NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A commercial fisherman from Saxis on the Eastern Shore has admitted to illegally harvesting at least $37,000 of striped bass over a three-year period.
Keith J. Martin, 52, pleaded guilty on Monday to violating the Lacey Act, a federal law that prohibits the trafficking of illegally taken wildlife, fish, or plants.
According to court documents, Martin illegally harvested and sold at least 12,663 pounds of striped bass from Virginia waters between 2018 and 2020. In 2018, he sold about 2,000 pounds over the 4,010-pound quota to one Maryland seafood company, and sold about 300 pounds over the following year to the same company.
Prosecutors say Martin’s combination of illegally harvesting the fish in Virginia and then selling it in Maryland constituted a violation of the Lacey Act. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison at his sentencing on October 26.
