Man charged at Dutch Harbor with crab overages

Details in this press release from the Alaska State Troopers.

Southeast crabber draws 215-day jail sentence

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Sentencing — crab violations, contempt of court
On 8/2/12 James Royal Seymour, 36, of Southeast Alaska, was sentenced in Juneau District Court on a total of eight separate cases involving crimes committed between 2007 and 2011. Included in the crimes were multiple commercial crab violations in Hoonah, Petersburg and Juneau. As a result of failing to appear for multiple court hearings, Seymour also was charged with contempt of court, failure to appear and violating conditions of release. Seymour also had several petitions to revoke his probation filed. In all, Seymour was sentenced to serve 215 days in jail. Seymour has been held at the Ketchikan Correctional Center since May 10, after he was arrested on several outstanding warrants. At that time, Seymour was observed by an off-duty wildlife trooper at the swimming pool and later arrested by Ketchikan city police officers. Seymour commercially fished from the F/V Loyal Lady.

Assault on Bering Sea crab boat investigated

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Bristol Bay
Type: Assault
On 12/15/10 the Alaska Bureau of Wildlife Enforcement in Dutch Harbor was notified by the Unalaska Police Department that Joshua J. Stedman reported being physically assaulted onboard the F/V Arctic Lady by another crew member while the vessel was out at sea crab fishing in the Bristol Bay area. Stedman was seriously injured and subsequently received medical treatment. A suspect has been identified, and the Anchorage Service Unit is continuing the investigation.

Sitka man cited for unlicensed Dragon Lady

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Vessel license
On 6/14/10 Sitka Wildlife Troopers contact Stonie C. Huffman, 37, of Sitka, after observing him transporting commercial crab gear with the M/V Dragon Lady which was not licensed as a commercial fishing vessel. Huffman was cited and required to license the vessel before further transporting pots. Bail was set at $210 in the Sitka District Court.

Aleutians crabber pinched on pot storage violation

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Amchitka Island area
Type: Failure to store crab pots
On 5/28/10 Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers issued a summons to Jeffrey Burnell Davis, 52, of Chinook, Wash., for failing to place his golden king crab pots into a stored condition after he checked out of the Aleutian Islands golden king crab fishery. Arraignment is scheduled for 6/30/10 in the Unalaska District Court.

Gear violations ring up fines for two fishermen

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Nome
Type: Update — gear violation
On 5/19/10 Eli Mendenhall, of Nome, was convicted in the Nome Court of four counts of commercial crabbing without employing the use of escape rings. The case was a result of illegally configured pots discovered by Alaska Wildlife Troopers during a patrol in March 2010. Mendenhall was sentenced to fines totaling $2,000 and one year probation.

Location: Valdez
Type: Update — gear violation
On 5/25/10 Tom C. Hoblet, 59, of False Pass, pled guilty in the Valdez District Court to the charge of unlawful gear — escape ring requirements. Hoblet, who is the skipper and permit holder onboard the fishing vessel Aleut Lady, was fined $1,000 with $500 suspended. Hoblet was further placed on probation for one year.

Several Norton Sound crabbing violations alleged

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Norton Sound
Type: Illegal crab pots
On 3/31/10, while on commercial crab patrol in Norton Sound via state snowmachines, Alaska Wildlife Troopers issued two citations to Nome resident Frank McFarland for failing to have proper escape rings in several of his commercial crab pots.

Location: Norton Sound
Type: Employ unlicensed crewman
On 3/31/10, while on commercial crab patrol in Norton Sound via state snowmachines, Alaska Wildlife Troopers issued a citation to Nome resident Johnnie Noyakuk for employing an unlicensed crewman. A citation was also issued to Nome resident Elliot Olanna for failing to have a crewmember license.

Location: Norton Sound
Type: Illegal crab pots
On 3/31/10, while on commercial crab patrol in Norton Sound via state snowmachines, Alaska Wildlife Troopers issued a citation to Nome resident Anthony Shelp for failing to have proper escape rings on one of his commercial crab pots.

Location: Norton Sound
Type: Gear violations
On March 28 and 29, during a commercial crab patrol on state snow machines on the Norton Sound sea ice, Alaska Wildlife Troopers located three unmarked commercial pots, one commercial pot without the required escape rings and one without a sufficient biodegradable escape mechanism. Following further investigation, Frank Carruthers of Nome was issued citations on all five counts.

Norton Sound crabbers pinched in license case

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Nome
Type: No crewmember license
On 3/30/10 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, while on Norton Sound crab patrol via state snowmachines, contacted Nome residents Frank Carruthers and Phillip Pryzmont on the sea ice west of Nome while they were engaged in commercial crab fishing. It was determined that Pryzmont had neither a permit nor commercial crewmember license. Pryzmont was cited for no crewmember license and Carruthers was cited for employing an unlicensed crewman.

Troopers cite bairdi crab fisherman at Deer Island

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Deer Island
Type: Crab gear violations
On 3/12/10 Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers issued citations to Nick August Carlson, 42, of Anchorage, for commercial fishing in the state bairdi Tanner crab fishery with a pot that did not have an Alaska Department of Fish and Game tag on the pot buoy, while a pot limit for the fishery was in effect. Carlson also had a pot with an illegible ADF&G number on the pot buoy. Arraignment on these and other gear violations is scheduled for 4/20/10 in the Valdez Superior Court.

Four crabbers cited for boarding ladder violations

From the U.S. Coast Guard:

Boarding teams in October issued fisheries violations to four Bering Sea crab boats lacking safe boarding ladders.

The boats were the Wizard, the Adventure, the Kiska Sea and the Kodiak.