A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging the owner and captains of two crab catcher vessels with illegally transporting crab from Alaska, in violation of the Lacey Act.
According to court documents, crab vessel owner Corey Potter and Justin Welch and Kyle Potter who skipper his two vessels are facing charges and some stiff penalties.
In February and March 2024, the vessels harvested more than 3100kg (7000lb) of Tanner and golden king crab in Southeast Alaska. Corey Potter allegedly directed Kyle Potter and Justin Welch to take the crab to Seattle, Washington, where it would be expected to fetch a higher price than in Alaska.
None of the harvested crab was landed at a port in Alaska or recorded on a fish ticket, which is a requirement under state law.
The crab was allegedly taken through Canadian and Washington waters. Upon arrival in Washington, a large portion of the king crab was deceased and unmarketable. Corey Potter allegedly acknowledged that some of the crab aboard was infected with Bitter Crab Syndrome (BCS), a parasitic disease that is fatal to crustaceans. More than 1800kg (3000lb) of Tanner crab were destroyed due to the risk of BCS infection.
Court documents allege that had the crab been properly landed in Alaska, the harvest would have been inspected and infected crab would have been sorted out and disposed of before leaving Alaska.
Corey Potter is charged with two counts of unlawful transportation of fish or wildlife, and Justin Welch and Kyle Potter are each charged with one count of the same violation – and will make their appearances in court on 2nd May.
These offences are punishable with a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a $20,000 fine per count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
