Petersburg seiner penalized $15K; troopers say explosives used to herd salmon from closed area

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Driving salmon from closed waters
On 10/12/15 Andrew W. Kittams, 43, of Petersburg, pled guilty to a count of driving salmon from closed waters while commercial seining in 2013. Kittams was fined $3,000 and ordered to pay $12,375 in restitution to the state of Alaska. An additional charge of using explosives to drive salmon was dismissed as part of a plea agreement. The conviction stems from a July 2013 incident at Hidden Falls Hatchery where Kittams' crew, onboard the F/V Sara Dawn, was documented using explosives to drive salmon from a closed area into an active seine set.

Southeast seiner fined, ordered to pay fish tax

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Conviction
On 4/28/15 Christian Buschmann, 27, of Petersburg, operator of the F/V St. Teresa, pled guilty in Sitka District Court to one count of filing false fish tickets. Buschmann was fined $3,500 with $1,500 suspended and was ordered to pay $1,121 in unpaid fish tax to the Department of Revenue. The charge resulted from a 2013 investigation where the St. Teresa was documented seining for salmon in the Hidden Falls area by Hidden Falls hatchery staff. The catch from Hidden Falls was later reported by Buschmann to another area. Hidden Falls, at the time of the fishing, had a 20 percent tax in place. The area the catch was falsely reported into had a 3 percent tax.

Seiner penalized $37K in salmon-driving case

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Drive salmon from closed waters — commercial seine
On 2/11/15 Nina Alber, 52, of Cordova, permit holder aboard the F/V Leading Lady, entered a guilty plea in Sitka District Court to one count of driving salmon from closed waters. The plea was part of a pre-trial agreement through the Sitka District Attorney's Office. Nina Alber was fined $3,000 with $1,000 suspended and ordered to pay $35,000 in restitution for illegally taken fish and placed on probation for one year. Charges against vessel operator Louie Alber were dismissed as part of the agreement. The charges stemmed from a July 2013 offense where crew on the F/V Leading Lady were documented driving salmon out of closed waters near Hidden Falls hatchery.

Southeast seiner charged with misreporting catch

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka, Hidden Falls
Type: Fish ticket
On 1/30/14 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, cited Christian Buschmann, 26, of Petersburg, for failing to provide factual catch data on a commercial fish ticket. Investigation showed Buschmann had operated commercial seine gear and retained salmon in the Hidden Falls area in July 2013, but reported the fish in another area. Buschmann was issued a summons to appear in Sitka District Court.

Petersburg seiner nets $3,600 in penalties

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Conviction
On 12/23/13 Kevin M. Granberg, 47, of Petersburg, pled guilty in Sitka District Court to one count of commercial salmon seining during a closed period. Granberg was fined $4,000 with $2,000 suspended, ordered to pay $1,637.50 in restitution to the state, and placed on probation for one year. A charge of filing a false fish ticket was dismissed as part of an agreement with the Sitka District Attorney's Office.

Click here for background on this case.

Troopers cite Petersburg salmon seiner

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Hidden Falls
Type: Commercial fish closed area
On 9/17/13 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Kevin M. Granberg, 46, of Petersburg, for commercial salmon seining onboard the F/V Aleshaley in an area not open to commercial seine gear. Investigation by Petersburg and Sitka Wildlife Troopers showed that Granberg was seining more than two miles from the nearest open area. The catch subsequently was reported in an open area and fish retained for personal use were not reported on a fish ticket. Arraignment set for 10/8/13 in Sitka District Court.

Seiner charged after 'incident' at Hidden Falls

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Hidden Falls
Type: Interfere with commercial fishing gear
On 7/10/13 Ralph "Wade" Roberts, 49, of Port Hardy, British Columbia, was issued a summons by Alaska Wildlife Troopers for interfering with commercial fishing gear. Roberts is the permit holder on the fishing vessel Ocean Ripple. The summons is the result of an incident that happened on 6/27/13 during a Southeast seine opening near Hidden Falls terminal harvest area. Arraignment set for 8/6/13 in Sitka District Court.

Seiner fined for misreporting chum catch

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Conviction
On 4/9/13 Clifford Hudson pled guilty in Sitka District Court to one count of failing to provide factual information on a fish ticket. He was fined $2,500 with $1,500 suspended and ordered to pay $1,207.50 in restitution for the difference in fish tax between two areas. He also was placed on probation for one year. Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, charged Hudson on 3/4/13. Hudson failed to report seine-caught chum salmon taken in the Hidden Falls area of District 12, instead reporting the salmon were taken in another district.

Two Sitka cases

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka — Hidden Falls Terminal Harvest Area
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 7/6/09 at approximately 1347 hours the Juneau office of the Alaska Wildlife Troopers on board the PV Sentry issued Jason L. Miller, age 31, of Petersburg, a summons for commercial fishing outside of the Hidden Falls THA boundary, in closed waters. Arraignment is set for Sept. 1, 2009, at 1330 hours in the Sitka District Court.

Location: Sitka — Hidden Falls Terminal Harvest Area
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 7/5/09 the Juneau office of the Alaska Wildlife Troopers on board the PV Sentry issued John R. Liddicoat, age 45, of Seattle, a summons for commercial fishing outside of the Hidden Falls THA boundary, in closed waters. Arraignment is set for September 1, 2009, at 1330 hours in the Sitka District Court.