Ketchikan sportfishing lodge fined $8,000

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Ketchikan
Type: Conviction
During the summer of 2013, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Ketchikan Post, conducted an investigation into illegal sportfish activities at Clover Bay Lodge located on Prince of Wales Island. The investigation resulted in the lodge being charged for intentionally feeding bears, using the edible meat of sport-caught salmon as bait, furnishing sport-caught shellfish to clients, and taking overlimits of halibut. On 1/28/14 Clover Bay Lodge pled guilty on two misdemeanor counts of intentionally feeding bears, and using the edible meat of sport-caught king salmon as bait. The lodge was fined $8,000 and placed on probation for two years.

Troopers cite Petersburg charter operator

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Petersburg
Type: Sportfish charter logbook violation
On 2/6/12 Donn Hayes, of Benicia, Calif., owner and operator of Petersburg Sportfishing, was cited by Alaska Wildlife Troopers. Hayes had failed to submit the required logbook information for his charter business in the time set forth in regulation. Hayes was issued three citations with a combined bail of $630, or an optional appearance in Petersburg District Court.

Troopers charge Sitka pair with guiding violations

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Sportfish guide violations
On 11/15/11 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, charged Robert L. Warren, 34, and Michael R. Keating, 55, both of Sitka, for sportfish guiding violations. The violations are a result of Warren being observed with four clients on a chartered trip with Big Blue Fisheries while using a vessel not registered to sportfish guide. Investigation showed Keating, owner of Big Blue, had compelled Warren to charter the clients on a vessel Keating knew was unregistered and did not have saltwater logbooks assigned. Warren was charged for failing to register the sportfish guide vessel and for failing to obtain a sportfish guide logbook. Keating was charged with two counts of sportfish guide operator assisting in a violation. Arraignments are set for 11/29/11 in Sitka District Court.

Juneau trio blew out Chinook limit, troopers say

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Prohibited conduct
On 6/27/11 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Eric Endicott, 39, William Endicott, 43, and Michael Gabel, 37, all of Juneau, for possessing 14 king salmon over their bag and possession limit. All three subjects are to appear on 7/14/11 in Juneau District Court for charges of prohibited conduct. The daily bag and possession limit for residents in Southeast Alaska is three king salmon greater than 28 inches. The three men were contacted with 23 king salmon reportedly caught in two days.

Sitka man accused of sportfish violation on troller

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Failure to mark sport-caught salmon on commercial boat
On 6/3/11 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, cited Robert Edenso Jr., 74, of Sitka, for failing to remove the dorsal fins of king salmon caught while sportfishing in an area closed to commercial salmon trolling off the commercially licensed and registered troller Bobby's Girl. Edenso was issued a summons to appear in Sitka District Court for arraignment.

Troopers: Ketchikan sportfisherman sold halibut

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Ketchikan
Type: Illegal sale of sport-caught halibut
On 4/14/11 David Mason, 46, of Ketchikan, was cited by Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Ketchikan Post, for illegally selling sport-caught halibut to local businesses in Ketchikan, using longlines to sportfish for halibut, and sportfishing on multiple occasions without a valid nonresident sportfishing license. This case was a joint enforcement effort between the National Marine Fisheries Service and Ketchikan Wildlife Troopers.

Southeast lodge nets $10,000 fine, probation

The Alaska State Troopers today issued the following press release:

Jan. 13, 2011

Alaska lodge guilty of sale of sport fish

JUNEAU — The Doc Warner's lodge near Juneau received a sentence today following a multiagency investigation beginning in the summer of 2009.

Doc Warner's lodge is an Alaskan limited liability corporation. Investigators with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration did an undercover operation at the lodge in 2009. Investigators were fed sport-caught fish as a part of the paid package during their stay. Employees of Doc Warner's admitted that fish fed to clients was sport-caught by other clients and/or employees.

Alaska law provides that no person may buy, sell or barter sport-caught fish or their parts. A violation of this law is punishable as a class A misdemeanor offense and a corporation that violates this law may be punished by a fine of up to $200,000 per offense.

NOAA turned the investigation over to state authorities for further investigation by Alaska Wildlife Troopers and prosecution by the Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals.

The Office of Special Prosecutions charged Doc Warner’s Alaska Fishing Inc. with four counts of sale of sport-caught fish for the years 2006-2009.

On Jan. 13, 2009, the corporation entered a guilty plea to one consolidated charge of sale of sport-caught fish in violation of 5 AAC 75.015.

Judge Nave imposed the agreed upon sentence of a fine of $40,000 with $30,000 suspended, informal probation for a period of two years, with the conditions that the corporation commit no new law violations, including fish and game offenses.

Sportfisherman told to avoid weir, gets ticket

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Valdez
Type: Sportfish closed waters
On 7/7/10 David Hawker, 46, of Boulder, Colo., was cited by the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Valdez Post, for sportfishing within 300 feet of the Solomon Gulch fish weir. Hawker had been told numerous times, by the hatchery manager, that he was fishing illegally before the Valdez trooper was called. Bail set at $110 in the Valdez court.

State representative hooks $110 ticket

The Alaska State Troopers confirm the person cited in the following case is state Rep. Wes Keller, R-Wasilla.

Keller is vice chairman of the House Special Committee on Fisheries.

Location: Homer
Type: Sportfishing with more than one line
On 6/11/10 at approximately 1200 hours, Alaska Wildlife Troopers contacted a 2009 custom aluminum boat near the entrance to Halibut Cove in Kachemak Bay. Investigation revealed the only occupant, Wesley Keller, 64, of Wasilla, was sportfishing with more than one line. Keller was issued a citation for the offense with a fine of $110.

Pebble copter helps rescue plane crash survivors

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Koliganek
Type: Aircraft crash, rescue
On 9/2/09, at approximately 1300 hours, a float plane piloted by Kirk Gay, age 65, of Anchorage, crash landed in the tundra approximately 6 miles northeast of the village of Koliganek. Gay and another fishing guide had flown two fishing clients into the area to fish on the Nushagak River from their lodge on Six Mile Lake. They were on their way back to the lodge when the aircraft's engine stalled and Gay made an emergency landing. No one was injured as a result of the crash, but the aircraft's floats were badly damaged. Using a satellite telephone, Gay was able to contact the Iliamna Air Taxi Service in Iliamna, who alerted authorities of the crash. AST Dillingham was eventually notified and an AWT aircraft and two troopers were dispatched to the scene. RCC Anchorage was also notified, along with the FAA and the NTSB. The Pebble Mine in Iliamna was contacted and they agreed to donate a helicopter from their operation to retrieve Gay and the three other members of his party. The four men were picked up by the helicopter approximately 1630 hours and they were returned the fishing lodge at 1800 hours.