| Captain fined $20,000 or 4 months prison for wrecking on reef | | Print | |
| Written by Richard Green/richard@fptci.com | |||
| Thursday, 28 July 2011 09:33 | |||
 The captain who ran a 56-foot catamaran aground on a coral reef off Middle Creek Cay between East and South Caicos must pay a fine of $20,000 or spend four months in jail, a magistrate has ruled. The El Dorado I was en route from Puerto Rico to South Caicos on July 11 when it ran aground on a reef east of East and South Caicos, according to the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources. “Near the grounding site at approximately 100 meters, a coral head that was comprised primarily of turf algae with some small hard and soft coral was damaged by showing signs of broken edges,” according to a DECR report on the wreck. “The boat then continued northwest where it was grounded upon a shallow reef comprised of turf algae on top of hard substrate, hard corals and soft corals located approximately less than one mile from the southeast side of McCartney Cay.” DECR staff surveyed the site and determined that 14,523 square feet of reef was damaged in an area used by commercial fisherman for catching spiny lobster fish and fin fish. Repairing the damage by building an artificial reef and reattaching corals was estimated to cost $21,700. Captain Mickey Mordecai Mangal must pay a fine of $20,000 or spend four months in jail for the damage caused, a magistrate ruled. The Turks and Caicos Islands Fisheries Protection Ordinance provides for fines up to $50,000 for “breaking or causing damage to coral reefs or marine plants within the fishery limits of the islands.” “Despite shortage in resources, the DECR remains committed to the protection of the TCI fragile environment, and we will continue to make use of all resources which are available to the department to ensure the protection and prosecution of offenders who violate the legislation,” said DECR Director Wesley Clerveaux.
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