A Kodiak fisherman has pleaded guilty to federal charges of violation of the Lacey Act by knowingly submitting false records on the locations and regulatory areas where he fished.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Anchorage, James Aaron Stevens, 46, of Kodiak, admitted to knowingly falsifying International Pacific Halibut Commission logbooks, daily fishing logbooks, Alaska Department of Fish and Game fish tickets and landing reports to show that fishing gear had been deployed in areas where his vessels did not fish and omitted areas in which fish were harvested.
In addition to his falsified logbooks, the investigation revealed that Stevens maintained the accurate fishing information in a personal log.
Authorities said that Stevens, the owner and operator of F/V Alaskan Star and F/V Southern Seas, falsified records related to some 903,208 pounds of falsely reported halibut and sablefish, with an approximate dock value of $4.5 million and a market value of $13.6 million. Stevens sold the falsely labeled fish caught in the course of 26 fishing trips, which were, or were intended to be, transported in interstate and foreign commerce.
In addition to a term of imprisonment, Stevens agreed to pay a substantial fine before sentencing, authorities said. He also agreed to comply with vessel monitoring as part of his condition of supervised release, and to make a public service announcement acknowledging his wrongdoing, to be submitted to the magazine National Fisherman.
The investigation that led to charges being filed was conducted by NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska. No sentencing date has been set yet.
