Two men convicted of “Marine Mammal Protection Act –Illegal Take,” for killing 15 Steller Sea Lions during the 2015 salmon season at the mouth of the Copper River were sentenced in federal court on Tuesday, the Department of Justice revealed. Both men, 31-year-old Jon Nichols of Cordova, and 21-year-old Teddy Turgeon of Wasilla pleaded guilty […]
The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) prohibits “take” of marine mammals unless an exception or exemption applies such as the take exemption for subsistence harvests by Alaska Natives. The MMPA defines “take” as “to harass, hunt, capture, or kill, or attempt to harass, hunt, capture, or kill, any marine mammal.” The MMPA defines “harassment” as “any act of […]
U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder with the Department of Justice announced Thursday that two Alaskan Fishermen have been charged in relation to the killing of 15 Steller Sea Lions found dead during the 2015 Copper River Salmon season. The skipper of the F/V Iron Hide, Jon Nichols, age 31 of Cordova, and a crewmember aboard […]
When you forage for food, you need hunt no further than your corner restaurant. When a sea lion forages for food, it could exhaust its time and energy and leave its young to starve while searching the ocean with little chance of success—if it didn’t know where to look. NOAA Fisheries scientist Mike Sigler at […]