A private, nonprofit organization said Tuesday that it is offering a $2,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in the repeated sinking of a lobster boat owned by a Tenants Harbor man.
Maine Operation Game Thief issued a press release announcing the reward.
Anthony Hooper’s lobster boat, Liberty, has been sunk three times since mid-August. His boat has been moored in Port Clyde.
“This is a senseless act that has happened to one of our own,” said Greg Sirpis, board chairman of Operation Game Thief. “The commercial lobstering community has a deep rooted tradition in Maine, and this will simply not stand.”
The sinkings are being investigated by the Maine Marine Patrol. Each time the Liberty has been sunk, Hooper has paid to have it raised and repaired. He and his girlfriend had a baby last month.
“We’re grateful for the tremendous support of the Operation Game Thief program,” said Rene Cloutier, a major with the Maine Marine Patrol. “While their focus is traditionally on poaching violations, their partnership with the Marine Patrol will help us pursue serious violations that undermine the ability of hard working fishermen to make a living on the water.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.