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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Kodiak fishermen sentenced over illegal transport of Alaskan crab to Washington
This story was originally published on A Kodiak fisherman has been sentenced to one year in jail for illegally shipping thousands of pounds of tanner crab infected with parasites from Alaska to Washington. Corey Potter, 64, owned and operated two crab catcher vessels and caught tanner crab and golden king crab in Southeast Alaskan waters during February and March of 2024, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Alaska. The co-defendants, Kyle Potter, 30, and Justin Welch, 34, followed directions from Corey Potter and transported the harvested crab to Seattle, intending to sell the crabs at a higher price than would be received in Alaska, according to the news release. One of the vessels had more than 4,200 pounds of live tanner crab aboard, and the other vessel had more than 2,900 pounds of live golden king crab. 'A portion of the Tanner crab was infected with Bitter Crab Syndrome (BCS), a parasitic disease that is fatal to crustaceans,' the release stated. 'Roughly 42% of the king crab died and was unmarketable. Since the other vessel had BCS contaminated crabs, the entire catch of Tanner crab was transferred to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to dispose of in a landfill.' Law enforcement served a search warrant on Welch and his fishing vessel in March 2024, which prompted Welch to inform Corey Potter and Kyle Potter of the search, and both deleted text messages detailing their plans to sell the crab for better prices in Seattle, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Corey Potter pled guilty to two counts of violating the Lacey Act on Feb. 7, 2025, according to the attorney's office. Corey was also ordered to a worldwide commercial fishing ban throughout the duration of his supervised release. Kyle Potter pled guilty and was sentenced on July 10, 2024, to five years' probation, including a five-year worldwide commercial fishing ban concurrent with probation, and a $20,000 fine, according to the release. Welch pled guilty and was sentenced on June 25, 2024, to three years' probation and a $10,000 fine. Michael J. Heyman, U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska, mentioned in the news release the importance of abiding by federal laws and factually reporting a harvest. 'Mr. Potter blatantly disregarded state and federal fishing laws and ignored the concerns of other fisherman when he directed his two captains to execute the illegal transport, resulting in the reckless loss of over 5,000 pounds of crab,' Heyman said.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Kodiak man sentenced to one year in prison over illegal transport of Alaska crab to Washington
A tanner crab is seen in this undated photo. A Kodiak man has been sentenced to jail for illegally transporting Alaska crab out of state. (Photo provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service) A Kodiak fisher has been sentenced to spend a year in jail for illegally shipping thousands of pounds of tanner crab, much of it infected with a parasitic disease, out of Alaska to Washington state, federal officials said. The fisherman, Corey Potter, was also sentenced to two years' supervised release following his jail term, during which he will be barred from commercial fishing anywhere in the world, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. The investigation was led by NOAA Fisheries' Office of Law Enforcement. The sentence was imposed on May 13 by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Burgess in Anchorage. The case concerns tanner and Golden king crab harvested in 2024 in Southeast Alaska. Potter owned two vessels, one of them captained by his son, Kyle Potter, and the other by employee Justin Welch. Rather than unload the crab catch in Alaska, as is required by state law, the three men kept the live crab in the vessels and took the catch to Washington state, passing through Canadian waters along the way. The motivation was to fetch higher prices for their catch, according to prosecutors' documents. At the time, according to evidence presented in court documents, the men knew that a large proportion of the catch was infested with Bitter Crab Syndrome, a parasitic disease that usually kills the crabs and renders their meat inedible. Bitter Crab Syndrome is not toxic for people, but infected crab meat can be bitter and eating it is likened to chewing on aspirin. That evidence included text messages from other Alaska fishers who cautioned Potter and his son against bringing infested crab to market, with one expressing concerns that their actions would hurt the reputation and marketability of all Alaska crab. Bitter Crab Syndrome affects numerous species, and it is considered a possible contributor to the crash of Bering Sea snow crab and king crab stocks that led to an unprecedented string of harvest closures between 2021 and 2024. The main reason for the stock crashes, scientists believe, was the warmth in the habitat, which led to crab starvation. In the years leading up to the fishery closures, however, there was an increase in Bitter Crab Syndrome. The disease is linked to warming waters and climate change, according to scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Kyle Potter and Welch pleaded guilty last year. In October, Kyle Potter was sentenced to five years' probation and ordered to pay a $20,000 fine; Welch was sentenced to three years' probation and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. Ultimately, the loads of crab they delivered never made it to any market. They were seized by Washington state law enforcement officers and deemed unfit for sale or consumption. Of the Golden king crab, 42% of the catch was dead upon arrival; of the tanner crab, so much was infested that the entire load was disposed of in a landfill, federal officials said. Potter pleaded guilty in February to two counts of violating the Lacey Act, the federal law that concerns transport of wildlife and fish across state lines. Prosecutors identified him as the leader of the scheme and therefore requested heavier penalties. Potter, in a presentencing memorandum, asked for probation rather than jail time, arguing that his long career of fishing in Alaska has now ended and that at the age of 64, he is now financially ruined. 'As a result of last year's terrible crabbing season, which included the instant offense conduct, he has been financially destroyed. One of the boats involved in this offense was foreclosed on, and the other is believed to have been seized by the state. He has been reduced to relying upon family for assistance and has no viable means to support himself,' the May 6 defense memo said. But prosecutors, who argued for 18 months imprisonment, said actions with the diseased crab fit Potter's yearslong pattern of sloppy maintenance and unsafe behavior. In their presentencing report, also filed on May 6, prosecutors listed numerous past problems with the vessels Potter owned. They have been cited for chronically leaking oil, broken down at sea – requiring crew members to be rescued – and sunk in different sites, the report said. 'The defendant's track record as a vessel operator in Alaska is abysmal. He has shown a total disregard for the safety of his crew, the safety of Alaskan waterways, and the health of the marine environment,' the prosecutors' presentencing report said. Yet to be determined is the amount of restitution that Potter will be ordered to pay for the trafficked crab. The government is seeking $187,187 in restitution. A hearing on that subject is set for July 15.
