoon.

Smith said Sunday that his office expected to file charges against other individuals as Marine Patrol continues its investigation.

The four Ellsworth men charged with the fishing violation are scheduled to appear Jan. 14 in 5th District Court in Bar Harbor.

If convicted of the Class D offense, the four could face a maximum fine of $1,000 and a one-year suspension of their scallop fishing license.


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