WINGATE, Md. – Maryland Natural Resources Police have charged a Dorchester County seafood dealer with 47 reporting and tax violations related to buying oysters harvested from the Chesapeake Bay.
Steven Hwang, 64, the owner of J and R Seafood in Wingate, is charged with 11 counts of failure to submit oyster buy tickets to the DNR, 11 counts of failure to pay oyster taxes, and 25 counts of failure to submit weekly oyster tax reports to the Department of Natural Resources.
Authorities say that when commercial watermen harvest oysters, they sell their catch to designated commercial establishments or buy stations. The buy stations are required to record information about the purchase on a designated DNR form. This official form is referred to as a buy ticket. The buy ticket records the watermen’s name, license number, location of harvest, and the amount of harvest. The buyer submits the buy tickets, and a weekly oyster report to the DNR. Information gained from the reports assist with management and health assessments of the oyster stock in the Chesapeake Bay.
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