A Kodiak fisherman has agreed to jail time and a substantial fine over charges he falsified fishing records.
James Aaron Stevens. 46, will plead guilty to one count of false labeling, a violation of the Lacey Act, a federal law that protects against trafficking illegally taken wildlife. Stevens, the operator and owner of the F/V Alaskan Star and F/V Southern Seas out of Kodiak, admitted he had knowingly submitted false records.
U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder made the announcement about the plea deal on Friday. In the agreement, Stevens admits to falsifying Daily Fish Logbooks for halibut and sablefish individual fishing quotas, as well as Alaska Department of Fish and Game tickets and reports about the locations where fishing gear was deployed. The investigation also revealed that Stevens maintained accurate fishing information in a separate personal log.
The Alaska U.S. District Attorney’s office investigated 26 fishing trips. It found Stevens falsified records involving 903,208 pounds of halibut and sablefish that were falsely reported. The violations occurred between 2014 and 2017. The fish had a dock value of more than $4.5 million and a market value of $13,566,630.
Federal attorneys did not specify the amount of prison time Stevens faces, but said he has agreed to pay a substantial fine before sentencing. He will also have to comply with vessel monitoring as part of his conditions of supervised release. Also part of the deal: Stevens will have to make a public service announcement in which he acknowledges his wrongdoing, to be submitted to the National Fisherman Magazine.
NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement was the lead agency in the investigation.
