Tacoma, Washington, U.S.A.-based wholesaler Westlake Seafood has been fined USD 15,000 (EUR 14,100) after its owner pleaded guilty to failing to report Dungeness crab and sea urchin purchases to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
Westlake Seafood Owner Dalong Jiang admitted he failed to submit the records, which are used by fishery managers to set sustainable harvest limits. The business was fined for second-degree unlawful shellfish catch accounting, a gross misdemeanor, according to the Tacoma News Tribune, while the four felony charges were withdrawn by the Washington State Attorney General’s Office. The business faced fines of up to USD 500,000 (EUR 470,000) if it had been found guilty of all the charges.
Westlake Seafood also faces a 24-month suspended sentence and a suspended fine of USD 235,000 (EUR 221,000) it does not have to pay unless it violates Washington state laws again.
The company allegedly did not report fish-receiving tickets (FRTs) amounting to more than USD 13,700 (EUR 12,640) worth of purchases from Washington sea urchin and Dungeness crab fishermen. An inspection by state authorities in March 2023 uncovered the tickets.
Wholesale fish dealers in Washington are required by law to report their purchases and sales via the tickets, which provide information on the fishers, the buyers, and the weight and price of each product.
Founded in 2017, Westlake Seafood exports most of its products live to China. In 2021, Ready Seafood sued Westlake Seafood, alleging the company owed it USD 85,000 (EUR 78,400) in unpaid bills.
Jiang initially disputed the charges in an interview with the News Tribune, but his attorney, Chuang-Yi Phillip Su, said Jian had misunderstood his company’s reporting responsibilities.
“Westlake Seafood is a company that does in good faith operate within the confines of the law,” Su told The News Tribune.
Su said Westlake has revamped its purchase and reporting system since the charges were brought, and that the quick resolution of the case revealed state authorities believed Jian “was trying to do the right thing in completing his tickets.”
“I think he feels he’s very fortunate that, you know, he was given this opportunity to do things right,” Su said.
