Sitka men fined for sportfish guiding violations

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Conviction — sportfish guiding offenses
On 3/7/12 Robert L. Warren and Michael R. Keating, both of Sitka, pled guilty in Sitka District Court to sportfish guiding offenses. Warren, a sportfish guide for Big Blue Charters, pled guilty to one count each of failing to register a charter vessel and failing to obtain a sportfish guide logbook. He was fined a total of $2,250 with $1,500 suspended and placed on probation for one year. Keating, the owner of Big Blue Charters, pled guilty to one count of aiding in the commission of a violation by an employee. Keating was fined $2,500 with $1,000 suspended and was placed on probation for two years. An additional count of aiding in the commission of a violation was dismissed. Keating's sportfish guide license was revoked for one year with the revocation suspended as a condition of probation. The charges stemmed from observations and investigation by Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, and Sitka-based National Marine Fisheries Service officers, who observed Warren complete a guided sportfishing trip with four clients on an unregistered charter vessel, in August 2011. Further investigation revealed Keating assisted with the violation by supplying his employee with a vessel he knew to be unregistered for sportfish guiding.