A Massachusetts man charged with catching a tuna out of season and then dumping the headless 400-pound carcass in the woods of Gloucester has been arraigned.
The Gloucester Daily Times reports that 40-year-old Harold Wentworth on Monday pleaded not guilty to state charges including improper disposal of waste and expelling trash or litter from a motor vehicle.
Federal fisheries regulators say they have also served him with an enforcement action for allegedly illegally harvesting tuna out of season.
Authorities say they have video of Wentworth landing the bluefin tuna in Rockport on Oct. 20, 15 days after the close of the initial fall season. It was hauled out of the woods by a tow truck on Oct. 24.
Wentworth's attorney did not respond to requests for comment.
