Petersburg seiner penalized $15K; troopers say explosives used to herd salmon from closed area

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Driving salmon from closed waters
On 10/12/15 Andrew W. Kittams, 43, of Petersburg, pled guilty to a count of driving salmon from closed waters while commercial seining in 2013. Kittams was fined $3,000 and ordered to pay $12,375 in restitution to the state of Alaska. An additional charge of using explosives to drive salmon was dismissed as part of a plea agreement. The conviction stems from a July 2013 incident at Hidden Falls Hatchery where Kittams' crew, onboard the F/V Sara Dawn, was documented using explosives to drive salmon from a closed area into an active seine set.