Federal authorities conclude three cases

NOAA's Office of General Counsel reports the following case resolutions:

• F/V U.S. Intrepid — Crewman Zedrick Moli (aka Zedrick Allen) was charged under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act with harassing and sexually harassing a female fisheries observer. An $18,000 NOVA (notice of violation and assessment) was issued. The NOVA became a final administrative decision due to default.

• F/V Norse Maid — Operator/IFQ hired master Nick A. Carlson was charged under the Northern Pacific Halibut Act with failing to log one fishing trip in the Observer Deploy and Declare System as required. A $4,500 NOVA was issued. The NOVA became a final administrative decision due to default.

• F/V Cape Caution — Operator Kerby Glen Mitchell was charged under the Northern Pacific Halibut Act with possessing chunked halibut in violation of the act's annual management measures. Chunked halibut in the amount of 232 pounds was forfeited by abandonment. A $2,050 NOVA was issued, and the case settled for $1,845.

Feds report three fisheries enforcement actions

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

• F/V Jennifer Lee — Owner Jennifer Lee Inc. and operator Adam Lee Swanson were charged jointly and severally under the Northern Pacific Halibut Act with failing to return halibut discards to the sea with a minimum of injury. An $8,800 NOVA (notice of violation and assessment) was issued.

• F/V New Venture — Owner New Venture Fisheries LLC and operator Peter T. Wilson Jr. were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act with fishing for Pacific cod in violation of an inseason action, closure or adjustment. $5,031 in seized proceeds were forfeited by abandonment. A $5,750 NOVA was issued, and the case settled for $5,175.

• F/V Cape Caution — Operator Kerby Glen Mitchell was charged under the Northern Pacific Halibut Act with fishing for halibut in violation of the act's annual management measures. Specifically, he possessed onboard a vessel Pacific halibut that had been filleted, mutilated or otherwise disfigured in any manner. 232 pounds of chunked northern Pacific halibut were forfeited by abandonment. A $2,050 NOVA was issued.

Sablefish harvest overage case resolved

The NOAA Office of General Counsel reports resolution of the following case charged in December:

• F/V Lea — IFQ permit holder and owner-operator Robert J. Bateman and owner Laura S. Coleman were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with possessing, selling and transporting 5,459 pounds of IFQ sablefish harvested in excess of what the IFQ permit onboard authorized, a 417 percent overage. The proceeds ($11,078.57) of the violation were forfeited by abandonment. A $3,000 NOVA (notice of violation and assessment) was issued, and the case settled for $2,700.

Costly conviction for Juneau fisherman

Robert M. Thorstenson, 59, of Juneau, recently was found guilty at nonjury trial of a commercial fishing violation and sentenced to forfeiture of $24,993 for illegally caught salmon, according to court documents.

The original citation said that on Aug. 25, 2019, at Crawfish Inlet, Thorstenson as permit holder on the F/V Magnus Martens fished with seine gear less than 200 yards from a stream mouth in closed waters.

Authorities seized 83,282 pounds of salmon.

Thorstenson originally was charged with a misdemeanor, but the charge was amended as a noncriminal first offense.

Here's the judgment in the case.

Sitka fisherman fined, forfeits $8K in sablefish

More details in this press release from the Alaska State Troopers.

Kodiak crabber fined $25,000, pots forfeited

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Kodiak
Type: Commercial crab closed season
On 11/2/17 during a patrol on the P/V Cama'i, the Alaska Wildlife Troopers pulled and inspected 156 commercial Dungeness crab pots belonging to the F/V Silver Fox, operated by Raleigh Eager, 47, of Kodiak. All 156 pots were baited and in fishing configuration after the season had closed on Oct. 31, 2017. The pots were seized and transported back to Kodiak. On 1/15/19 Eager pled guilty on multiple counts of commercial Dungeness crab fishing during a closed season. Eager was fined $25,000 and the 156 pots were forfeited to the state of Alaska.

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.

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.

Two sablefish fishermen fined, lose catch value

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Sablefish overage
On 2/3/15 Cub Finney, 26, of Juneau, pled guilty to retaining an overage in the 2014 Northern Southeast inside sablefish commercial fishery. Finney was fined $500 and forfeited the overage proceeds of $4,396.73 to the state of Alaska.

Location: Sitka
Type: Sablefish overage
On 2/3/15 Richard Curran, 59, of Sitka, pled no contest to retaining an overage in the 2014 Northern Southeast inside sablefish commercial fishery. Curran was fined $500 and forfeited the overage proceeds of $3,343.45 to the state of Alaska.

Southeast salmon seiner nets fine, forfeiture

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Sentencing
On 1/29/14 Vernon M. Crane, 39, of Fritz Creek, pled guilty to one count of commercial fishing during a closed period. He was fined $2,000 with $1,000 suspended, ordered to forfeit $1,318.18 worth of illegally taken salmon, and placed on probation for one year.

Seiner nets $4K fine, forfeits 13,660-pound catch

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Sentencing
On 7/30/13 Izaak Esquiro, 37, of Warm Springs, Ore., pled no contest to one count of commercial seining in closed waters. He was fined $6,000 with $2,000 suspended, and his catch of 13,660 pounds of salmon was forfeited to the state of Alaska. He also was placed on probation for one year. An investigation by Alaska Wildlife Troopers had revealed that Esquiro, captain of the F/V Coral, had fished the closed waters of Nakwasina Sound.

Southeast seiner fined $1,000, loses catch

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Plea
On 7/17/13 Izaak J. Esquiro, 37, of Warm Springs, Ore., pled no contest to one count of operating a commercial salmon seine in a closed area. He was fined $1,000 and ordered to forfeit just under 8,000 pounds of illegally taken salmon. Wildlife troopers had cited Esquiro on 7/11/13 for operating in a closed area during the Amalga Harbor seine fishery aboard the F/V Coral.

Bristol Bay fisherman nets $7,000 fine, loses boat

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Togiak
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 7/12/13 an Alaska wildlife trooper in a patrol aircraft observed the F/V Sea Urchin commercial fishing with a 150-fathom drift gillnet 2.3 miles from the closest legal waters. The trooper landed the aircraft in the ocean near the vessel and identified the permit holder and skipper as Michael A. Poulsen, 20, of Togiak. On 7/15/13 Poulsen was cited for commercial fishing in closed waters and the F/V Sea Urchin was seized. He was arraigned on 7/16/13 in Dillingham District Court. After pleading guilty to the misdemeanor charge, Poulsen was sentenced as follows: $15,000 fine with $8,000 suspended; 30 days in jail with 30 days suspended; three years on probation; and forfeiture of the F/V Sea Urchin, a 26-foot fiberglass Modutech.

Tanner crabber nets $1,500 fine, forfeits gear

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Petersburg
Type: Conviction
On 5/18/12 Ben Gross, 38, of Wasilla, pled guilty to a charge of retaining commercial undersized Tanner crab. Gross was fined $6,000 with $4,500 suspended. He also forfeited seized gear and was placed on probation for two years.