81 sacks of oysters seized near Bayou Dularge Thursday, LDWF says
Enforcement agents with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries cited a 51-year-old Houma man Thursday after receiving an anonymous tip about possible oyster violations, according to press release.
Junius S. Verret was ticketed for allegedly violating oyster refrigeration violations, violating logbook regulations, filling out oyster tags incorrectly and misbranding seafood, the release states.
Enforcement agents received a tip Thursday morning about a man at a dock in Bayou Dularge who had sacks of oysters on a vessel that weren’t refrigerated. They allegedly observed Verret offloading oysters from the boat into a refrigerated truck about 10:45 a.m., according to the release.
During questioning, Verret allegedly admitted to harvesting the oysters in question on Wednesday, even though his logbook and oyster tags showed they were harvested on Thursday, the release states.
The sacks of oysters had green tags, which means they must be consumed fully cooked and be placed under refrigeration less than 12 hours from harvest this time of year, according to the release.
Agents seized 81 sacks of oysters and returned them to the water, the release states.
Misbranding seafood brings up to a $1,000 fine and up to one year of imprisonment. Violating the refrigeration requirements for oysters brings a $400 to $950 fine and up to 120 days in jail. Incorrectly filling out an oyster tag carries a $250 to $500 fine and up to 90 days in jail. Violating the logbook requirements brings a $25 fine, according to the LDWF.