ANCHORAGE, AK – A Kodiak fisherman was sentenced this week to one year in federal prison and two years of supervised release for illegally transporting live crab from Alaska to Washington in violation of the Lacey Act.
According to court documents, Corey Potter, 64, owned and operated two crab catcher vessels that harvested Tanner and golden king crab in Southeast Alaska during February and March 2024. The vessels were operated by co-defendants Kyle Potter, 30, and Justin Welch, 34. Under Corey Potter’s direction, the vessels transported the catch to Seattle to sell at higher market prices, bypassing required state reporting and port landing regulations.
Authorities reported that at the time of transport, one vessel was carrying over 4,200 pounds of live Tanner crab, while the other had over 2,900 pounds of live golden king crab. A portion of the Tanner crab was later found to be infected with Bitter Crab Syndrome (BCS), a disease fatal to crustaceans. Several fishermen expressed concerns to Corey and Kyle Potter about the potential impact of transporting infected crab out of state, but the plan proceeded despite the warnings…