Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Troller nets $1,250 fine at Sitka

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Yakobi Island
Type: Commercial troll closed waters
On 11/7/17 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, cited Eric Mckee, 34, of California, for commercial trolling in a "high abundance king salmon area" offshore of Yakobi Island, while the area was closed. The citation was related to a violation observed 7/17/17 by AWT. Mckee pled no contest to the charge on 11/21/17 in Sitka District Court. He was fined $2,500 with $1,250 suspended and placed on probation for one year.

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Sublegal Dungeness seized, crabber charged

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Ketchikan
Type: Undersized Dungeness crab
On 10/4/17 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Robert J. Kupers, 46, of Ketchikan, for unlawful possession of undersized Dungeness crab and operating a commercial vessel without Alaska Department of Fish and Game numbers. Kupers was cited after he was contacted at E.C. Phillips in Ketchikan while operating the commercial fishing vessel Aljuhl without displaying his ADF&G numbers as required. Further investigation revealed Kupers was in possession of 94 commercially taken Dungeness crab. Inspection of the crab revealed 43 of the crabs aboard the vessel were under the legal size limit of 6.5 inches. The 43 sublegal Dungeness crabs were seized by the state. Arraignment set for 11/02/17 in Ketchikan District Court.

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Juneau man charged with Dungeness gear violation

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Illegal pot storage
On 9/28/17 Alaska Wildlife Troopers issued Tyson Fick, 44, of Juneau, a summons for illegal storage of commercial Dungeness crab pots. Fick failed to remove all of his pots after the Dungeness crab season closed.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Klawock man charged, seiner seized

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Craig
Type: Multiple violations
On 9/25/17 Curtis J. Demmert, 31, of Klawock, was charged with one count each of commercial fishing in a closed period, commercial fishing in closed waters, filing false information on a state fish ticket, and unlawful possession of fish. The charges stem from a report of illegal commercial fishing near the headwaters of a bay on Dall Island. Investigation showed that the crew of the F/V Tlingit Lady had harvested roughly 23,000 pounds of chum salmon in a closed area in District 3A. The salmon were then sold to a fish buyer. The proceeds of the sale have been confiscated by Alaska Wildlife Troopers for possible forfeiture. The Prince of Wales District Court issued multiple search warrants related to the investigation including a seizure warrant for the vessel. The F/V Tlingit Lady as well as its seine net, seine skiff and all fishing gear were seized.

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Seine boat was too long, troopers say

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Hoonah
Type: Vessel length
On 8/7/17 Douglas W. Chaney, 61, of Lakewood, Wash., was cited for operating a commercial salmon seine vessel that was longer than 58 feet in overall length. He was given an arraignment date of 8/24/17 in Juneau District Court.

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Bristol Bay setnetters charged with salmon waste

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Egegik District
Type: Waste of salmon
On 7/4/17 permit holder Cienna Underwood, 11, of Anchorage; Tristan Williams, 18, of Everett, Wash.; and Maxwell Archer, 19, of Edmonds, Wash., were cited for wasting salmon by failing to remove about 1,000 pounds of salmon from a setnet and leaving them on the beach. Troopers inspected the salmon and determined the fish were unfit for use.

Monday, July 3, 2017

Two Bristol Bay fishermen cited

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Nushagak Bay
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 7/2/17 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Barry D. Northcutt, 63, of Mount Vernon, Wash., for commercial fishing in closed waters.

Location: Nushagak Bay
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/30/17 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Joshua Clayton Curry, 28, of Galveston, Texas, for commercial fishing in closed waters.

Numerous fishermen cited in Prince William Sound

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Prince William Sound
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/26/17 Michael Kompkoff, 40, of Anchorage, was cited for commercial fishing in closed waters of the Granite Bay subdistrict, near Esther Island, northwest Prince William Sound.

Location: Prince William Sound
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/26/17 Alimpi Reutov, 29, of Wasilla, was cited for commercial fishing in closed waters of the Granite Bay subdistrict.

Location: Prince William Sound
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/26/17 Fred Reutov, 44, of Oregon, was cited for commercial fishing in closed waters of the Granite Bay subdistrict.

Location: Prince William Sound
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/27/17 Seth Balint, 24, of Cordova, was cited for commercial fishing in closed waters of the Esther subdistrict.

Location: Prince William Sound
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/27/17 Anthony Barnes, 38, of Cordova, was cited for commercial fishing in closed waters of the Esther subdistrict.

Location: Prince William Sound
Type: Anchored drift gillnet
On 6/27/17 Keith Edens, 27, of Redding, Calif., was cited for commercial fishing a drift gillnet that was anchored to the beach in the Esther subdistrict.

Location: Prince William Sound
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/27/17 John Butler, 70, of Cordova, was cited for commercial fishing in closed waters of the Granite Bay subdistrict.

Location: Prince William Sound
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/26/17 Peter Kasachev, 57, of Homer, was cited for commercial fishing in closed waters of the Granite Bay subdistrict.

Location: Prince William Sound
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/26/17 Victor Kuzmin, 32, of Homer, was cited for commercial fishing in closed waters of the Granite Bay subdistrict.

Location: Prince William Sound
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/26/17 Kyle Kain, 25, of Seward, was cited for commercial fishing in closed waters of the Granite Bay subdistrict.

Location: Prince William Sound
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/26/17 Petro Basargin, 33, of Homer, was cited for commercial fishing in closed waters of the Granite Bay subdistrict. Basargin also was cited for employing a crewmember who was not properly licensed.

Location: Prince William Sound
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/26/17 Todd Hite, 35, of Cordova, was cited for commercial fishing in closed waters of the Granite Bay subdistrict. Todd also was cited for operating a power boat that was not registered.

Location: Eshamy District, Prince William Sound
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/22/17 Cordova Wildlife Troopers aboard the P/V Churchill cited James R. Teich, 54, of Chitina, for commercial fishing in closed waters on the F/V Jimmy T.

Location: Eshamy District, Prince William Sound
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/22/17 Cordova Wildlife Troopers aboard the P/V Churchill cited Andrew Eckley, 33, of Cordova, for commercial fishing in closed waters on the F/V Ketch Em.

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Bristol Bay processor hit with 14-count complaint

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Pilot Point
Type: Multiple violations
On 6/26/17 Incorp Services was served with a summons to appear in Naknek District Court. Incorp Services is the registered agent for Cape Greig, a fish buying and processing company that operates in Bristol Bay. A 14-count criminal complaint filed by Alaska Wildlife Troopers alleges that during the 2016 fishing season, Cape Greig failed to provide required information on fish tickets, entered false information on fish tickets, and purchased fish from a seller who did not hold a valid limited entry permit. Arraignment in the case is scheduled for July 12.

Prince William Sound drifter cited after stakeout

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Prince William Sound
Type: Illegal gear operation
On 6/26/17 Evtropii Matveev was cited for operating a commercial salmon drift gillnet within 25 fathoms of a setnet in the Main Bay subdistrict. The case is a result of a stakeout operation conducted on 6/22/17 by the Valdez public safety technician.

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Troopers cite several Bristol Bay fishermen

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Nushagak Bay
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/28/17 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Nicholas Marcoux-Kamis, 23, of Wasilla, for commercial salmon fishing in closed waters outside the boundaries of the Nushagak District.

Location: Egegik
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/26/17 Anthony Resetarits, 25, of Anchorage, and Mark McGregor, 22, of Homer, were cited for commercial fishing from the F/V Valor four minutes after the closure of a fishing period set by emergency order.

Location: Egegik
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/24/17 Michael S. Capri, 21, of Newport, Ore., was cited for commercial fishing 148 feet south of the southern boundary of the Egegik District in waters closed to fishing.

Location: Egegik
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/23/17 Isaac Thistle, 28, of Wasilla, was cited for operating commercial driftnet gear 175 feet south of the southern boundary line in the Egegik District.

Location: Egegik
Type: Commercial fish closed period
On 6/21/17 Michael Torget, 26, of Cle Elum, Wash., and David Harsila, 62, Shoreline, Wash., were cited for operating commercial driftnet gear three minutes and 25 seconds past the Egegik District closure.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Gillnetter charged at Kodiak

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Kodiak
Type: Commercial fish closed period
On 6/17/17 Kodi A. Metzger, 37, of Custer, Wash., was issued a summons to court for having gillnet deployed in the waters of Alitak Bay during a closed period and for failing to have a photo ID in possession.

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Crabber nets $5,000 fine after Juneau trial

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Conviction
On 6/12/17 Daniel Foley, 70, of Gustavus, was found guilty during a bench trial of retaining undersized Tanner crab. Foley is the permit holder and owner of the F/V Steller. He was fined $9,000 with $4,000 suspended and placed on probation for a year.

Driftnetter cited twice at Valdez

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Valdez
Type: Commercial fish closed period
On 6/12/17 Simeao Kusnetsov, 34, of Wasilla, was issued a citation for commercial fishing during a closed period in the Esther subdistrict, northwestern Prince William Sound. Kusnetsov was operating his drift gillnet 10 minutes after the close of the period. Kusnetsov was issued a second citation for no PFD on a child under 13 years old.

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Four Cordova fishermen cited over homepack

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Cordova
Type: Fail to record homepack
On 5/18/17 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Peter Brockert, 58, of Cordova, for failing to record on a state fish ticket his retention of commercially caught salmon for personal use. Breckert was issued a misdemeanor citation to appear in court and was released from the scene.

Location: Cordova
Type: Fail to record homepack
On 5/18/17 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Michael Glasen, 69, of Cordova, for failing to record on a state fish ticket his retention of commercially caught salmon for personal use. Glasen was issued a misdemeanor citation to appear in court and was released from the scene.

Location: Cordova
Type: Fail to record homepack
On 5/18/17 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Gerald McCune, 68, of Cordova, for failing to record on a state fish ticket his retention of commercially caught salmon for personal use. McCune was issued a misdemeanor citation to appear in court and was released from the scene.

Location: Cordova
Type: Fail to record homepack
On 5/18/17 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited John Thomas, 75, of Cordova, for failing to record on a state fish ticket his retention of commercially caught salmon for personal use. Thomas was issued a misdemeanor citation to appear in court and was released from the scene.

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Sitka troller charged with two violations

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, 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.

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.

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.