Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska State brings 55 more fishing charges against Petersburg lodge

November 17, 2023
A father and son who are part-owners of a Petersburg fishing lodge were charged Tuesday by the State of Alaska with over 50 violations of state fishing laws.

Walter Payne, 74, and Mikel Payne, 50, are also the operators of Rocky Point Resort, along with other family and staff.

Mikel is facing 42 charges and Walter is facing 13 charges for violations in June, July, and August of 2020.

All of the charges are misdemeanors involving illegal fishing for halibut. Halibut is strictly regulated with a limited quota for commercial and sports fishermen, and the harvests must be documented. State and federal officers were involved in the investigations. The officers say the two men helped their clients take too many halibut and did not accurately document the halibut that was caught.

Many of the charges stem from guided angler fish halibut. That’s halibut quota sold by commercial fishermen to guided sports fishermen through a federal catch-sharing program.

The charges follow over 50 similar counts charged in May against four fishing guides at the lodge.

Summons for both Paynes were issued on Wednesday. Their arraignment is set for Dec. 4 at the Petersburg Courthouse. Mikel Payne, when reached by phone Thursday, said he hadn’t seen the charges yet. Walter Payne could not be reached.

The state’s prosecuting attorney is Ronald Dupuis with the Office of Special Prosecutions in Anchorage.

LINK

I can't believe those jokers are still in business.

With halibut, you get hit with both state and federal charges. Hope they get hammered.

They are based out of Oregon, of all places.

May be but we have way too many regulations today. Commercial fisherman take way too many fish and sport fisherman have to settle for few.

Never seen a Halibut in person. But, I suspect one would feed a family for several sittings. Why be greedy?

Yo are thinking barn door, not chicken.

It ain’t about food.

Halibut = $

Lots of greedy fugks everywhere, but few places will beat AK.

Because commercial fishing dominates the rule making and allocation. Currently, sport fishing gets less of the catch than the commercial side kills and wastes every year... and by a huge margin. Even going so far as insisting all bycatch is ground into a slurry before pumping it overboard.

Charter fishermen may keep one halibut any size and one ping pong paddle per day and 5 per year. While the private boats get 2 of any size per day. The greed is mostly on one side...

I'm curious as to how they confirmed so many violations with this lodge.
Seems they'd need more than one or two disgruntled employees or guests making accusations to build such a case.

I heard disgruntled employees.

I had some clients who fish with me that were there when they were raided. They said it was like a swat team waiting for them back on the dock.


These Oregon guys need to be run out of AK. It’s obvious they got comfortable with the private dock and thought they could get away with things.

Were the clients charged for over limits as well? Possibly given lenient sentences for testimony?

Rules need to be followed. Commercial wastes more than sport. imho.

That said for a swat type raid reception on arrival to dock is ridiculous. Let em unload. Get the clients off. I'd be out of sight. Then just saunter on up and check the boats and papers etc...

this swat stuff just irks me especially on somewhat minor issues basically. It certainly was not murder.

I do understand they need gone though. I've heard that from others too.

I doubt it. Guides get the tickets and are responsible for all laws being followed.


From what I recall reading is they were high grading GAF fish. In other words, keeping a 70lb fish, then catching a bigger one and tossing the 70. But that’s what I heard. It’s trash fishing and they need culled out of the fleet.

Thats interesting on the guide part and tickets. In Talkeetna we have been told that the client gets cited. Then the guide. Then the company. All 3 are liable.

As a guide I try to be absolutely perfectly following the laws at all times. Now and then we make a mistake. Like having to lift a king out of a net to get it all untangled.

And I think it should be basically my responsibility after all you pay me for my knowledge and likely you have no real clue of the rules.

Culling fish... ugh. I"m sure thats not the only grievous thing idiots like that did either.