Fishing company sentenced to pay $2.4M for dumping

WASHINGTON (AP) — A New Zealand fishing company has been ordered to pay $2.4 million and sentenced to three years of probation for dumping oil waste into U.S. waters off American Samoa. The chief engineer on the company’s ship faces a month in prison for falsifying records in an effort to cover up the dumping.

U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell imposed the penalties on Friday, directing Sanford Ltd. to pay a $1.9 criminal fine and to make a $500,000 community service payment to National Marine Sanctuaries, trustee for the nation’s system of marine protected areas. During the probationary period, Sanford is banned from fishing in U.S. waters unless it petitions the court and shows compliance with an environmental compliance program.