A man was arrested on Friday and accused of illegally harvesting shellfish for commercial purposes off the shore of Norwalk.
The investigation began on Oct. 27 when police received the report that a large commercial vessel was suspected of illegally taking shellfish from the city’s recreational shellfishing beds, according to Lt. Tomasz Podgorski of the Norwalk Police Department.
Podgorski said members of the Marine Unit responded to the area and confirmed a vessel was “actively working the recreational grounds.” From the shore, officers were initially not able to identify the vessel’s operator but could see multiple loads of shellfish being harvested and dumped onto the deck, according to Podgorski.
Police then deployed their own vessel and allegedly saw the operator continuing to dredge the area on the recreational beds. Officers were able to identify the boat operator as 61-year-old Michael Oravez of Norwalk, Podgorski said.
Oravez has been previously issued a citation from the “same type of activity,” according to Podgorski. Using the vessel’s GPS coordinates, police worked with the Connecticut Bureau of Aquaculture and Laboratory Services to verify the harvesting was occurring in the city’s restricted shellfish beds, Podgorski said.
According to Podgorski, police later found that Oravez sold the clams to a local supplier and falsely reported the harvest location as an area authorized for commercial use. Police obtained a warrant for his arrest.
Oravez turned himself in last Friday and was charged with second-degree larceny and violation of shellfish regulations. He is free on a $7,500 bond and is expected to face a judge in Stamford Superior Court on Nov. 21.
