Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agents cited a Buras man for alleged commercial crab trap violations in Plaquemines Parish on July 16.
Agents cited Doan Nguyen, 54, for theft of crab traps, unlawfully removing contents, violating crab trap marking requirements, taking or possessing immature female crabs, and taking 20 percent of undersized crabs.
Agents were on patrol in Bay Cheri when they observed Nguyen running crab traps. Agents conducted a commercial license inspection and found Nguyen possessing another fisherman’s crab trap on his vessel and numerous traps not properly marked.
An inspection of Nguyen crabs revealed that he was possessing numerous immature female crabs, for which there is no season, and also possessed a container with numerous undersized crabs.
This is Nguyen’s second offense for theft of crab traps in 2021 and if convicted he faces up to a $950 fine. Additionally, the department shall suspend or revoke the violator’s crab trap gear license for a period of three years from the date of the conviction and no new crab trap gear license shall be issued to the violator during the period of suspension or revocation. During the period in which the violator’s license is suspended or revoked, the violator may be present on a vessel commercially harvesting or processing crabs only if that vessel is equipped with and is actively using a vessel monitoring system accessible to the department. The violator shall also be sentenced to perform no less than 90 hours of community service. If available, the hours shall be served removing abandoned crab traps as a part of the derelict crab trap removal program or in a litter abatement community service program.
Using crab traps without required markings, taking immature female crabs, taking 20 percent of undersized crabs, and unlawfully removing contents of crab
