From the Alaska State Troopers:
Location: Sitka
Type: Commercial fish closed season, waste of salmon
On 3/24/17 Alaska Wildlife Troopers observed the F/V Mirage commercial salmon trolling approximately 1.4 miles beyond the winter troll line near Sitka Sound. During the investigation, permit holder Jeffrey Turner, 50, of Sitka, was observed discarding a dead king salmon into the sea. One king salmon was seized and Turner was issued summonses to appear in Sitka District Court for fishing in a closed season and waste of salmon.
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Man draws jail time in Bristol Bay assault
From the Alaska State Troopers:
Location: Naknek
Type: Sentencing
On 3/15/17 Don R. Iodice, 54, of Everett, Wash., was sentenced in Naknek District Court to 30 days in jail in connection with an assault on his coworker and captain of a tender vessel. Bristol Bay Wildlife Troopers received the initial complaint on 7/3/16 while the vessel was in the Egegik commercial fishing district. The court also placed Iodice on probation for two years and ordered him not to return to the fishing grounds in Bristol Bay.
Location: Naknek
Type: Sentencing
On 3/15/17 Don R. Iodice, 54, of Everett, Wash., was sentenced in Naknek District Court to 30 days in jail in connection with an assault on his coworker and captain of a tender vessel. Bristol Bay Wildlife Troopers received the initial complaint on 7/3/16 while the vessel was in the Egegik commercial fishing district. The court also placed Iodice on probation for two years and ordered him not to return to the fishing grounds in Bristol Bay.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Sea cucumber harvester nets $10,000 fine
The Alaska State Troopers posted this item on Friday:
Location: Prince of Wales Island
Type: Conviction
On 11/29/16 Alaska Wildlife Troopers closed out a yearlong commercial fishing case against Ronald C. Blake, 47, of Cordova, after he was convicted in the Prince of Wales court of two misdemeanor charges of failing to register for a commercial fishery and providing false information on Alaska Department of Fish and Game fish tickets. He was fined a combined total of $20,000 with $10,000 suspended. Blake, who operates the F/V Ace as a fishing vessel and a commercial tender, falsified records from the commercial sea cucumber fishery. During the sea cucumber fishery, commercial divers are allowed to harvest 2,000 pounds of product, per fisherman, during each fishing period, which typically lasts a day and a half. Most divers get the bulk of their allotment on the first day and then, after weighing the product, harvest the remaining amount during the last half day. Any amount of product that exceeds 2,000 pounds per fisherman is considered an overage and is forfeited to the state. If an overage is excessive, it may result in a criminal charge against the diver, but for minor overages there is no consequence to the fisherman. This is where the problems started for Blake. Instead of reporting the overages to Fish and Game as required, troopers were able to show that Blake was creating a "slush" fund with the excess sea cucumbers. If a fisherman who delivered product to him came up a little short, he would slide the needed amount over to that fisherman to make sure he delivered exactly 2,000 pounds. The more "legal" product that Blake purchased as a commercial tender, the more he was able to deliver to his processor and thus make more money. The F/V Ace supported three commercially permitted divers during the fishery in 2015: Blake, Makena O'Toole and Timothy Smith. When Blake or O'Toole needed a break, Smith would take their place in the water. What Alaska Wildlife Troopers noticed was that Smith always made his 2,000-pound quota but spent very little time in the actual water. The two experienced divers would easily harvest their 2,000-pound quota and then some. The additional harvest would then be placed onto Smith's quota and sold, thus ensuring that the divers off the F/V Ace always harvested and sold the maximum amount of product possible. That is called "party fishing." Because the commercial sea cucumber fishery is a competitive fishery, this type of activity is illegal. In the last two years, Alaska Wildlife Troopers have conducted seven "routine" vessel inspections on the F/V Ace, as he was the holder of seven Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission permits in 2016 and is involved in some of the most lucrative fisheries in the state to include halibut, black cod, herring and salmon. The F/V Ace, a 49-foot seiner, operates between Prince William Sound and southern Southeast most of the year either fishing or operating as a commercial tender.
Location: Prince of Wales Island
Type: Conviction
On 11/29/16 Alaska Wildlife Troopers closed out a yearlong commercial fishing case against Ronald C. Blake, 47, of Cordova, after he was convicted in the Prince of Wales court of two misdemeanor charges of failing to register for a commercial fishery and providing false information on Alaska Department of Fish and Game fish tickets. He was fined a combined total of $20,000 with $10,000 suspended. Blake, who operates the F/V Ace as a fishing vessel and a commercial tender, falsified records from the commercial sea cucumber fishery. During the sea cucumber fishery, commercial divers are allowed to harvest 2,000 pounds of product, per fisherman, during each fishing period, which typically lasts a day and a half. Most divers get the bulk of their allotment on the first day and then, after weighing the product, harvest the remaining amount during the last half day. Any amount of product that exceeds 2,000 pounds per fisherman is considered an overage and is forfeited to the state. If an overage is excessive, it may result in a criminal charge against the diver, but for minor overages there is no consequence to the fisherman. This is where the problems started for Blake. Instead of reporting the overages to Fish and Game as required, troopers were able to show that Blake was creating a "slush" fund with the excess sea cucumbers. If a fisherman who delivered product to him came up a little short, he would slide the needed amount over to that fisherman to make sure he delivered exactly 2,000 pounds. The more "legal" product that Blake purchased as a commercial tender, the more he was able to deliver to his processor and thus make more money. The F/V Ace supported three commercially permitted divers during the fishery in 2015: Blake, Makena O'Toole and Timothy Smith. When Blake or O'Toole needed a break, Smith would take their place in the water. What Alaska Wildlife Troopers noticed was that Smith always made his 2,000-pound quota but spent very little time in the actual water. The two experienced divers would easily harvest their 2,000-pound quota and then some. The additional harvest would then be placed onto Smith's quota and sold, thus ensuring that the divers off the F/V Ace always harvested and sold the maximum amount of product possible. That is called "party fishing." Because the commercial sea cucumber fishery is a competitive fishery, this type of activity is illegal. In the last two years, Alaska Wildlife Troopers have conducted seven "routine" vessel inspections on the F/V Ace, as he was the holder of seven Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission permits in 2016 and is involved in some of the most lucrative fisheries in the state to include halibut, black cod, herring and salmon. The F/V Ace, a 49-foot seiner, operates between Prince William Sound and southern Southeast most of the year either fishing or operating as a commercial tender.
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Bye-bye blotter
The Unalaska Department of Public Safety has announced it is discontinuing publication of its popular police blotter "for the foreseeable future."
"However, there will be regular posts to our Facebook page that cover incidents of interest to the community," the department said.
"However, there will be regular posts to our Facebook page that cover incidents of interest to the community," the department said.
Monday, December 26, 2016
Kodiak man accused of interfering with gear
From the Alaska State Troopers and state court records:
Location: Kodiak
Type: Interference with fishing gear
On 11/15/16 Alaska Wildlife Troopers contacted Robert Nelson Sr., 42, of Kodiak, at his residence. An ongoing investigation found Nelson had operated the F/V Katherine earlier this year and interfered with and retained commercial groundfish pots belonging to another commercial vessel. Nelson has been charged with three counts of interfering with fishing gear, a misdemeanor.
Location: Kodiak
Type: Interference with fishing gear
On 11/15/16 Alaska Wildlife Troopers contacted Robert Nelson Sr., 42, of Kodiak, at his residence. An ongoing investigation found Nelson had operated the F/V Katherine earlier this year and interfered with and retained commercial groundfish pots belonging to another commercial vessel. Nelson has been charged with three counts of interfering with fishing gear, a misdemeanor.
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Dutch Harbor report
From the local police blotter:
Assault, Sept. 25 — Caller reported an assault that occurred aboard a vessel at sea. The Alaska State Troopers were advised.
Welfare check, Oct. 4 — A concerned mother called because she had not heard from her son who came to work at a processing plant in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor. She was able to provide enough information so that a local contact number could be provided.
Assist other agency, Oct. 6 — Officer assisted a National Marine Fisheries Service investigator in conducting interviews and imaging a cell phone.
Criminal mischief, Oct. 8, 1407 hours — Caller reported damage to a vessel. The caller suspected a disgruntled former employee. The former employee denied the allegations. The responsible person for the vessel did not wish to pursue charges.
Trespass, Oct. 8, 1428 hours — Officers assisted in issuing a trespass order to a disgruntled former employee who was suspected of vandalizing a vessel.
Environmental, Oct. 10 — Caller reported that several eagles were rifling through trash bags in the back of a pickup truck, making quite the mess. The truck's owner was contacted and advised.
Assist other agency, Oct. 18 — Officers assisted several IRS agents in serving a search warrant after receiving a call from the suspect the warrant was being served upon. The suspect did not believe the IRS agents were actually federal agents and wanted the police to make them go away. It was explained to the suspect that the agents were actual agents and that the warrant was valid.
Animal, Oct. 19, 1051 hours — Caller reported two eagles arguing over a seagull carcass. The caller stated the stench from the carrion was wafting through the open bay doors. The eagles were persuaded to move their brunch to a location farther from the building.
Suspicious activity, Oct. 22 — Caller reported a possible mutiny aboard a fishing vessel as the crew was not listening to the captain and refused to get out of bed. The caller called back and reported that everything was fine now and the crew was working. An officer responded and confirmed that there were no mutinous scurvy dogs upon the vessel.
Assault, Sept. 25 — Caller reported an assault that occurred aboard a vessel at sea. The Alaska State Troopers were advised.
Welfare check, Oct. 4 — A concerned mother called because she had not heard from her son who came to work at a processing plant in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor. She was able to provide enough information so that a local contact number could be provided.
Assist other agency, Oct. 6 — Officer assisted a National Marine Fisheries Service investigator in conducting interviews and imaging a cell phone.
Criminal mischief, Oct. 8, 1407 hours — Caller reported damage to a vessel. The caller suspected a disgruntled former employee. The former employee denied the allegations. The responsible person for the vessel did not wish to pursue charges.
Trespass, Oct. 8, 1428 hours — Officers assisted in issuing a trespass order to a disgruntled former employee who was suspected of vandalizing a vessel.
Environmental, Oct. 10 — Caller reported that several eagles were rifling through trash bags in the back of a pickup truck, making quite the mess. The truck's owner was contacted and advised.
Assist other agency, Oct. 18 — Officers assisted several IRS agents in serving a search warrant after receiving a call from the suspect the warrant was being served upon. The suspect did not believe the IRS agents were actually federal agents and wanted the police to make them go away. It was explained to the suspect that the agents were actual agents and that the warrant was valid.
Animal, Oct. 19, 1051 hours — Caller reported two eagles arguing over a seagull carcass. The caller stated the stench from the carrion was wafting through the open bay doors. The eagles were persuaded to move their brunch to a location farther from the building.
Suspicious activity, Oct. 22 — Caller reported a possible mutiny aboard a fishing vessel as the crew was not listening to the captain and refused to get out of bed. The caller called back and reported that everything was fine now and the crew was working. An officer responded and confirmed that there were no mutinous scurvy dogs upon the vessel.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Sitka salmon troller hit with multiple charges
The Alaska State Troopers today released the following:
Location: Sitka
Type: Undersized king salmon
On 8/30/16 Alaska Wildlife Troopers responded to a report of undersized king salmon on a commercial power troll vessel, the F/V Seanna, at a local processor. Investigation revealed permit holder and operator Cleveland Eells, 26, of Sitka, had taken five undersized king salmon, which an Alaska Department of Fish and Game representative identified during an offload as undersized. Eells removed the fish from the ADF&G representative's possession before any biological samples (heads) could be retained and dumped the fish, causing them to be wasted. Troopers later contacted Eells and additional undersized king salmon were located onboard which had been concealed at the end of a separate offload. Eells was charged by Alaska Wildlife Troopers and the Sitka District Attorney's Office with two counts of possessing undersized king salmon, failing to relinquish heads of marked king salmon, waste of salmon and unlawful possession. He was arraigned on 9/20/16 on the misdemeanor charges. Investigation continues into further charges.
Location: Sitka
Type: Undersized king salmon
On 8/30/16 Alaska Wildlife Troopers responded to a report of undersized king salmon on a commercial power troll vessel, the F/V Seanna, at a local processor. Investigation revealed permit holder and operator Cleveland Eells, 26, of Sitka, had taken five undersized king salmon, which an Alaska Department of Fish and Game representative identified during an offload as undersized. Eells removed the fish from the ADF&G representative's possession before any biological samples (heads) could be retained and dumped the fish, causing them to be wasted. Troopers later contacted Eells and additional undersized king salmon were located onboard which had been concealed at the end of a separate offload. Eells was charged by Alaska Wildlife Troopers and the Sitka District Attorney's Office with two counts of possessing undersized king salmon, failing to relinquish heads of marked king salmon, waste of salmon and unlawful possession. He was arraigned on 9/20/16 on the misdemeanor charges. Investigation continues into further charges.
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