Two Petersburg fishermen cited

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Petersburg

Type: Commercial Dungeness violation

On 7/20/25 Michael Norheim, 27, of Petersburg, was issued two summonses for commercial Dungeness violations. Norheim, permit holder aboard the F/V Hood Point, was found to be in possession of undersized Dungeness crab and utilized Dungeness crab pots that did not meet the requirement for escape rings.

Location: Petersburg

Type: Commercial longline violation

On 7/16/25 Robert Schwartz, 59, of Petersburg, was issued a summons by Alaska Wildlife Troopers. Schwartz, the permit holder and owner of the F/V Zeus, retained over the bycatch limit of lingcod.

Feds detail several enforcement actions

NOAA's Office of General Counsel reports the following cases charged in May:

• C/P Frontier Mariner — Factory manager Edgar Estuardo De Los Reyes was charged under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act with sexually harassing and harassing a female observer. A $9,500 NOVA (notice of violation and assessment) was issued.

• F/V Cape Horn — Owner Cape Horn Vessel LLC and operator Arthur James McArdle were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with exceeding the maximum retainable amount of pollock on two fishing trips and failing to timely submit one product transfer report. A $6,042 NOVA was issued, and the case settled for $1,638.

• F/V Chellissa — Owner Chellissa Fisheries LLC and operators Robert W. Harrington II and Jerimiah T. Young were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with exceeding the maximum retainable amounts of bycatch in 2023. A $5,500 NOVA was issued.

• F/V Outlook — Owner-operator Nestor Sergei Ivanov and owner Irina Ivanov were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with possessing salmon harvested in Alaska state waters on a vessel commercial fishing for salmon in the Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone. A written warning was issued.

Feds detail several Alaska enforcement cases

NOAA's Office of General Counsel reports the following cases charged in February:

• F/T U.S. Intrepid — Owner U.S. Fishing LLC and operator Erin Blaine Moore were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act with failing to comply with vessel monitoring system requirements and for failing to submit two product transfer reports as required. A $38,000 NOVA (notice of violation and assessment) was issued.

• F/V Alaska Victory — Owner Alaska Victory Inc. and operator David D. Bishop were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with failing to comply with vessel monitoring system requirements. A $36,000 NOVA was issued, and the case settled for $32,400.

• F/V Arica — Owner Arica Vessel LLC and operator John C. Nelson were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with exceeding the maximum retainable amount of pollock on one fishing trip and failing to timely submit one product transfer report. A $20,818 NOVA was issued.

• F/V Lady Lee Dawn — Owner-operator Alvin J. Newman Jr. was charged under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with failing to comply with vessel monitoring system requirements. A $10,000 NOVA was issued.

• F/V Pacific Star — Owner Pacstar Inc. and operator John P. McCarthy were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with exceeding the maximum retainable amount of bycatch on one trip in 2023. A $4,836 NOVA was issued, and the case settled for $4,361.

• F/V Dominator — Owner Trident Seafoods and operator Jamie Potter were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with exceeding the maximum retainable amount of squid and sablefish. A $4,000 NOVA was issued, and the case settled for $3,600.

Man charged at Dutch Harbor with crab overages

Details in this press release from the Alaska State Troopers.

Feds detail three enforcement cases

NOAA's Office of General Counsel reports these cases charged in December:

• F/V Evie Grace — Owner Evie Grace Fisheries LLC and operator Robert B. Langdon were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act with observer sampling interference, unlawful discard of a Rockfish Program species, and with exceeding maximum retainable amounts of bycatch in 2022 and 2023. A $35,918 NOVA (notice of violation and assessment) was issued, and the case settled for $33,368.

• F/V Gambler — Owner Gambler Tendering LLC and operator Kyle Potter were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with operating a vessel without transmitting from a vessel monitoring system when required, and with catching and retaining Pacific cod from waters adjacent to the Gulf of Alaska without all required designations and/or endorsements, and/or when directed fishing for Pacific cod was not open. A $29,621.38 NOVA was issued.

• F/V Unimak — Owner Unimak Vessel LLC and operator David L. Ostrom were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with exceeding the maximum retainable amount of pollock on one fishing trip and failing to timely submit one product transfer report. A $4,514 NOVA was issued.

Oregon man cited over lingcod bycatch

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka

Type: Lingcod bycatch

On 12/16/24 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, cited Kenneth Middleton, 58, of Oregon, for taking lingcod bycatch in the commercial longline fishery during a closed period. Investigation revealed Middleton had landed approximately 1,750 pounds of lingcod in Washington after having taken the fish in the waters of Icy Bay Subdistrict, near Yakutat, in late October. The area had been closed to lingcod harvest by emergency order. The violation was identified and reported by the fish processor. Arraignment set in Yakutat District Court.

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.

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.

Feds detail several enforcement actions

The NOAA Office of General Counsel reports the following Alaska cases charged in May:

• F/V Pacific Star — Owner Pacstar Inc. and operator John P. McCarthy were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act for interfering with the sampling procedure employed by an observer by discarding catch before sampling. A $3,000 NOVA (notice of violation and assessment) was issued.

• F/V Farrar Sea — Owner RLB Vessel LLC and operator James Carl Wilson were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with failing to log four fishing trips in the Observer Deploy and Declare System. A $5,750 NOVA was issued, and the case settled for $5,175.

• F/V Marathon — Owner Marathon Fisheries Inc. and operator Martin Stam were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with exceeding the maximum retainable amount of groundfish bycatch on two trips. A $4,105.33 NOVA was issued, and the case settled for $3,694.79.

• F/V Saga — Owner Inter-Cooperative Exchange and operator Jakob Anderson were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with making an IFQ crab landing without holding a crab IFQ permit or a crab IFQ hired master permit issued under their name. A written warning was issued.

• F/V Dawn — Owner Dawn Fisheries LLC and operator Matthew Rohde were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with exceeding the maximum retainable amounts of redstripe rockfish and silvergray rockfish in the Gulf of Alaska. A $5,119.68 NOVA was issued.

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.

Man charged at Kodiak with sablefish overage

Details in this press release from the Alaska State Troopers.

Sitka man cited over lingcod bycatch

Details in this press release from the Alaska State Troopers.

Oregon man charged at Sitka with multiple offenses

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Multiple offenses

On 8/5/22 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Daniel J. Eells, 55, of Oregon, for retaining undersized commercial king salmon and failing to indicate partial delivery on fish tickets. Eells also was cited for retaining lingcod bycatch during a closed season.

Sitka fisherman cited over lingcod bycatch

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka

Type: Bycatch

On 5/4/22 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Caven Pfeiffer, 44, of Sitka, for taking more than the allowed lingcod bycatch during a commercial halibut fishing trip on 5/1/22. The proceeds from the sale of 945 pounds of lingcod were seized.

Sitka fisherman cited over lingcod bycatch

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Unlawful bycatch
On 3/3/22 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Fabian Grutter, 47, of Sitka, for taking more than 20 percent bycatch of lingcod in the commercial halibut fishery in March 2021. Fishing occurred in the Central Southeast Outside area.

Kodiak man charged with skate bycatch overage

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Kodiak
Type: Bycatch overage
On 2/19/18 Alaska Wildlife Troopers contacted Michael McKee, 50, of Kodiak, aboard the F/V Tanusha. Investigation found McKee offloaded an overage of 748 pounds of longnose skate, which was 54 percent over his allowable bycatch of skate. McKee was issued a court summons, and the funds from the overage were seized by the state.

Troller charged with illegal lingcod retention

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Warren Channel
Type: Bycatch violation
Investigation revealed that Barry Mckee, 65, of Sitka, the captain of the F/V Ocean Gem, retained lingcod on 1/24/14 while participating in the winter commercial troll fishery. Lingcod can only be taken as bycatch during the commercial troll season from May 16 through Nov. 30. Mckee was issued a citation for retaining lingcod during a closed period. He must appear in Craig District Court.

Case against Seward fisherman dismissed

A misdemeanor charge against Andrew Mezirow, 49, of Seward, has been dropped.

Authorities in June accused Mezirow of unlawfully retaining big skate as bycatch after a cutoff date.

The Alaska Court System's online information system indicates the prosecutor dismissed the charge on 10/24/13. The case is now closed.

Mezirow told The Brig the charge stemmed from a cannery worker misidentifying a longnose skate as a big skate.

"I am pleased to be completely vindicated of any wrongdoing in the case," Mezirow said.

Seward fisherman cited over skate bycatch

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Seward
Type: Retention of prohibited species
On 6/7/13 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Seward Post, issued a summons to Andrew David Mezirow, 49, of Seward, for retaining a prohibited species during a commercial groundfish fishery. Investigation revealed Mezirow retained big skates during a groundfish fishery in Cook Inlet on 5/21/13, when Cook Inlet waters were closed to the retention of big skates as bycatch. Arraignment set for 7/23/13 in Seward District Court.

Note: Mezirow is a member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's Advisory Panel.

Sitka troopers charge two fishermen

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Bycatch
On 3/4/13 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, charged Michael Mattingly, 40, of Sitka, with taking lingcod during August 2012 onboard a commercial salmon troller while the bycatch season for lingcod was closed by emergency order. Arraignment set in Sitka District Court.

Location: Sitka
Type: Fish ticket
On 3/4/13 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, charged Clifford G. Hudson Sr. with one count of failing to provide factual information on a fish ticket for seine-caught chum salmon in July 2012. Hudson failed to report chums taken in the Hidden Falls area of District 12, instead reporting the salmon to have been taken in another district. Arraignment set in Sitka District Court.