Petersburg crabber nets $1,500 in fines

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Petersburg
Type: Conviction
On 9/6/16 Paul Korchak, 67, of Petersburg, pled no contest to two commercial Dungeness crab violations. Korchak is the owner and permit holder onboard the F/V Amber Lynn. An Alaska Wildlife Troopers investigation showed that Korchak retained commercially caught Dungeness crab aboard his vessel for more than 24 hours after the closure of the commercial season in Registration Area A (Southeast Alaska). Inspection of the crab aboard his vessel revealed that Korchak also retained undersized crab. Korchak was ordered to pay a total amount of $3,000 with $1,500 suspended and placed on probation for one year.

Juneau crabber fined $3K after no contest plea

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Sentencing
On 11/6/15 Dennis J. Capua, 60, of Juneau, pled no contest in Juneau District Court to one count of operating commercial Dungeness crab gear during a closed season. Capua was fined $6,000 with $3,000 suspended and placed on probation for 18 months. The charges stemmed from an investigation by Juneau Wildlife Troopers which showed that Capua had failed to remove at least 64 crab pots from the waters of Stephens Passage before the summer season closed on 8/15/15.

Seiners fined, lose $4K in fishing proceeds

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Cordova
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 8/2/13 Brian Tarabochia, 28, of Shoreline, Wash., and Oshiana Black, 29, of Bellingham, Wash., were cited by Cordova Wildlife Troopers for commercial fishing in closed waters aboard the F/V Five Brothers. Tarabochia was operating the purse seine vessel and Black was the permit holder. Approximately 5,000 pounds of pink salmon were seized. On 9/4/13 Tarabochia and Black pled no contest to commercial fishing in closed waters. Both individuals were fined $3,000 with $1,500 suspended. Black was ordered to pay $4,259.20 in restitution for the fish caught during the violation.

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.

Petersburg man fined over small king crab

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Petersburg
Type: Conviction
On 4/16/13 Jeb Phillips, 25, of Petersburg, pled no contest to possession of undersized golden king crab. Phillips, the commercial permit holder on the F/V Lone Fisherman, was cited by Alaska Wildlife Troopers on 3/17/13 when undersized golden king crab were observed in his delivery to the fish processor. Phillips was fined $3,000 with $2,250 suspended and placed on probation for one year.

Dungeness crabber draws $1,500 fine, probation

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Petersburg
Type: Conviction — commercial fish closed season
On 1/29/13 Charlie Gadd, 28, of Wrangell, pled no contest to one count of commercial fishing in a closed season. An Alaska Wildlife Troopers investigation that showed Gadd negligently left 16 Dungeness crab pots in fishing condition after the close of the commercial season. Gadd was fined $3,000 with $1,500 suspended and placed on probation for one year.

Five Haines gillnetters fined, forfeit catch value

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Sentencing — commercial fish closed period
On 8/9/12 the following commercial fishermen entered pleas of no contest in Juneau District Court to charges of commercial fishing "over the line." All of the charges stemmed from violations in District 15C north of Juneau during the July 8-11 fishing period. During the three days of fishing, a total of 175 commercial gillnetters caught a reported 340,000 chum salmon valued at over $2.3 million.

• Thomas Williams, 60, of Haines, was fined $2,000 with $1,000 suspended and ordered to forfeit the value of the fish taking during the illegal set. He was given one year of probation.

• Woody Pahl, 23, of Haines, was fined a total of $4,000 on two charges with $2,000 suspended. He was ordered to forfeit the value of the fish taken during the two illegal sets, and was given a year of probation.

• Brian O'Riley, 64, of Haines, was fined $3,000 with $1,500 suspended and ordered to forfeit 80 percent of the value of the fish taken during the illegal set. He was given a year of probation.

• Gerald Albecker, 58, of Haines, was fined $2,000 with $1,000 suspended and ordered to forfeit the value of the fish taken during the illegal set. He was given a year of probation.

• Martin L. Smith, 42, of Haines, was fined $3,000 with $1,000 suspended and ordered to forfeit $2,100 worth of illegally taken fish. In addition, Smith had $2,500 in previously suspended fines added to his probation period of two years.

Three additional cases are still pending from this fishery.

Juneau dive fisherman nets $500 fine

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Conviction — unlawful use of dive gear
On 2/1/12 Todd W. Hadfield, 34, of Juneau, pled no contest in Juneau District Court to one count of unlawful use of commercial dive fishing gear. Hadfield was fined $1,000 with $500 suspended and placed on probation for two years. Initial investigation showed Hadfield, as the permit holder, allowed a crewmember to dive on the fishing grounds using scuba gear prior to the opening of a commercial sea cucumber dive fishery.

Crabber fined $500 for pot storage violation

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Illegal storage of crab pots
On 11/16/11 Ben Gross, 38, of Wasilla, pled no contest in Juneau District Court to one count of illegal storage of a commercial Tanner crab pot. The gear was initially inspected and seized as part of a P/V Enforcer mission inside of Seymour Canal on 10/8/11. Gross was fined $500 and will be on probation for one year.

Sitka crabber fined $3,000 in sad Dungeness story

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Update — operate Dungeness gear from tender
On 11/15/11 David A. Coleman, 54, of Sitka, pled no contest in Sitka District Court to one count of operating commercial Dungeness gear from a registered tender. Coleman was fined $6,000 with $3,000 suspended and placed on probation for two years. The charge stems from Coleman being observed by troopers operating gear with a vessel registered as a tender for Dungeness crab in Hoonah Sound on 7/16/11. The tender used in the violation was later inadvertently sunk while being operated with a load Dungeness pot gear aboard. Commercial Dungeness crab regulations prohibit the operation of Dungeness gear or possession of Dungeness gear on a tender registered in the Dungeness fishery.

Three herring pounders net $300 fines after pleas

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Update — fail to mark herring pound or web support
On 9/13/11 the following defendants pled no contest in Sitka District Court to failing to mark commercial herring pounds or web support. The charges resulted from commercial herring pound activities during April and May. Each defendant was fined $600 with $300 suspended and placed on one-year probation not to commit commercial fishing violations.

Matthew Carle Sr., 61, of Hydaburg
Charles Christiansen, 55, of Petersburg
Oliver Christiansen, 28, of Petersburg

Southeast charter guide fined $520 after plea

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Gustavus
Type: Conviction
On 8/25/11 Steve E. Petty, 42, of Gustavus, entered a no contest plea in Hoonah District Court to one count of failing to carry proof of a sportfish charter business license and one count of making a false statement on his 2011 sportfish license. Petty was initially contacted as he actively guided paying sportfish charter clients near Goose Island in Icy Strait on 7/16/11. Petty was fined a total of $520 for both offenses.

Seiner nets $3,000 fine, forfeits $4,000 catch

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Update — commercial fish closed waters
On 8/9/11 Paul Rostad, 51, of Kake and the F/V Christina Dawn, pled no contest in Juneau District Court to one count of operating a commercial seine net in the closed waters of District 10. He was fined $6,000 with $3,000 suspended and placed on probation for two years. His catch, valued at just under $4,000, was ordered forfeited. The violation occurred near the southern tip of the Glass Peninsula south of Juneau.

Sitka seiners fined, forfeit $6,500 worth of salmon

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Update — commercial fish closed waters
On 7/18/11 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, observed the F/V Wendy Anne operating commercial seine gear near False Island. The area was not open to commercial purse seining. Permit holder Todd M. Nevers and owner-operator Todd L. Bayne, both of Sitka, were cited for commercial fishing in closed waters, and 13,536 pounds of salmon were seized. On 7/26/11 both Nevers and Bayne pled no contest to commercial seining during a closed period. Nevers was fined $6,000 with $3,000 suspended, and he was placed on probation for two years. Bayne was fined $3,000 with $1,500 suspended and placed on probation for one year. The illegally taken fish, valued at approximately $6,500, were forfeited to the state.

Gillnetter nets $3,000 fine, forfeits value of catch

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Update — commercial fish closed period
On 7/21/11 Ronald L. Martin, 69, of Haines, pled no contest in Juneau District Court to one count of commercial fishing during a closed period. Martin was fined $5,000 with $2,000 suspended and ordered to forfeit the $1,400 value of the illegally taken fish. Martin was placed on probation for two years. The case originated when Juneau Wildlife Troopers contacted Martin fishing during a closed period near Point Bridget north of Juneau.

Lack of halibut permit costs Metlakatla man $3K

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Ketchikan
Type: Update — no commercial halibut permit
On 6/28/11 Jay Beal, 32, of Metlakatla, pled no contest to fishing for halibut in Alaska state waters without a Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission permit. Beal was fined $3,000 and placed on probation for two years. Beal originally was cited by Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Ketchikan Post, after he was contacted in June commercial fishing outside Annette Island waters.

Hoonah crabber fined $1,500 after no contest plea

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Icy Strait
Type: Commercial fish closed waters, unlawful gear storage
On 7/6/11 William Veler, 49, of Hoonah, was cited by Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Ketchikan Post, for commercial fishing in closed waters and for unlawful storage of Tanner crab gear. Veler was cited after the patrol vessel Enforcer located nine commercial Tanner crab pots in fishing condition in closed waters. On 7/6/11 Veler appeared in Hoonah District Court and pled no contest to commercial fishing in closed waters. He was fined $3,000 with $1,500 suspended.