WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Department of Justice announced May 24 that Triple Dragon LLC and Capt. Millions III LLC, two fishing companies headquartered in Hawaii, agreed to settle allegations of illegal ocean pollution.
“Law-abiding vessel owners and operators know the importance of complying with our Nation’s environmental laws,” Gen. Jeffrey H. Wood, acting assistant attorney for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, said in a statement. “Members of the fishing fleet who disregard those laws put the public’s health and our Nation’s natural resources in jeopardy. The Justice Department and Coast Guard will continue to work together to hold companies and individuals who violate the Clean Water Act accountable.”
To settle the allegations, the companies will implement operational improvements to prevent pollution and pay civil penalties.
“All vessels, including commercial fishing vessels like these, must comply with the long-standing Clean Water Act environmental protection requirements as part of their normal operations," Rear Adm. Brian Penoyer, commander of the Coast Guard 14th District, said in a statement. "As a steward of the marine environment, the Coast Guard will not tolerate illegal dumping of oily waste into the ocean."