Hefty Fines for Undersized Conch

Victor Martinez

In more fisheries news…five fishers caught big fines in the Magistrate’s Court for possession of undersized conch and fishing without a license, but it could have easily been worse. The quintet – Enrique Perez; Victor Martinez; brothers Tony and Jeronimo Matura and repeat offender Idelfonso Sho – appeared before Magistrates Carlon Mendoza and Norman Rodriguez respectively in connection with a bust of one thousand two hundred undersized conchs on-board the vessel Sea Green Eyes, owned by Libertad resident, Diana Sample. Perez and Martinez both pleaded guilty to possession of nearly two hundred undersized conchs each, receiving fines of four hundred dollars and a further twenty dollars per conch from Magistrate Rodriguez. The men were ordered to pay by February seventh, 2018, in default four years in prison. Meanwhile, appearing before Magistrate Mendoza were Jeronimo and Tony Matura who were charged for five hundred and fourteen and one hundred and thirty-seven conch respectively, were assessed similar fines and must pay by the end of the year or serve six months in prison.

Idelfonso Sho

Martinez pleaded guilty to fishing without a license before Magistrate Mendoza and was handed another two hundred dollar fine. Lastly, Idelfonso Sho pleaded guilty before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer to fishing without a license and possession of one hundred and sixty-seven undersized conchs. He owes a total of three thousand, seven hundred and fifty dollars due by April thirtieth, 2017 in default a jail term. Sho was also given time to pay the court for a previous conviction for a similar offense in 2016. All told the fines handed out amount to over twenty-five thousand dollars.