Sitka man charged with multiple violations

Details in this Alaska State Troopers press release.

Sitka man charged with exceeding 12-king limit

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka

Type: King salmon overlimit

On 9/5/24 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Gary McMaster, 74, of Sitka, after he landed 14 king salmon at a local processor when a total of 12 were allowed for Sept. 1-10, during the commercial troll limited harvest season for king salmon. Arraignment was set in Sitka District Court. Two king salmon were donated to a local charity.

Two Sitka men charged in sablefish case

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka

Type: Sablefish violations

On 9/1/24 Alaska Wildlife Troopers contacted Vincent Peters, 38, of Sitka, transporting processed sablefish fillets up the public dock. Investigation revealed the fillets came from a nearby commercial sablefish vessel. The fish had been harvested under personal use regulations in Chatham Strait on 8/31/24. As a result of the investigation, vessel owner-operator Patrick Crenna, 44, of Sitka, was cited for failing to have a personal use/subsistence sablefish permit, reporting inaccurate information on a permit once obtained, and using an overlimit of pot gear to harvest sablefish. Total bail set at $440 with an arraignment set in Sitka District Court for the overlimit gear charge. Peters was cited for no personal use/subsistence sablefish permit, and overlimit pot gear. Bail set at $220 with an arraignment for the overlimit pot gear charge.

Sitka fisherman cited over lingcod bycatch

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka

Type: Bycatch

On 8/25/24 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Calvin Robinson, 70, of Sitka, for unlawfully taking bycatch lingcod in the commercial IFQ halibut fishery inside the Northern Southeast Outside area during a closed period, 8/3/24.

Sablefish harvester cited at Sitka

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka

Type: Landing permit violation

On 7/23/24 Alaska Wildlife Troopers responded to a report of a vessel offloading IFQ pot sablefish without the proper state of Alaska landing permit. Investigation revealed John Curry, 80, of Washington state, had landed sablefish without the proper CFEC permit. Curry was cited with arraignment set in Sitka District Court.

Fisherman charged at Sitka with lingcod infraction

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka

Type: Lingcod bycatch

On 7/17/24 Alaska Wildlife Troopers contacted Jeffrey Thomas, 44, of Washington state, regarding retention of lingcod in the commercial halibut fishery. Investigation revealed Thomas had unlawfully retained and sold lingcod after fishing in the Northern Southeast Outside section when lingcod bycatch retention was closed by emergency order. Arraignment set in Sitka District Court.

Troller delivered undersized king, troopers say

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka

Type: Undersized king salmon

On 7/9/24 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Robert Woodard, 65, of Washington state, for retaining and landing an undersized commercial troll-caught king salmon to a local processor.

Juneau man charged over lingcod bycatch

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka

Type: Bycatch closed season

On 4/30/24 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Richard J. Davis, 65, of Juneau, for retaining lingcod as bycatch in the commercial troll fishery in March. Bycatch in the troll fishery opened 5/16/24.

Sitka fisherman accused of reporting violation

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka

Type: Fish ticket

On 11/18/23 Alaska Wildlife Troopers contacted Casey DiGennaro, 39, of Sitka, regarding rockfish left aboard his vessel following a commercial salmon offload. DiGennaro was cited for failing to report all fish taken on a fish ticket as required.

Sitka hand troller cited

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka

Type: Commercial troll closed period

On 8/12/23 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Braden Shoemaker, 32, of Sitka, for commercial hand trolling within 1 nautical mile of Kruzof Island near Sitka Point, in an area not open to commercial trolling. Troopers observed and documented the violation on 7/30/23.

Troller cited, salmon seized at Sitka

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Possess king, coho during closed period
On 8/11/23 Alaska Wildlife Troopers investigated a report of coho salmon being delivered from a troll vessel which had retained the fish during a closed period. Investigation revealed Jeffrey Odam, 54, of Oregon, had retained five coho salmon and one king salmon while participating in the commercial chum salmon fishery. Retention of king and coho salmon was closed by emergency order when the fish were retained. The fish were seized and Odam was issued a summons to appear in Sitka District Court.

Sitka troller accused of taking undersized kings

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka

Type: Undersized king salmon

On 7/13/23 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Michael Pickett Jr., 39, of Sitka, for taking undersized commercial troll-caught king salmon. The undersized fish were discovered during an offload to a local processor.

Sitka troller cited, fish proceeds seized

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka

Type: Commercial troll closed waters

On 7/9/23 Alaska Wildlife Troopers observed the F/V Karmon Dee commercial power trolling in the regulatory closed waters of Fish Bay, near Sitka. Permit holder and operator Andrew Scorzelli, 51, of Sitka, was cited. The proceeds from king and coho salmon onboard the vessel were seized.

Sitka troller cited

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka

Type: Commercial troll closed period

On 6/25/23 Alaska Wildlife Troopers observed a commercial salmon power troll vessel actively fishing in the Deep Inlet Terminal Harvest Area, during a commercial salmon purse seine opening in the THA. The Deep Inlet THA is closed to commercial trolling during commercial net fishery openings. Josef Castle, 50, of Sitka, was cited with arraignment set in Sitka District Court.

Troller fished illegally at Sitka, troopers say

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka

Type: Commercial fish closed period

On 3/27/23 at approximately 1430 hours, Alaska Wildlife Troopers observed the F/V Marcia K commercial trolling in closed waters near Cape Edgecumbe in Sitka. Investigation revealed Shane Cook, 49, of Craig, was fishing in an area closed by emergency order. Cook was cited for commercial fishing in a closed period.

Herring seiner cited at Sitka

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka

Type: Commercial fish closed period

On 4/4/23 Alaska Wildlife Troopers observed the F/V Freedom deploy a herring seine west of the west closure line in the Redoubt Bay area commercial sac roe herring fishery. Investigation revealed Bruce Marifern, 62, of Petersburg, had made the set in an area not open by emergency order to commercial sac roe herring harvest. Marifern was cited for commercial fishing in a closed period.

Another conviction for Thorstenson

At a bench trial today in Sitka, Robert Thorstenson, 59, of Juneau, was found guilty of a commercial fishing violation, the Alaska Wildlife Troopers reported.

"Thorstenson was sentenced to a fine of $3,000 with $1,000 suspended, forfeiture of all proceeds and supplemental payments for seized fish, and two years probation with a condition to not commit any further commercial fishing violations," the agency said.

The case dates to September 2021 when Thorstenson, captain of the F/V Vigilant, and Jason Moilanen, of Petersburg, permit holder aboard the vessel, were found to be fishing in waters closed to commercial seining during a seine opening in Silver Bay near Sitka, the troopers said.

Troopers said they seized 5,170 pounds of salmon valued at $4,372.

Sitka troller cited

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka

Type: Fail to record on fish ticket

On 1/23/23 Alaska Wildlife Troopers contacted Jeffrey Turner, 55, of Sitka, offloading commercial troll-caught salmon to a Sitka processor. After the offload concluded, troopers located unreported fish remaining onboard the vessel. Turner was cited for failing to report king salmon kept as personal use at the time of a commercial offload.

Sitka man cited over lingcod bycatch

Details in this press release from the Alaska State Troopers.

Sitka fisherman charged with sablefish overage

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Quota overage

On 9/23/22 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Marsha Howard, 69, of Sitka, for landing sablefish in excess of the legal equal quota share for the Northern Southeast Inside Subdistrict sablefish fishery. The value of the overage was seized.