Four Prince William Sound fishermen cited

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Valdez

Type: Illegal driftnet operations

On 6/20/24 Kiril Reutov, 33, of Wasilla, was issued a citation for operating a commercial salmon drift gillnet within 60 fathoms of a commercial setnet in Falls Bay, Eshamy District, western Prince William Sound.

Location: Valdez

Type: Illegal driftnet operations

On 6/20/24 James Andrews, 30, of Seward, was issued a citation for operating a commercial salmon drift gillnet within 60 fathoms of a commercial setnet in Falls Bay, Eshamy District, western Prince William Sound.

Location: Valdez

Type: Illegal driftnet operations

On 6/24/24 Richard Eckley, 22, of Cordova, was cited for operating a commercial salmon drift gillnet within 60 fathoms of a commercial setnet in Falls Bay, Eshamy District, western Prince William Sound.

Location: Valdez

Type: Commercial fish closed waters

On 6/24/24 Kenneth Cary, 58, of Cordova, was issued a citation for commercial fishing within 500 yards of a salmon stream, which is closed waters, near Eshamy Bay, western Prince William Sound.

Fisherman charged at Cordova with illegal catches

Alaska authorities have charged Keith D. Edens, 29, with two counts of illegally fishing within 500 yards of a freshwater salmon stream.

The case is pending in the District Court at Cordova.

On Aug. 26, Alaska State Troopers received a report that the F/V Lady Kay, later determined to be skipped by Edens, was commercial fishing in closed waters in Bainbridge Passage, court papers say.

Two witnesses observed the Lady Kay making sets, and one of the witnesses — a fish spotter — took photos and video, the papers say.

Troopers noted Edens filled out two fish tickets on Aug. 26, dropping off 101,454 and 61,394 pounds of salmon and receiving $48,854.40 for the fish, the court papers say.

Two Prince William Sound fishermen cited

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Eshamy Bay, western Prince William Sound
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/21/14 Steve Vican, 39, of Cordova, was cited for commercial fishing in closed waters. Vican was operating a drift gillnet within 500 yards of a designated salmon stream, which is closed to commercial salmon fishing. Arraignment set for 9/2/14 in Anchorage court.

Location: Western Prince William Sound
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 6/20/14 William Cook, 61, of Oklahoma, was cited for commercial fishing in the closed waters outside the Eshamy District. Arraignment set for 9/9/14 in Anchorage court.

Peninsula seiner charged with unlawful fishing

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: King Cove
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 9/18/13 Robert Gould Jr., 31, of Anchorage, was cited by Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers for commercial fishing the closed waters within 500 yards of a salmon stream. Gould was found to be beach seining with a purse seine within 500 yards of Ness Creek in Canoe Bay off of the F/V Four Winds on 8/21/13. Arraignment set for 10/9/13 in Homer District Court.

Miner fined $5,000 for diverting salmon stream

Here's a press release from the Alaska Department of Law, Office of Special Prosecutions:

March 16, 2012

Placer miner convicted, sentenced for diverting salmon stream

On March 15, a Palmer jury found 59-year-old Samuel C. Turner, of Trapper Creek, guilty of two fish and game violations. The jury returned its verdict after less than three hours of deliberation. Palmer District Court Judge William Estelle presided over the three-day trial.

Alaska Wildlife Trooper Scott Lanier investigated Turner after habitat biologists from the Palmer office of the Department of Fish and Game's Division of Habitat informed him that Turner diverted a substantial section of Cache Creek.

Cache Creek has been specified by the Department of Fish and Game as important for the spawning, rearing or migration of Chinook, coho and pink salmon.

Turner's diversion of Cache Creek was originally discovered during a mining aerial survey conducted by the Department of Natural Resources in early October 2011.

Trooper Lanier, along with habitat biologists from the Department of Fish and Game, flew to Cache Creek in late October 2011 to inspect the diversion work that Turner had done. They estimated he diverted more than 550 feet of Cache Creek downstream of his main mining operation. Turner did not obtain a habitat permit from the Department of Fish and Game before he undertook this project.

As a result of his convictions, Turner is required to pay a $5,000 fine and will be on probation for one year.

Turner has already begun the process of developing a plan to return Cache Creek to its natural flow.