Alaska State Troopers say five commercial fishing vessels illegally caught and transported thousands of pounds of salmon near Homer in late July.
According to a trooper dispatch released Monday, a wildlife trooper observed operators of the fishing vessels Little Star, Relentless, Northstar and Windstar working together in Dog Fish Bay south of Homer to drive salmon out of waters closed to commercial seining and into areas open for commercial harvest. Troopers say the vessels harvested fish in closed waters as well.
A fifth vessel, the Maranatha, was also said to be present and allegedly transported some of the illegally caught fish. Troopers seized all 33,000 pounds harvested during the alleged incident, which troopers say took place during the early morning hours of July 20.
Homer residents Eric Winslow, Paul Roth and Mark Roth were charged with driving salmon in closed waters among other charges. Robert Roth of Anchor point was charged with failure to complete fish tickets and unlawful possession of commercial fish. All charges were filed in Homer District Court.
