Undersized king crab seized at Petersburg

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Petersburg

Type: Undersized king crab

On 3/3/26 Alaska Wildlife Troopers conducted a golden king crab offload inspection during the offloading of crab from the F/V Sara Dawn at the Silver Bay Seafoods pier in Petersburg. During the routine size verification process, troopers identified 21 undersized golden king crab. The undersized crab were seized and subsequently donated to charity. A mandatory court appearance citation was issued in connection with this violation.

Multiple alleged violations draw $53,000 penalty

NOAA's Office of General Counsel reports the following case charged in January:

• C/P North Star — Owner North Star Vessel LLC and operators Joshua G. Buchan, Keith Pendleton and purser Harry Smiley were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Northern Pacific Halibut Act with failing to comply with the requirements for halibut deck sorting, failing to comply with catch weighing and flow scale requirements, failing to retain video monitoring data for 120 days after the date the video was recorded, failing to return prohibited species to the sea immediately and with a minimum of injury, prohibiting or barring by refusal of reasonable assistance an observer from collecting samples or otherwise performing their duties, intimidating or interfering with an observer, discarding catch, or discarding an observer's collected samples. A $53,000 NOVA (notice of violation and assessment) was issued.

Juneau man convicted on eight charges

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau

Type: Multiple violations
On 1/8/26 Michael Duby, 51, of Juneau, was convicted by a jury on eight charges related to commercial fishing. The convictions include unlawful sale of shellfish harvested for personal use, commercial clamming during a closed season, commercial fishing for flounder during a closed season, reckless endangerment, third-degree misconduct involving weapons in the third degree, and three counts of falsifying business records. These convictions stem from an investigation by Alaska Wildlife Troopers, which commenced in 2019 following a suspicious commercial fisheries boarding. The investigation revealed Duby was unlawfully targeting and harvesting fish species during closed seasons and then entering these fish into commerce with falsified or incomplete fish tickets to conceal the illegal activity. Additionally, Duby was found to be unlawfully harvesting clams from Juneau area beaches, which had not been tested for paralytic shellfish poisoning before being introduced into commerce via a restaurant in Fairbanks. PSP can be fatal if consumed. The investigation also determined that Duby was residing in a residence with a concealable firearm despite having a prior felony conviction. Duby has been subject to numerous investigations by the state of Alaska, federal fish and wildlife agencies, and other state wildlife enforcement agencies over the past 23 years. His sportfishing and hunting privileges had previously been suspended for life, and he was on probation for wildlife-related convictions at the time of these offenses. Duby's sentencing is scheduled for May 2026.