Electronics including the the executive director's laptop and cell phone were seized, the Alaska Groundfish Data Bank (AGDB) said in an "urgent update" sent Wednesday to the organization's members.
A spokesman for the Alaska Wildlife Troopers today said the agency was working on a media statement regarding the matter.
The Alaska Groundfish Data Bank has represented Gulf of Alaska shoreside trawl catcher vessels and processors since 1986, the organization's website says.
The investigation doesn't appear to be focused on AGDB per se. Rather, the search is believed to be part of a broader investigation into the disposition of "prohibited species catch" such as salmon and halibut. These fish are taken as bycatch in trawl groundfish fisheries and can't be sold.
AGDB's executive director, Julie Bonney, in October testified before the North Pacific Fishery Management Council regarding a recent change of management policy to bar turning prohibited species catch into fishmeal.
Such fish now are hauled from processing plants to sea and dumped.
"AGDB does not have anything to hide, so it's extremely unfortunate that authorities have chose to take this route," the member update said.
11 comments:
Is the warrant available to the public? I'm curious what motivated the search -- and I'm wondering if it could be related to king salmon.
I remember once having an Observer on board our boat talking about when he would be a plant Observer in Kodiak. The trawlers and the cannery would try to hide the halibut and the salmon at the bottom of totes so that he wasn’t able to get an accurate count of bycatch. so it’s not just the trawlers. It’s also the cannery that work together because a lot of the canneries are partners with/ own the trawlers. The Halibut East of Kodiak has been completely decimated. Can’t even catch a Halibut anymore on the edge.
We received the following statement today from Austin McDaniel, communications director for the Alaska Department of Public Safety including the Alaska Wildlife Troopers.
"The search warrant you're asking about is part of an active Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Wildlife Investigations Unit (WIU) case involving allegations that large volumes of commercial bycatch, classified as Prohibited Species Catch (PSC), including species such as halibut, and salmon species, were unlawfully entered into commerce by multiple seafood processors. Both Alaska state law and federal fisheries regulations strictly prohibit the sale or commercial use of PSC to protect sensitive species, ensure sustainable management of Alaska's fisheries, and preserve fairness within the commercial fishing industry.
"At this time no arrests have been made, nor have any criminal charges been filed.
"The Wildlife Investigations Unit (WIU) is the Alaska Wildlife Troopers' major-crimes investigative unit. WIU handles complex fish and wildlife cases, including large-scale commercial fishery violations, serious hunting and guiding offenses, and other significant wildlife-related crimes.
"The contents of a search warrant are confidential until they are introduced in a charging document or in trial per Alaska Rules of Criminal Procedure per rule 37 (e)(2). https://courts.alaska.gov/rules/docs/crpro.pdf#page62"
Their have been countless schemes by trawlers to dodge bycatch accountability.
Fake trips, altering fishing practices when observers are on board, hiding bycatch from observers, dodging observers by using tenders in tow.
The authorities have known about all of them but done nothing. In fact NOAA has actually help promote the schemes.
You clown, unlike the fixed gear with 6% observer coverage and more halibut bycatch than the gulf trawl fleet, the issue here is what's being done with the bycatch because it is actually being accounted for and delivered.
You must have been on one of the few halibut trips with an observer. Let's not forget you guys discard 7 million pounds of halibut, with 90% of that going unobserved, and have more wastage than the trawl fleet in the gulf. No wonder you can't catch a halibut on the edge.
Don't forget the Kodiak processing plant with the trap door on the dock where a well fed, dominant sea lion was rewarded with delicious fresh seafood whenever an observer/fed was on site.
Looks like there is a troll on here repeating trawler talking points. Trawlers hate the fact that the cod and halibut longliners can easily release halibut alive, while the trawling is indiscriminate destruction.
If there was a vote, trawling would be shut down tomorrow. How does it feel to be engaged in fishery that is viewed with disdain?
Ahh yes. When you respond with science and facts you're a troll. The fact is the Gulf halibut fleet discards 7 million pounds of halibut a year and 15% of those halibut die. That is more than the trawl fleet catches in bycatch. And trust me, if there was a popular vote, the precious little halibut fishery that gets 80% of the halibut quota and sends royalties to slipper skippers in Hawaii, would not exist. How does it feel to realize that the general public doesn't give a shit about commercial fishing?
10:48 See how the blame games work with judge when you trawlers get pull up on criminal conspiracy charges.
See how well the blame game works while the IPHC grinds your fishery into the ground.
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