Charter crewman charged with keeping halibut

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Clover Bay, Prince of Wales Island
Type: Fish and game violations
On 9/13/13 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Ketchikan Post, filed formal charges against Austin S. Duckworth, 20, of Ketchikan, for working as a crewmember on a sportfish charter vessel and illegally retaining sport-caught halibut. In addition, Duckworth was charged for feeding black bears intentionally. He has a mandatory court appearance on 9/30/13 in Craig District Court.

Another charter guide cited over logbook

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Valdez
Type: Sportfish guide logbook violation
On 2/16/12 Jerry Lee, 45, of Anchorage, was cited by the Valdez Wildlife Trooper for failing to return sportfish charter logbook information in the time and manner specified in the logbook. Bail was set at $630 in Valdez District Court.

Troopers cite Petersburg charter operator

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Petersburg
Type: Sportfish charter logbook violation
On 2/6/12 Donn Hayes, of Benicia, Calif., owner and operator of Petersburg Sportfishing, was cited by Alaska Wildlife Troopers. Hayes had failed to submit the required logbook information for his charter business in the time set forth in regulation. Hayes was issued three citations with a combined bail of $630, or an optional appearance in Petersburg District Court.

Whittier charter operator ticketed over logbook

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Valdez
Type: Sportfish charter logbook violation
On 2/15/12 Huey Mason II, 51, of Anchorage, was cited by the Valdez Wildlife Trooper. Mason, as the owner-operator of Alaskan 4 Star Charters, out of Whittier, was issued citations for failing to return sportfish charter logbook information in the time and manner specified in the logbook. Bail was set at $1,050 in Valdez District Court.

Trespass reported at Ninilchik charter business

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Ninilchik
Type: Criminal trespass
On 2/4/11 Alaska State Troopers in Anchor Point responded to Ninilchik Saltwater Charters in Ninilchik following a report of suspicious activity. Investigation revealed that someone had forced entry into the charter office and adjacent fish-processing room and it appeared as though someone had been living in the office following its closure in the fall. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with
information about this incident is urged to contact the Alaska State Troopers in Anchor Point or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-478-HALT.

Charter guide pleads guilty after Big But sting

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Ninilchik
Type: Sportfish guide violations
On 4/27/10 Jeffrey A. Glosser, 43, of Anchorage, pleaded guilty in Kenai District Court to one count of sportfish guide aiding a client in a violation and one count of sportfish guide reporting requirements. In July of 2009, Alaska Wildlife Troopers investigators conducted an investigation into Fishing Fool Charters guide Glosser. Glosser took Alaska Wildlife Troopers acting in an undercover capacity on a halibut charter that originated at Anchor Point aboard the charter vessel Big But. During the charter, Glosser allowed three clients to retain an overlimit of halibut in excess of the two halibut per person daily bag limit. Glosser allowed his clients to pool their catch of halibut until it equaled the maximum allowed under regulation for the number of clients aboard the vessel, a practice commonly referred to as party fishing. At the end of the charter, Glosser failed to record the number of halibut caught by each client before offloading the halibut. Alaska Department of Fish and Game saltwater charter logbook records submitted by Glosser falsely reported that each of the six clients aboard the vessel Big But retained two halibut each. Glosser was fined $10,000 and had his sportfishing license and sportfish guide license revoked for three years. All three years of license revocation and $5,000 of the fine are suspended pending no further violations during the revocation period.

Charter firm fined $60,000, seized boats returned

From the Alaska Department of Public Safety:

April 20, 2010

Elfin Cove Charter Operator Fined for Sportfishing Violations

SITKA — Elfin Cove Eagle Charters Alaska LLC, an Elfin Cove fishing charter corporation, was sentenced today in Sitka in connection with numerous sportfishing violations from a 2009 undercover investigation.

Vancouver, Wash., resident Joe Kulavik, the owner and operator of Elfin Cove Eagle Charters, entered a guilty plea on behalf of the corporation to one consolidated count of sportfish guide violations.

The corporation was fined $150,000 with $90,000 suspended, informal probation for a period of three years, with the conditions that the corporation commit no new fish and game violations and obey all court orders. Four boats used to commit violations had been seized during the investigation. As part of the plea agreement, the state agreed to return the four vessels that were seized.

In August and September of 2009, Alaska Wildlife Troopers conducted an investigation into the charter company where troopers witnessed violations committed by four separate charter captains employed by the corporation.

The violations included sportfishing guides fishing for and retaining halibut, the overlimit taking of salmon and halibut, fishing an excess number of rods, waste of sport-caught fish, use of sport-caught fish for bait, failure to retain nonpelagic rockfish and failure to accurately record the daily catch in the guide's saltwater logbook.

All of the above offenses are class A misdemeanor offenses that carry a maximum fine of $200,000 per count with respect to corporate liability.

The AWT Wildlife Investigations Unit received assistance from the Department of Law, Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement in Juneau; game wardens with the Washington Division of Fish and Wildlife; game wardens with South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks; and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Bureau of Investigation.

Homer guide accused of halibut highgrading

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Homer
Type: Sport charter fishing violations
In June 2009, Alaska Wildlife Troopers received a complaint that Brad Fisher, 38, of Anchorage, was believed to have committed multiple sportfishing violations while working as a sportfishing guide for a saltwater charter business in the Homer area. Investigation revealed that on 5/31/09 Fisher retained a number of halibut in excess of the legal daily bag limit for his clients. Fisher retained multiple small halibut in a bucket onboard the vessel. As bigger halibut were caught, small halibut were released from the bucket, some of which were already dead. Summonses to appear in court have been issued for Fisher on charges of illegal possession of fish, waste of fish, overlimit of sport-caught halibut, sportfishing guide aiding in commission of a violation, false entry in saltwater charter logbook, and prohibited retention of fish by a sportfishing guide.

Charter operator accused of logbook violation

Location: Harris Bay
Type: Fail to complete logbook
On 6/20/09 Matthew J. Rutz, 25 yoa, of Central Point, Ore., operator of the charter vessel Grande Alaska, was cited by the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Seward Post, for failing to complete his saltwater charter logbook as required by regulation. Bail was set at $210.00.

Sportfish guide cited

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Petersburg, AK
Type: Fail to Complete Logbook
On 5-18-09 Alaska Wildlife Troopers on board the patrol vessel Enforcer cited sportfish guide Kurtus Blades, age 25 of Sitka, for failing to complete a saltwater charter logbook. Blades was contacted on board the charter vessel Sikumi at the Baranof Warm Springs dock and was found to be on a multiple day charter. It was found that the clients on board the vessel had fished on 5-14-09 while on the Sikumi and Blades failed to complete a logbook for the fishing activity as required. Blades was given an optional court appearance date of 6-4-09 in the Juneau District Court.