Case library · The Three-Mile Limit
Bought at Sea
United States v. Approximately 64,695 Pounds of Shark Fins (2008)
Charge: Shark-fin cargo seizureCourt: U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th CircuitState: CaliforniaDocket: The Three-Mile Limit
Is a cargo ship that buys fins from fishing boats out at sea itself a fishing vessel under that ban?
The facts
A cargo ship flying the national flag met foreign fishing boats far out at sea, bought about thirty-two tons of fins from them, and set off for port. It carried no bodies to match the fins. It had no fishing gear aboard and had never caught anything. The law bans holding fins without matching bodies on board a fishing vessel, and counts as one any boat that aids or assists fishing, including by storing or carrying.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: United States v. Approximately 64,695 Pounds of Shark Fins, 520 F.3d 976 (9th Cir. 2008)
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