THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 18, 1995 TAG: 9502180433
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LON WAGNER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
A pirate, a bandit, a robber of public resources. That's what Gov. Tony Knowles of Alaska calls Mr. Big, a Hampton Roads fishing boat that has navigated through a loophole in the law to harvest scallops off the Alaskan coast.
After Alaska declared its scallop quota filled, William ``Punk'' Daniels steered the 168-foot Mr. Big out to sea, scalloping just beyond the three-mile reach of the state's territorial waters.
When Mr. Big is full, Daniels cruises down to Seattle to unload his catch. That way he does not need a fishing permit from Alaska, and he does not have to face the wrath of Alaska's governor.
``This kind of behavior is outrageous,'' Knowles said in a Thursday news release. ``I have instructed my Department of Law to do whatever they can to stop this pirate fishery.
``By exploiting a loophole in the law, these bandits are ruining things for the legitimate Alaska fishermen who play by the rules.''
Daniels fishes for Wanchese Fish Co. in Hampton, which has been battling the federal government's flounder quotas on the East Coast. Tim Daniels, Punk Daniels' brother and vice president of the fish company, said his attorney's research indicated that the company could continue to catch scallops in federal waters. The company has sent boats to Alaska, via the Panama Canal, for several years.
There are so many scallops in Alaska, Daniels said, that the boats' dredges fill up after dragging the bottom for only a few minutes. ``In other words, they make one drag and the boat can't even fish anymore - it's full.''
The legal snag for Alaska is this: Punk Daniels is fishing in federal waters, and there are no federal regulations closing scallop season, said Bob King, the governor's press secretary.
``The problem we got is Alaska does not think they belong to the United States,'' Tim Daniels said. ``They don't think they have to abide by federal rules.''
Knowles is trying just about everything he can to shut down Mr. Big. He has called on the Coast Guard and the National Marine Fisheries Service ``to take whatever action they can to stop the fishery.''
Alaska went to federal court Friday, asking for an injunction. And Knowles called for an emergency meeting of the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council.
Meanwhile, Punk Daniels keeps pulling in scallops, those tasty bivalves that come in fan-tailed shells
``Since the vessel is not registered in Alaska, we cannot compel him to come in,'' King said.
Mr. Big's troubles came about, Tim Daniels said, because an envious Alaskan fisherman whose boat is too small to make the trip to Seattle reported Mr. Big.
``You have to have a big boat to do this,'' Daniels said. ``We're not exploiting the fishery - there's plenty of scallops out there.''
It is likely to take several weeks for Alaska to get the federal government to pass the laws needed to shut down Mr. Big. Tim Daniels said he also has another boat catching scallops in the Gulf of Alaska, and other fishing companies have taken notice and moved in. ILLUSTRATION: Staff Map
by CNB