COUNTY - There's a new twist in the saga of Lunar Fishing's presence in Lunenburg and this one has taken the fishing giant before the courts.

 Lunar Fishing (Canada) 2005 Inc. has been charged with contravening the Canada Shipping Act last July.

 Two allegations appeared on the provincial court docket June 18, alleging that the company failed to employ a chief mate and failed to employ an engineer who held a certificate appropriate to its vessel's propulsion type.

 James Emmanuel Green, captain of the Julianne III, has also been charged. The 52-year-old Lunenburg resident faces three allegations - that he failed to ensure that all aboard presented proper maritime documents, that he failed to operate the vessel with a sufficient and competent crew, and that he permitted a person who did not hold the appropriate certificate to act as a deck watch.

 A lawyer represented the company and captain last week and asked Judge Anne Crawford for more time to review the Crown materials.

 The case was adjourned until July 23.

 Charges against two other men were dropped by the Crown.

 In February, Lunar Fishing pulled the mid-water trawler Julianne III out of Lunenburg, which had been her adopted home port since October 2005.

 The trawler had been involved in an experimental mackerel fishery, but also caught herring as a bycatch, which caused the company to clash with purse-seiner fishermen.

 The company owns four buildings and a wharf on the Lunenburg waterfront which were once home to Scotia Trawler. It continued to operate the smaller seiner Dual Venture after the departure of the Julianne III.

posted on 06/24/08