Alaska Wildlife Troopers have charged an Alaska fishing family with running a permit sharing scheme to bypass individual salmon harvesting limits, although the family claims their actions are “common practice” in the state’s setnet fishery.
“Today, after a multi-month investigation, the Alaska Wildlife Troopers charged 69-year-old Duncan Fields, 64-year-old Wallace Fields, 66-year-old Beth Fields, and 67-year-old Leslie Fields, all of Kodiak, along with Fields & Sons Inc., with multiple criminal charges related to violation of Alaska law and regulations between 2020 and 2024,” Alaska Wildlife Troopers explained in a bulletin.
The Wildlife Investigations Unit of the Alaska Wildlife Troopers claims it was tipped off about the Fields' “suspicious fishing permit activity” over a year ago, with the subsequent investigation revealing that family members were illegally transferring their salmon setnet permits. According to law enforcement, the family would falsely gift their permits to employees and then reclaim them – a violation of state law.
“Over 21 crewmembers were interviewed, revealing a coordinated scheme involving false statements under penalty of perjury and permit manipulation to defraud the state and fish buyers,” Alaska Wildlife Troopers claim.
The family allegedly submitted fraudulent permit transfer paperwork and comingled fish harvests to generate USD 1.2 million (EUR 1 million) in illegal proceeds, according to law enforcement.
Duncan Fields has denied that his family’s activities were criminal.
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,” Duncan Fields told the Alaska Beacon via text.
Alaska lawmakers were considering a bill that would allow cooperative fishing between multiple permit holders, with fishers testifying that it is a long-standing practice of transferring or sharing permits. However, the director of the Alaska Wildlife Troopers told lawmakers those actions “may violate Alaska law.”
The Fields will face charges in district court in Kodiak, Alaska.
