Friday, December 30, 2011

Homer troopers make another octopus case

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Palmer
Type: Commercial fish closed season
On 12/28/11 Todd J. Hopkins, 39, of Palmer, was cited by Homer Wildlife Troopers for unlawfully retaining commercially caught octopus during a closed season. The incident occurred in May in Cook Inlet. Hopkins was given an arraignment date of 1/17/12 in Homer District Court.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Dutch Harbor report

From the local police blotter:

Drunk disturbance, Dec. 20 — An inebriated, belligerent Joseph Bud Mast, 31, of Seattle, was arrested for disorderly conduct after he repeatedly refused officers' suggestions that he cease his disruptive, antagonistic behavior and attempted to fight with his deckboss.

Missing person, Dec. 24 — Captain reported a crewman had not returned to the vessel. The missing crewman, who had been enjoying the company of a lady friend, returned about an hour later.

DUI, Dec. 24 — Jessica A. Rosquita, 24, of Unalaska, drove to the police station to bail her recently arrested boyfriend and was subsequently arrested for driving under the influence after the releasing officer noticed that she did not meet the criteria for a sober third party.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Dutch Harbor report

From the local police blotter:

Suspicious activity, Dec. 16 — Complainant reported possibly illegal gambling in Unalaska. Under investigation.

Environmental, Dec. 17 — Caller reported a fuel spill, visible from the South Channel Bridge to the Alyeska processing facility. The U.S. Coast Guard was notified.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Cook Inlet octopus retained illegally, troopers say

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Commercial fish closed season
On 12/21/11 Paul D. Dau, 52, of Juneau, was cited by Homer Wildlife Troopers for unlawfully retaining commercially caught octopus during a closed season. The incident occurred in May in Cook Inlet. Dau was given an arraignment date of 1/31/12 in Homer District Court.

Two on longliner ticketed over lack of crew license

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Crewmember license
On 12/20/11 Jamin Jones, 39, of Big Lake, was cited by Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers for failing to obtain a commercial crewmember license prior to acting as a crewmember aboard the F/V US Liberator. Bail set at $260 for Unalaska District Court.

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Employ an unlicensed crewmember
On 12/20/11 Mark Gustafson, 52, of Washington, was cited by Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers for employing an unlicensed crewmember aboard the F/V US Liberator. Bail was set at $260 for Unalaska District Court.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Fisherman charged with illegal lingcod retention

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Homer
Type: Commercial fish closed season
On 12/14/11 Alaska Wildlife Troopers issued a summons to Nikolai Yakunin, 36, of Anchor Point, after investigation revealed he retained lingcod during a closed season while commercial fishing in June. Yakunin's arraignment is scheduled for 1/3/12 in Homer District Court.

Sitka man charged with fish ticket violation

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Fish tickets
On 12/20/11 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, cited Michael T. Knauss, 61, of Sitka, the permit holder onboard the F/V Fascination, for failing to submit commercial salmon fish tickets within seven days. Arraignment set for 1/10/12 in Sitka District Court.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Halibut fisherman cited over lack of CFEC card

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Homer
Type: Possess commercial fish without CFEC card
On 12/12/11 Ace Keim, 31, of Anchorage, was issued a mandatory court citation for possessing commercially caught halibut without a Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission card while commercial fishing from the F/V Avery Taylor on 7/18/11. Keim's arraignment is scheduled for 1/3/12 in Homer District Court.

Sitka crabber accused of unlawful gear storage

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka, Patterson Bay
Type: Unlawful storage of Dungeness gear
On 12/17/11 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, observed commercial Dungeness crab pot gear still stored in the water, after the closure of Southeast Alaska to commercial Dungeness fishing. Subsequent investigation revealed the pots belonged to Jeffrey R. Wolfe, 33, of Sitka. Wolfe was cited on 12/19/11 for unlawful storage of Dungeness pot gear with arraignment set in Sitka District Court.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Blue king crab were undersized, troopers say

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Possession of undersized crab
On 12/15/11 Elliot Neese, 29, of Homer, was cited by Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers for possession of undersized blue king crab onboard the F/V Ramblin Rose. The undersized blue king crab amounted to 5.5 percent and were seized and forfeited to the state. Neese was given an arraignment date of 1/4/12 in Unalaska District Court.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Feds: Oregon man lied about sablefish catch

The F/V Kamilar, seen here in November 2009 at Fishermen's Terminal, Seattle. Deckboss photo

Federal authorities have charged a 46-year-old Oregon man, Freddie Joe Hankins, with misreporting where he caught about 6,000 pounds of sablefish in 2006.

The vessel involved was the longliner Kamilar.

That's the boat named in a similar case brought against Arne Fuglvog, a former aide to Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Fuglvog is awaiting sentencing, and is expected to draw prison time.

Here is the criminal complaint against Hankins, and here is a very interesting affidavit by a NOAA Fisheries special agent.

Southeast fisherman convicted, nets $3,100 fine

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Ketchikan
Type: Update — multiple violations
On 12/2/11 David Schwehm, 22, of Metlakatla, pled guilty to commercial fishing in state waters without a permit and commercial fishing in closed waters. Schwehm was cited by Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Ketchikan Post, on 9/28/11 for commercial fishing without a state permit, unlawful possession of commercial fish, commercial fishing in closed waters, prohibited conduct and failure to register a power vessel. Schwehm was cited after investigation by troopers and the National Marine Fisheries Service revealed the F/V Winter Hawk was commercial gillnetting in state waters without state permits. Schwehm was fined $6,100 with $3,000 suspended and placed on one year probation.

Crewman arrested at Dutch in identity theft case

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Identity theft
On 12/14/11 Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers arrested Omar Ivan Villanueva, 30, of East Wenatchee, Wash., for forgery in the second degree, criminal impersonation in the second degree, and two counts of activities by aliens prohibited. Troopers were made aware of Villanueva using a Social Security number of an individual out of Texas and a fraudulent alien registration card. Villanueva was a crewmember onboard a commercial fishing vessel which is a prohibited activity for an illegal alien.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Dutch Harbor report

From the local police blotter:

Disorderly conduct, Dec. 6 — UniSea security advised of a fight in progress at the Grand Aleutian hotel. Responding officers determined that several drunken fishermen had engaged in heated argument which resulted in one man receiving a cut on his head.

Theft, Dec. 6 — Officer investigated the theft of 11 crab pots from a processing facility, and determined the pots had been inadvertently released to a person other than the owner. The two parties contacted one another and made arrangements for the return and/or appropriate sale of the fishing gear.

Welfare check, Dec. 7, 0840 hours — Caller reported a man with dark skin and dark clothing was walking near the roadway without apparently paying attention to passing traffic. An officer contacted the man, who was not incapacitated in any way, and advised that he wear brighter clothing for walks in the pre-dawn Aleutian gloom.

Suspicious activity, Dec. 7 — A twitchy bunkhouse resident claimed, among other things, that his housemates have been removing his fingerprints from framed photographs in order to incriminate him in nefarious crimes. An officer advised the man to better secure his personal belongings and suggested that reducing illicit drug use might also reduce his paranoia.

Theft, Dec. 8 — A grocery store patron demanded that she be given a bag of shrimp for which she claimed to have already paid. The patron stalked off with the shrimp after an employee, believing something fishy might be going on, took the matter to a supervisor. Store management elected to handle the matter without police assistance.

Traffic crime, Dec. 9 — Officer contacted the driver of a pickup whose load of unsecured crab buoys kept falling from the vehicle, creating a rolling traffic hazard and stopping traffic on at least two occasions.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Yakutat man fined $2,250 for unattended setnet

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Yakutat
Type: Unattended setnet site
On 11/22/11 in Yakutat District Court, George Bogren was found guilty and fined $2,000 for failing to supervise his setnet and $250 for failing to identify his setnet as required. Alaska Wildlife Troopers from Yakutat contacted Bogren, 59, of Yakutat, on 07/24/11. Investigation revealed he was not present as required at his operating commercial setnet site at the Situk-Ahrnklin Inlet area. Bogren's setnet additionally was not marked as required.

Crabber fined $500 for pot storage violation

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Illegal storage of crab pots
On 11/16/11 Ben Gross, 38, of Wasilla, pled no contest in Juneau District Court to one count of illegal storage of a commercial Tanner crab pot. The gear was initially inspected and seized as part of a P/V Enforcer mission inside of Seymour Canal on 10/8/11. Gross was fined $500 and will be on probation for one year.