10/1/2018
FIFE, Wash. — The owner of a Fife seafood company was sentenced Friday to two years in prison for overharvesting sea cucumbers and must pay $1.5 million in restitution.
62-year-old Hoon Namkoong pleaded guilty earlier this year to underreporting the number of sea cucumbers he bought from tribal and nontribal fisheries by nearly 250,000 pounds between 2014 and 2016.
His company, Orient Seafood Production, then sold them to buyers in the U.S. and Asia.
Illegal trade on sea cucumbers has become more common and lucrative as demand increases in Asia, where they are used to treat various health issues.