Alaska Wildlife Troopers have charged four locals with sport fishing violations after finding several dozen salmon carcasses in the Shaishnikof River earlier this month.
Thirty or more dead salmon had been stripped of their roe and discarded back into the river at the end of Captains Bay without any of the edible meat being harvested, as required by regulation.
Unalaska Wildlife Trooper Jeremy Baum said they increased surveillance along the river in response. He later identified and charged four people with various fishing violations — including attempting to snag salmon in freshwater, wasting salmon and sport fishing without a valid license.
All four have court dates scheduled this week at the Unalaska Courthouse and face $100 to $500 fines.
Unalaska’s fresh waters are closed to snagging, and retaining any fish hooked anywhere other than the mouth is illegal in fresh waters. Also, all sport-caught salmon must have all edible meat salvaged from the fish.