Alaska Wildlife Troopers are seeking an out-of-season crabber near Auke Bay who had at least two pots set in the area.
“Poachers essentially steal our resources from law abiding citizens,” Alaska Wildlife Trooper Jacob Abbott wrote in a post on the AWT’s Facebook page. “It’s bad for the king crab fishery, and it’s something we and law-abiding crabbers aren’t going to tolerate.”
Alaska Wildlife Troopers are searching for an illegal crabber near Auke Bay after at least two illegal, homemade crab pots were discovered. (Courtesy Photo | Alaska State Troopers)
The improvised pots were made of rebar and orange plastic construction fencing, tied off to unlabeled black buoys adorned with electrical tape. The law requires that crab pot buoys have several specific pieces of information, including the owner, their address and their boat registration number.
The season for personal fishing for king crabs is only a day long, due to limited supply and high demand, the post said. Neither pot had the escape mechanism required by law to keep the crab pot from becoming a ghost pot, catching and trapping crabs for years after its location had been lost.
“If the pots in the pictures here look familiar, or if you know who perpetrated this dastardly deed, please contribute to the health of your personal-use crab fishery and call the Wildlife Troopers in Juneau at 465-4000,” said the post.
• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.
