DEC Reports | Marine Resources Advisory Council

DEC Marine Law Enforcement Reports

An essential aspect of marine fisheries and fishery resource management is an effective enforcement component. The best-intentioned management measure will almost surely fail if it is not practically enforceable and a credible law enforcement presence is a practical necessity if New York State’s marine resources management program is to succeed. At the State level, marine law enforcement is the responsibility of the Division of Law Enforcement of the State Department of Environmental Conservation. Marine law enforcement is carried out two groups within the Division. The first is the Marine Enforcement Unit (MEU), a cadre of specialized Environmental Conservation Officers charged exclusively with enforcing State and Federal marine resource laws and regulations both on and off-shore. The MEU operates out of the Marine Resources Office in East Setauket and operates a fleet of 31 ft. Safeboats and a 42 ft. Duffy. The second group is the regionally-based Environmental Conservation Officers. The regional officers, operating out of Stony Brook and Long Island City, are responsible for enforcing the full range of natural resource laws and regulations, including those affecting the marine environment. Both groups of individuals work tirelessly, often with too-little recognition, to protect New York’s marine environment and the living marine resources it sustains.

The NYSDEC’s Division of Law Enforcement periodically provides the Marine Resources Advisory Council with written summaries of recent marine law enforcement activities occurring within the Marine and Coastal Resources District. As these are received, they will be posted in this location on the Council’s web page. Below are links to these reports.

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2015

2014

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2012