Something happening in Homer?

Deckboss has asked the Alaska State Troopers for information regarding possibly a major fisheries enforcement action in Homer.

We hear unofficially that authorities yesterday searched multiple boats and maybe some houses. They were said to have seized some halibut.

We'll keep you advised as we learn more.

Factory trawler hit with $122K penalty

NOAA's Office of General Counsel reports this case charged in September:

• F/V America's Finest — Owner America's Finest Fishing LLC was charged under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act with directed fishing for groundfish with trawl gear in the Nearshore Bristol Bay Trawl Area when that area was closed to trawling. A $121,984.48 NOVA (notice of violation and assessment) was issued.

Blotter

As the summer fisheries ramp up, so does enforcement. We're tracking the action on our sister blog The Brig.

Weighty fishing penalty assessed

NOAA enforcement officials say they have charged Ocean Peace Inc., owner of the F/V Ocean Peace, with fishing in the Nearshore Bristol Bay Trawl Area after it had closed.

A $111,031 notice of violation and assessment was issued, officials said.

Observer enforcement action

The North Pacific Observer Program 2020 Annual Report discloses this enforcement action, among others:

F/V Seafisher — Crewman Iakopo Jake Vae was charged under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act with forcibly assaulting and sexually harassing a fisheries observer onboard the vessel. A $60,000 notice of violation and assessment was issued.

Watch those demerit points!

The Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission is recommending legislation "expanding the current demerit point system so that it applies to all types of commercial fisheries, not just salmon."

More details here.

Trident's warning

A recent federal summary of enforcement actions for the first half of 2017 said a written warning was issued to Trident Seafoods.

Deckboss obtained a copy of the written warning through a Freedom of Information Act request. Read it here.

F/V Aleutian Sable fined $156K

Federal authorities have posted their national enforcement report for the first six months of the year.

One Alaska case carries a $156,091 penalty:

F/V Aleutian Sable — Owner and operator were charged in eight counts under the Magnuson-Stevens Act for failing to maintain a wheel watch on the vessel; for harassing observers, having the purpose or effect of interfering with the observers' work performance, or otherwise creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment; for failing to notify the observers, on multiple occasions, at least 15 minutes before fish were brought on board to allow the observers to sample the catch; and for retaining Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) halibut on board the vessel in excess of the total amount of unharvested IFQ halibut applicable to the vessel category and Regulatory Area 4A in which the vessel deployed fixed gear, and in excess of the IFQ that was currently held by all permit holders aboard the vessel. A $156,091 NOVA (Notice of Violation and Assessment of Administrative Penalty) was issued.

See the report for lots more Alaska enforcement actions, including cases that have settled.

Council to consider catch limits and much more

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council will hold its most important meeting of the year this week in Anchorage.

The 11-member council, which helps regulate federal fisheries off Alaska, will set 2015 catch limits for pollock, cod and other groundfish.

The panel also has quite a few other items on its agenda.

One that caught my eye is this enforcement report from the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Fish cops stay busy

Federal authorities say the F/V Castaway unlawfully fished with longline gear in a coral habitat protection area. They're proposing a $13,335 fine.

Read about this and other Alaska cases in this national summary of NOAA enforcement actions for the second half of 2013.

Also, we've posted several new items on our sister blog, The Brig.

Troopers chief: We don't discriminate

The Alaska Wildlife Troopers don't discriminate against any group, says the agency's director, Col. Jim Cockrell, in this column published in the Homer News.

Cockrell wrote the column in response to a letter from some Bristol Bay driftnetters alleging enforcement bias against "Russian" boats.

Illicit halibut charter operator fined $15,000

An Anchorage resident who took customers fishing without the required halibut charter permit will pay a $15,000 fine to settle an enforcement action, federal authorities say.

Sidney Bouschor initially was assessed a $30,300 civil penalty following an undercover operation by NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement.

"Bouschor admitted the charge, but claimed an inability to pay the entire assessed penalty," says this press release. "After supplying the required financial documentation to NOAA, which was evaluated by a NOAA financial expert, NOAA's Office of General Counsel found it appropriate to settle the case for $15,000."

The press release, unfortunately, doesn't specify which port Bouschor was operating out of, or provide other details of the undercover operation.

Trawler hit with $325,442 enforcement action

Federal enforcement officials have charged the owner and operator of the F/V Pacific Challenger with fishing for Pacific cod in the Western Gulf of Alaska without having a license limitation permit.

A $325,442 notice of violation and assessment has been issued.

The case is listed in a NOAA enforcement summary for the second half of 2012.

You can see several more Alaska cases starting on page 1 of the summary. And on page 16 are five Alaska cases that have settled. One of those, involving the F/V Alaska Dawn, settled for $130,326.

According to state records, the Pacific Challenger is a 116-foot trawler that belongs to Pacific Dawn LLC of Seattle.

Bad boys, bad boys

NOAA has posted its draft enforcement priorities for 2013.

Alaska priorities are on pages 4-5. Among "high priority" items:

• Observer assault, harassment or interference violations

• Felony and major civil cases involving significant damage to the resource or the integrity of management schemes

• Commercialization of sport-caught or subsistence halibut

• Maritime Boundary Line incursions by foreign fishing or transport vessels

Agree? Disagree?

Click here to learn how you can submit comments to NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement.

Ouch!

Check The Brig for details on a nearly $260,000 enforcement action involving a sablefish boat.