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.

Troller nets $4,000 fine in Sitka court

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Conviction

On 6/30/22 at approximately 1753 hours, Alaska Wildlife Troopers on patrol offshore of Kruzof Island observed the F/V Tyee with commercial troll fishing gear in the water unlawfully prior to the commercial salmon opening on 7/1/22. Investigation revealed Lucas Skordahl, 38, of Sitka, was operating power troll gear prior to the open season. On 7/26/22 in Sitka District Court, Skordahl pled guilty to one misdemeanor count of commercial fishing during a closed period. He was fined $8,000 with $4,000 suspended and placed on probation for one year.

Sitka seiner fined, has permit suspended

Details in this press release from the Alaska State Troopers.

Petersburg crabber fined $2,000 after trial

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Conviction

On 1/27/21 Jared Bright was found guilty at trial in Juneau District Court. He was given a flat fine of $2,000. On 9/21/20 Bright, 46, of Petersburg, was cited by wildlife troopers for unlawful storage of commercial Dungeness crab gear. The gear was located during a routine patrol by state aircraft.

Sitka direct marketer nets $13,000 fine

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Conviction
On 4/9/19 Justin Eberhard, 45, of Sitka, entered guilty pleas to charges including failure to complete fish tickets as part of an agreement through the Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals. Eberhard was fined a total of $30,000 with $17,000 suspended and placed on probation for one year. Eberhard is required to pay unpaid fish taxes from 2017 and 2018 as a condition of probation. The charges stem from an investigation into the unreported export of commercial troll-caught salmon from the F/V Surf Bay during 2017 and 2018. Investigation revealed Eberhard had sold multiple shipments of fish out of the state of Alaska while acting as an unlicensed direct marketer. The fish caught and exported were never documented on a commercial fish ticket as required. The value of the unreported catch for 2017 and 2018 was in excess of $45,000 and represented large numbers of unreported king salmon. Investigation showed the fish were otherwise legally taken during open commercial seasons and with appropriate commercial permits.

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.

Bering Sea crabber nets $1,500 fine

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Conviction
On 5/5/16 Richard Morton, 62, of Mukilteo, Wash., pled guilty in Unalaska District Court to unlawfully possessing and/or delivering commercially caught opilio Tanner crab during a closed season in the eastern Bering Sea District. The court imposed a $3,000 fine with $1,500 suspended and one year of probation.

Bering Sea crabber fined, forfeits nearly $14K

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Conviction
On 5/5/16 Robert J. Perkey, 53, of Sublimity, Ore., pled guilty in Unalaska District Court to unlawfully possessing and/or delivering commercially caught opilio Tanner crab during a closed season in the eastern Bering Sea District. The court imposed a $2,000 fine and a check in the amount of $13,992.29 was forfeited to the state for the value of illegal shellfish.

Crabber nets $5,000 fine at Unalaska

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Unalaska
Type: Conviction
On 4/5/16 James E. Wolkoff, 60, of Anchorage, pled no contest in Unalaska District Court to illegally possessing and/or delivering undersized bairdi Tanner crab. The court imposed a $10,000 fine with $5,000 suspended and a year's probation.

Togiak fisherman ordered to pay $25,000

Radio station KDLG has the story.

Troller fined, charge against crewman dropped

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Commercial fish closed period
On 2/8/16 Braden Jay pled guilty in Sitka District Court after a plea agreement was reached with the Juneau District Attorney's Office. In exchange for a guilty plea the charge against deckhand Justin Swindler was dismissed. Jay was found guilty and sentenced to a fine of $4,000 with $2,000 suspended, 30 days in jail with 30 days suspended, and two years of probation. The proceeds of the seized king salmon were forfeited to the state. On 6/30/15 Alaska Wildlife Troopers patrolling the summer troll fishery observed the F/V Brena in the area of Puffin Bay engaged in fishing. Investigation revealed Jay, 28, and deckhand Swindler, 33, both of Sitka, were attempting to catch king salmon prior to the legal opening of the season. Five king salmon were seized and both men were cited for fishing in a closed period.

Californian fined for unlawful shellfish possession

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Prince of Wales Island
Type: Conviction
On 11/16/15 Alaska Wildlife Troopers based on the P/V Enforcer contacted Sidney McGuire, 27, of California, in Hetta Inlet near Prince of Wales Island. McGuire was onboard the commercial fishing vessel Sea Hunt and was participating in the commercial sea cucumber dive fishery. Investigation revealed McGuire was in unlawful possession of rock scallops while in possession of commercially harvested sea cucumbers. McGuire was issued a summons to appear in Craig District Court. A bench trial was held on 2/3/16 and McGuire was found guilty of the offense of unlawful possession of miscellaneous shellfish aboard a vessel. McGuire was sentenced to a fine of $400 with $200 suspended and one year of probation.

Skipper nets $5K fine over king crab takes

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Petersburg
Type: Conviction
On 1/11/16 William G. Wahl, 41, of Bend, Ore., pled guilty to one misdemeanor count of prohibited conduct. The charge was the result of an investigation which revealed Wahl, the captain and commercial permit holder aboard the F/V Victory, unlawfully took approximately 93 red king crab when there was no open season to harvest king crab. Wahl was sentenced to a fine of $10,000 with $5,000 suspended and placed on probation for two years. National Marine Fisheries Service enforcement officers aided in the investigation and pursued several halibut-related charges against a crewmember aboard the vessel.

Two salmon seiners fined after guilty pleas

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Conviction
On 12/22/15 Steven Thomassen pled guilty in Sitka District Court to one count of commercial seining during a closed period. He was fined $3,000 with $2,000 suspended and placed on probation for one year. On 9/1/15 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Thomassen, 51, of Wrangell, for salmon seining aboard the F/V Marauder prior to the opening of the Deep Inlet seine fishery. Troopers documented the violation on 8/30/15.

Location: Sitka
Type: Conviction
On 12/22/15 Thomas Scott McAllister pled guilty to one count of commercial seining in closed waters. McAllister was fined $3,000 with $1,500 suspended, ordered to pay $80 restitution, and placed on probation for one year. On 9/1/15 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited McAllister, 62, of Juneau, for salmon seining on 8/24/15 in the closed waters of Katlian Bay aboard the F/V Owyhee.

Crabber fined $3K, must pay $4K in restitution

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Conviction
On 8/21/15 Michael Walker, 55, of Juneau, appeared for arraignment in Juneau District Court, where he pled guilty to the offense of retaining undersized Dungeness crab. He was fined $6,000 with $3,000 suspended and placed on probation for two years. Additionally, Walker must pay restitution in the amount of $4,110 for the retention of the undersized crab. The case stemmed from an inspection Alaska Wildlife Troopers conducted on 8/14/15 on the F/V Dundas. Walker, the captain and permit holder on the vessel, was found to be in possession of 411 undersized Dungeness crab, or approximately 26 percent of his catch.

Sitka troller nets $1,000 fine after guilty plea

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Conviction
On 6/9/15 Barry McKee, 66, of Sitka, pled guilty in Sitka District Court to one count of commercial trolling in a closed period. He was fined $3,000 with $2,000 suspended and placed on probation for one year. On 5/24/15 Alaska Wildlife Troopers observed the F/V Ocean Gem operating power troll gear in an area not open to commercial fishing.

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.

Troller fined after conviction in Sitka court

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Conviction
On 4/2/15 Courtney Howard was found guilty at a bench trial in Sitka District Court on one count of commercial trolling during a closed period. Howard was fined $1,500 with $1,100 suspended and placed on probation for one year. Howard, 31, of Sitka, was cited after his power troll vessel, F/V Nordic Lass, was observed by troopers operating gear west of the Sitka Sound winter troll line on 2/24/15.

Seiner pleads guilty at Sitka, nets $1,500 fine

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Conviction
On 9/4/14 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Nyle D. Thomas, 31, of Petersburg, after observing the F/V Barbara set a seine net prior to the 0600 opening of the Deep Inlet fishery. On 12/2/14 Thomas pled guilty in Sitka District Court to one count of commercial fishing in a closed period. He was fined $3,000 with $1,500 suspended and placed on probation for one year. The fish caught in the illegal set were released alive at the time of the violation.

Cordova man gets jail in reckless boating case

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Cordova
Type: Conviction — bench trial
On 6/27/14 Rodger Lee Koechling, 74, of Cordova, was convicted after a three-day bench trial of reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct and reckless operation of a marine vessel. This case stemmed from an event on the Eyak River where Koechling used his 30-foot commercial bowpicker to recklessly scare and intimidate four other individuals (one 8 years old) who were fishing from a 15-foot skiff. Koechling was given 700 days in jail with 649 days suspended. The judge expressly related that this case was not about sportfishing versus commercial, but community condemnation and deterrence, and that this behavior presented a significant and exceptional risk to the occupants of the other vessel.