Feds detail three enforcement cases

NOAA's Office of General Counsel reports these cases charged in October:

• F/V U.S. Intrepid — Crewman Zedrick Moli (aka Zedrick Allen) was charged under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act with harassing and sexually harassing a female fisheries observer. An $18,000 NOVA (notice of violation and assessment) was issued.

• F/V Foreigner — Owner Anastasia Basargin and operator Arseny Reutov were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with operating a vessel without an operable VMS (vessel monitoring system). A $7,500 NOVA was issued.

• F/V Ocean Invictus — Owners Ocean Bay Inc. and Kilokak Inc. and operator Robert Graham were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with failing to retain pollock, an IR/IU (improved retention/improved utilization) species, up to the maximum retainable amount. A $5,750 NOVA was issued, and the case settled for $5,175.

Violations reported at Canadian border

NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement, in a report to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, relates the following:

In June, enforcement officers conducted multiple vessel patrols along the Canadian border in Southeast Alaska. The patrols concentrated on foreign and domestic recreational and commercial fishing vessels adjacent to and within disputed zones. Twenty vessels were boarded throughout the week, and 10 violations were discovered. Multiple violations were found on foreign and domestic vessels, including illegal harvest in U.S. waters.

Halibut discards case settles for $39,600

NOAA's Office of General Counsel reports the following case resolution:

• F/V Intrepid — Owner F/V Intrepid LLC and operator Alexey P. Fefelov were charged jointly and severally under the Northern Pacific Halibut Act with failing to return halibut discards to the sea with a minimum of injury. A $49,500 NOVA (notice of violation and assessment) was issued, and the case settled for $39,600.

Troopers cite several Cook Inlet fishermen

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Cook Inlet Central District

Type: Commercial fish closed period

On 7/17/24 Soldotna-based Aaska Wildlife Troopers observed the fishing vessel Realist commercial fishing with a drift gillnet in an area that was closed to commercial fishing. The Realist was 3.3 miles outside of legal fishing waters. Further investigation revealed that the permit holder, Kyle Hock, 35, of Homer, falsely stated he caught fish in a legal statistical area. Hock was charged with infractions including commercial fishing during a closed period.

Location: Cook Inlet Central District

Type: Commercial fish closed period

On 7/17/24 Soldotna-based Alaska Wildlife Troopers observed the fishing vessel Blue Back commercial fishing in a closed area. The Blue Back was 0.7 miles outside of legal fishing waters. The permit holder, Eric Ranguette, 47, of Soldotna, was issued a citation for commercial fishing during a closed period. On 8/28/24 Ranguette pled no contest in Homer District Court. Ranguette was fined $3,000 with $1,500 suspended and ordered to pay $1,856 in restitution for the illegally caught fish.

Location: Cook Inlet Central District

Type: Commercial fish closed period

On 7/17/24 Soldotna-based Alaska Wildlife Troopers observed the fishing vessel Little Dolphin commercial fishing in a closed area. The Little Dolphin was 0.7 miles outside of legal fishing waters. The permit holder, Nikolai Yakunin, 69, of Homer, was cited for commercial fishing during a closed period.

Location: Cook Inlet Central District

Type: Commercial fish closed period

On 7/10/24 Soldotna-based Alaska Wildlife Troopers observed the fishing vessel Skybird commercial fishing in an area closed to commercial fishing. The Skybird was 0.35 miles outside of legal fishing waters. The permit holder, Ulian Kuzmin, 28, of Homer, was cited for commercial fishing during a closed period.

Sitka man charged with multiple violations

Details in this Alaska State Troopers press release.

Kodiak fisherman arrested on warrant

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Kodiak

Type: Warrant arrest

On 10/5/24 Alaska Wildlife Troopers arrested Cory Dehning, 37, of Kodiak, for an arrest warrant for failure to appear for the original charge of commercial fishing in closed waters. Dehning was remanded to the Kodiak Jail with bail set at $100.

Cook Inlet EEZ firearm incident investigated

The U.S. Coast Guard reports the following to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which is meeting this week in Anchorage.

The Coast Guard conducted coordinated surface and air patrols with NOAA OLE in the first opener of the Cook Inlet EEZ Salmon Fishery. The Coast Guard completed 17 at-sea boardings and 05 hours of C-130 patrol. Notably, the aircrew observed one instance of a firearm being pointed in the direction of a deployed net and vectored a cutter with embarked NOAA OLE agents to the vessel for investigation.