Florida spiny lobster dealer hit with USD 250,000 fine for false labeling

Bhavana Scalia-Bruce

Published on

March 1, 2023

A seafood trader in the U.S. state of Florida has been handed a USD 250,000 (EUR 234,000) fine and a five-year probationary period for falsely labeling China-bound seafood, including labeling shark fins as live lobster.

On 23 February, a federal judge sentenced Marathon, Florida, U.S.A.-based seafood wholesaler, distributor, and exporter Elite Sky International for falsely labeling approximately 63,000 pounds of lobster imported from Nicaragua and Belize as U.S.-caught live Florida spiny lobster. The company was also found guilty of acquiring 5,666 pounds of shark fins from a licensed local fisherman in Florida and exporting them to China labeled as live Florida spiny lobster and as frozen fish. The illegal activity took place between November 2018 and October 2019, according to the Miami Herald, which reported attorneys for Elite Sky International did not respond to its request for comment.

The company was charged with violating the Lacey Act, a century-old statute that makes it a crime to submit false paperwork for any wildlife shipped overseas.

As a special condition of the probation issued by the judge in the case, Elite was ordered to establish a corporate compliance program and retain third-party independent auditors to oversee its future activities.

Chen Ting Yee is listed as the president of Elite Sky International, which also has an office in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.

Conch Key, Florida-based commercial fisherman Gary Nichols described Elite Sky as the largest spiny lobster buyer and broker “in the world," according to Keys News. Nichols, who has been selling spiny lobster to the company for 12 years, said the it has a holding tank at its Marathon operation that can house 350,000 pounds of live lobster.

“They have four trucks going up and down the road at any given time,” Nichols said.

Another Florida-based seafood company, Aifa Seafood, is also under criminal investigation for falsely labeling shark fins it shipped to China.

Every year, the fins of as many as 73 million sharks are taken by fishermen, with demand largely driven by China, where shark fin soup is a symbol of status for the rich and powerful.

Photo courtesy of Rob Atherton/Shutterstock