SEATTLE — The owner of a Washington seafood company was sentenced to two years in prison for overharvesting sea cucumbers and must pay $1.5 million in restitution – the second large bust of illegal sea cucumber trade in the American West in just over a year.
Hoon Namkoong, 62, was also sentenced Friday to three years of post-prison supervision.
He pleaded guilty earlier this year in U.S. District Court in Seattle to underreporting the number of sea cucumbers he bought from tribal and nontribal fisheries in the Puget Sound by nearly 250,000 pounds between 2014 and 2016. His company, Orient Seafood Production, then sold them to seafood buyers in Asia and the U.S.
The illegal harvest amounted to nearly 20 percent of the total allowed harvest of the sea creatures statewide, said U.S. Attorney Annette Hayes, and did serious damage to the Puget Sound.
Sea cucumbers, which are shaped like cucumbers with small feet and measure up to 6 feet. They are served dried or fresh and often braised with fish, vegetables and traditional Chinese sauces. They are sought to treat various health issues and are increasingly in demand in China and Southeast Asia.
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