Fisherman charged with taking lingcod out of season

Alaska Wildlife Troopers on June 11 cited an Anchorage commercial fisherman for retaining lingcod during a closed season while on a commercial halibut fishing trip in Cook Inlet. Christopher Moore, 53, also was cited for not properly displaying his vessel number plate and for making a false statement on a 2010 resident hunting license at a time when he didn’t qualify for Alaska residency. Troopers contacted Moore on the F/V Wonderworker in Kachemak Bay on May 25. According to a trooper press release, troopers said they found lingcod and halibut fillets. The commercial lingcod season opens July 1 in Cook Inlet. Troopers have referred the issue of filleted halibut to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service. NOAA officials said the case is still under investigation.