State and federal fisheries enforcement agents raided the homes and boats of at least two Long Island commercial fishermen Tuesday, confiscating documents and computer files as part of an ongoing probe, officials and the fishermen said.
Anthony Joseph, a fisherman who operates the Stirs One from Point Lookout, said law enforcement agents raided his Levittown home at 8:30 a.m., brandishing separate search warrants for his home and boat. They spent hours sifting through documents and computer files but declined to say why they were there, he said.
Joseph, who has fished commercially for 21 years, said agents identified themselves from the National Marine Fisheries Service and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
“They went through my kid’s bedroom and my shed — every inch of the house,” said Joseph, who last week led a contingent of fishermen from Point Lookout to a fishermen’s rally in Washington, D.C. “They won’t give me a clue what it’s about.”
A separate crew of agents conducted a raid of his boat, he said.