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AK24087876
Dispatch Text:
On 8/25/24, the Alaska Wildlife Troopers received a report the F/V Talia was observed failing to retain rockfish bycatch from the state waters of Prince William Sound while participating in the federally managed commercial halibut fishery. Alaska fisheries regulations make mandatory the retention of all rockfish bycatch species caught in state waters, and strict bycatch limits currently exist in Prince William Sound due to rockfish stock concerns.
The Alaska Wildlife Troopers' Wildlife Investigations Unit, with the assistance of Wildlife Troopers from both Anchorage and Cordova investigated this incident. Investigation revealed the captain and permit holder, Edward Day, age 61 of Valdez, and crewmember, Ronald Weathers, age 54 of Seward, intentionally failed to retain both rockfish and Pacific Cod, discarding them back into the water, resulting in the waste of approximately 1,000lbs of combined rockfish and Pacific Cod. Day had previously been cited and convicted of exceeding his bycatch limit in this fishery on 8/7/24.
Day and Weathers were both charged with misdemeanor counts of Waste of Pacific Cod, Waste of Rockfish, and violating the Prince William Sound management plan. Both men have mandatory court appearances in the Anchorage District Court.
Posted on 12/20/2024 5:10:36 PM by DPS\jtabbott
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