Sunday, May 29, 2011

Troopers cite Prince William Sound fisherman

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Western Prince William Sound
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 5/26/11 Benjamin Lustig, 38, of Girdwood, was cited by the Valdez wildlife trooper for commercial fishing in the closed waters of the Esther subdistrict. Arraignment scheduled for 6/29/11 in Cordova District Court.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Troopers ticket Copper River salmon gillnetter

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Copper River flats
Type: Commercial fish closed period
On 5/24/11 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Cordova Post, cited Onicifor P. Reutov, operator and permit holder on the F/V Fazan, for commercial fishing a drift gillnet after the period closed on 5/23/11. Arraignment set for 6/22/11 in Cordova District Court.

Prince William Sound shrimper cited

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Prince William Sound
Type: Failure to submit fish ticket — commercial shrimp
On 5/24/11 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Cordova Post, cited Jason C. Pallas, operator and permit holder on F/V Full Moon, for failing to meet reporting requirements. Arraignment set for 6/22/11 in Cordova District Court.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Fines dealt at Naknek in hide-the-numbers case

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Naknek
Type: Update — illegal fishing, hindering prosecution
On 5/3/11 in Naknek District Court, Tim Allen Vardy, 55, and Linda Sue Vardy, 47, both of Lakewood, Wash., accepted plea agreements with the state. Tim Vardy pled guilty to a single count of hindering prosecution and was fined $2,000 with none suspended. He was also placed on probation for one year. All other charges were dismissed. Linda Vardy pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of commercial fishing in closed waters and was fined $5,000 with zero suspended. Previously a third defendant, John R. Lane, 26, of California, pled guilty to a single charge of hindering prosecution. This case was initiated in July 2010 after a wildlife trooper on aircraft patrol of the Egegik commercial fishing district observed the F/V High Octane fishing in closed waters. Lane, at Tim Vardy's direction, used his body to attempt to obscure the vessel's Alaska Department of Fish and Game numbers to prevent identification and prosecution. Tim Vardy, the skipper and one of two permit holders, used a jacket to obscure the other ADF&G number.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Sitka crabber fined, allowed to buy back pots

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Update — improper gear
On 5/19/11 Troy A. Denkinger, 44, of Sitka, pled guilty to one count of operating commercial Tanner crab gear that did not contain the proper size of escape rings. He was fined $2,000 with $1,000 suspended. Denkinger was also allowed to purchase back his seized Tanner pots at $500 per pot.

Dutch Harbor fisherman cited over fish ticket

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Fish ticket
On 5/24/11 Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers issued Christina Garcia, 44, of Dutch Harbor, a summons for failing to electronically submit an initial Department of Fish and Game fish ticket at the completion of a commercial fish delivery. Arraignment is scheduled for 6/29/11 in Unalaska District Court.

Dutch Harbor report

From the local police blotter:

Environmental, May 22 — A sinking vessel leaked fuel and oil into the water as it submerged. Various responsible parties and civil authorities were notified of the event. The vessel was removed from the water approximately eight hours later.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Dutch Harbor troopers find crew licenses lacking

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Crew license
On 5/18/11 Brandon C. Leiato, 30, of Kent, Wash., was cited by Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers for a failing to obtain a commercial crewmember license prior to acting as a crewmember aboard the F/V Ocean Alaska. Bail was set at $260 for Unalaska District Court.

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Crew license
On 5/18/11 Dennis J. Murphy, 41, of Rockport, Mass., was cited by Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers for a failing to obtain a commercial crewmember license prior to acting as a crewmember aboard the F/V Ocean Alaska. Bail was set at $260 for Unalaska District Court.

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Crew license
On 5/18/11 Doug W. Hudson, 47, of Modesto, Calif., was cited by Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers for a failing to obtain a commercial crewmember license prior to acting as a crewmember aboard the F/V Ocean Alaska. Bail was set at $260 for Unalaska District Court.

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Employ unlicensed crewmember
On 5/18/11 James D. Strictland, 45, of Ellensburg, Wash., was cited by Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers for hiring an unlicensed crewmember aboard the F/V Siberian Sea. Bail was set at $260 for Unalaska District Court.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Dutch Harbor report

From the local police blotter:

Forgery, May 12 — Bank staff reported an increase in high-quality counterfeit bills received at their facility. The information had already been passed on to the Secret Service, and an educational seminar on the subject is planned for the near future.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Sitka troopers charge troller with illegal fishing

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 5/13/11 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, contacted Quentin L. Seager, 59, of Mukilteo, Wash., on board the F/V Mendalina in Sitka Sound. Investigation revealed Seager was operating commercial power troll gear outside the open spring troll area by approximately
.85 nautical miles. Seager was cited with arraignment set in Sitka District Court.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Sitka troopers say crewman lacked license

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Crew license
On 5/10/11 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, contacted Christopher Slaughter, 43, of Ferndale, Wash., working as a crewman onboard the F/V Indigo at an IFQ offload in Sitka. Slaughter did not have a crew license or gear card in possession. Slaughter was cited for failing to obtain a crew license while engaged in a commercial fishery. Bail was set at $260 in Sitka District Court.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Dutch Harbor report

From the local police blotter:

Suspicious activity, May 1 — Landlord reported someone, possibly one of her tenants, had thrown a rotten banana at her window. An officer responded and found no banana damage.

Drug law violation, May 3 — One gram of methamphetamine was found in a vial on the floor of a hallway at UniSea. The drugs were seized for destruction.

Commercial vehicle, May 4 — Officer stopped the driver of a commercial truck after noticing an unsecured load in the bed of the truck. The driver was uninterested in correcting any of the problems noted by the officer, and simply asked for his citation before leaving the vehicle on the side of the road.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Juneau crabbers charged with illegal pot storage

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Hoonah
Type: Illegal storage of crab gear
On 5/6/11 Norval Nelson III, 36, of Juneau, was cited by Alaska Wildlife Troopers for illegally storing 15 commercial Tanner crab pots after the five-day gear storage allowance. Nelson III was acting as the skipper onboard the F/V Lovey Joann. Also cited was 24-year-old Juneau resident Barry Moala, the permit holder onboard the vessel.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Homer jig fisherman lacked permit, troopers say

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Homer
Type: Commercial fish without permit
On 5/3/11 Alaska Wildlife Troopers issued a misdemeanor citation to Eric Haughey, 34, of Homer, for participating in the state Pacific cod jig fishery without a valid Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission permit card. Investigation revealed Haughey had made two trips without the original permit holder onboard and retained Pacific cod without previously obtaining a mechanical jig permit. Arraignment is scheduled for 6/7/11 in Homer District Court.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Coast Guard finds violations on two factory boats

A boarding team from the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Bertholf found violations aboard two factory fishing vessels in late April.

But the Coast Guard is withholding the names of the vessels involved, as "the violations are still under investigation by NOAA," Petty Officer Sara Francis told Deckboss.

An April 28 Coast Guard press release said one boat was targeting Pacific cod and the other rex sole.

"Both crews had exceeded their bycatch limits and had logbook errors," the press release said.

"The boarding officer was able to educate the master on logbook etiquette and issued three violations, which will ultimately improve fisheries management in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska," said Lt. Matthew Lisko, assistant weapons officer aboard the Bertholf.

The cod boat was a longliner working in the Bering Sea, while the other boat was a trawler operating in the Gulf of Alaska, Francis said.