Sitka direct marketer nets $13,000 fine

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Conviction
On 4/9/19 Justin Eberhard, 45, of Sitka, entered guilty pleas to charges including failure to complete fish tickets as part of an agreement through the Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals. Eberhard was fined a total of $30,000 with $17,000 suspended and placed on probation for one year. Eberhard is required to pay unpaid fish taxes from 2017 and 2018 as a condition of probation. The charges stem from an investigation into the unreported export of commercial troll-caught salmon from the F/V Surf Bay during 2017 and 2018. Investigation revealed Eberhard had sold multiple shipments of fish out of the state of Alaska while acting as an unlicensed direct marketer. The fish caught and exported were never documented on a commercial fish ticket as required. The value of the unreported catch for 2017 and 2018 was in excess of $45,000 and represented large numbers of unreported king salmon. Investigation showed the fish were otherwise legally taken during open commercial seasons and with appropriate commercial permits.