Kodiak Family Accused Of Setnet Fishing Permit Fraud

A big story from Kodiak, where a local fishing family’s accusations of fraudulent setnet fishing permit activity temporarily halted a related state bill from proceeding. Here’s the Alaska Beacon with more details:

Court documents filed Monday state that Fields and his family, who operate Fields and Sons Inc., illegally earned more than $1 million by temporarily transferring various salmon setnet permits to crew members, allowing the family to bypass state limits on individual ownership.

Fields, whose family has been setnetting in Kodiak since 1961, denied the state’s claims, saying by text that the “charges stem from the gifting of limited entry permits to family and crew, something my family and I have done for more than 30 years. This is a common practice in the industry, and we believe that our family has been singled out to try to set an example with a unique application of existing statutes. The charges are not supported by the facts.”

The criminal accusations against the Fields family — which include multiple felonies — surprised fishers and have implications beyond Kodiak. 

To avoid the appearance of impropriety, Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, has paused work on House Bill 117, which would allow setnet fishers to pool their fish as a cooperative before sending them to a fishing tender for processing.