Wildlife Import Violations Anchorage agents have cited United Parcel Service for ten violations of the Endangered Species Act. Their investigation revealed a continued pattern by UPS for failing to declare imported wildlife shipments. A position was advertised for the subsistence fisheries SA in Fairbanks last month. The good news is that there are 29 applicants for the job. I think that it is an indication of the demographics of the agent work force, especially the declining number of agents.
Agents have an ever increasing number of duty stations to apply for as agents retire.
Many who would normally take a position are waiting to see what comes later when SRA positions open up and currently manned stations are vacated to fill them. The problem of filling duty stations will get worse as four more agents are scheduled to retire by the end of August. Russian Bear Investigation A Pennsylvania tavern owner who has been facing charges related to taking two brown bears in Russia with the use of a helicopter was reindicted by a federal grand jury in Anchorage for four felonies, three under the Lacey Act for filing false information about importing the bear trophies and one for perjury when he lied while under oath. A motion submitted by the man's attorney to move his trial to Pennsylvania has been denied. Trial is pending in Anchorage where a video tape taken by the hunter's Alaskan booking agent will be key evidence.