A 45-year-old Naukati man, in a plea agreement, pleaded guilty to two commercial fishing misdemeanors last Thursday in a two-year-old case of harvesting sea cucumbers in a closed area.

Jonathan W. McGraw and two others, it was determined in the investigation that spanned four months, had illegally harvested sea cucumbers from closed waters that included cucumbers from the sea cucumber reserve in Whale Pass.

As a result of the investigation, “McGraw was charged with 7 counts of Commercial Fishing Closed Waters, 7 counts of Illegal Possession, 6 counts Falsifying Fish Tickets, 1 count of Violating Conditions of Release, 1 count of Fail to Display Vessel Identification, and 1 count of Employing an Unlicensed Crewmember,” Wildlife Troopers said.

McGraw’s boat, a 19-foot aluminum work skiff, dive gear and 1,263 were seized on December 19th, 2017.

For harvesting sea cucumbers in the ADF&G research area illegally, and providing false information on his fish tickets, McGraw was fined $35,228.34, must serve 30 days in jail and loses his commercial fishing privileges for a year. He was also placed on a one-year probation.

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