Three gillnetters fined in Juneau court action

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Trial — commercial fish closed period
On 11/6/12 Larry "Jev" Shelton, 70, of Juneau, was found guilty in Juneau District Court on one count of operating a commercial gillnet during a closed period. Shelton was charged after his vessel, the F/V Kirsten Anna, was observed by Alaska Wildlife Troopers in a state aircraft with some gillnet still in the water after the scheduled closure. The violation occurred in District 11B north of Circle Point. On a second charge of operating the vessel with obscured Alaska Department of Fish and Game numbers, Shelton was found not guilty though he was encouraged by the court to apply a fresh coat of paint. Shelton was fined $2,000 with $1,250 suspended and placed on probation for one year.

Location: Juneau
Type: Trial — commercial fish closed period
On 10/29/12 Winston Davies, 35, of Wrangell, was found guilty in Juneau District Court of commercial drift gillnet fishing during a closed period. Hoonah Wildlife Troopers had observed Davies onboard the F/V Blue Mist with his net still fishing more than 20 minutes after the gillnet fishery had closed in District 15C north of Juneau. Davies contended his net had become tangled with a sportfishing boat, and that caused him to not be able to pull in his net by the closure. Davies was ordered to pay $1,000 with $750 suspended and forfeit $200 worth of fish.

Location: Juneau
Type: Plea — commercial fish closed period
On 10/25/12 Donald A. Malcolm, 34, of Homer, pled guilty to one count of operating a commercial gillnet during a closed period in District 15C north of Juneau. Malcolm was fined $500 and ordered to forfeit $283 in illegally taken fish. Juneau prosecutors dropped a second count as part of the plea agreement. The charges stemmed from two separate incidents in July in which Alaska Wildlife Troopers first videotaped Malcolm fishing north of the Point Bridgett line, then observed him from the air the next day fishing south of the boat harbor line. Both incidents occurred in District 15C, which covers southern Lynn Canal. Commercial fishermen netted over $2.3 million worth of salmon in District 15C during the July 8-11 fishing period.