Adam T. Sage, Walrus Hunting Violations, Alaska 2015

Four Point Hope residents were sentenced for their involvement in the illegal taking and waste of walruses near Cape Lisburne, Alaska, in September 2015.

Adam T. Sage, 24, Michael R. Tuzroyluk Jr., 21, Guy S. Tuzroyluk, 27, and Jacob Lane, 24, pleaded guilty in federal court in Fairbanks for violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act related to the illegal take of walrus.

The charges arose from two hunting trips the men made to Cape Lisburne, Alaska, in 2015, where several hundred to a thousand or more walruses were hauled out on the beach. During the trips, some of the men shot several walruses and salvaged only the ivory tusks, leaving the entire carcass of each animal to waste.

As part of a plea agreement, the defendants were sentenced to a three-year term of probation. The Council of the Native Village of Point Hope recommended special terms of probation to be imposed. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and each of the four defendants jointly agreed to those terms.

The special conditions of probation include:

Paying $1000 restitution to be used for walrus conservation projects on Alaskan National Wildlife Refuges;
Performing 500 hours of community service in Point Hope;
Publicly apologizing for their offenses to the Native Village of Point Hope Council and the Point Hope whaling captains;
Making 12 public presentations in Point Hope and other coastal villages on hunting ethics and the legal duty to salvage in full any animal taken;
Not hunting walrus for one year;
Hunting for the subsistence needs of Point Hope elders during probation.

The probationary sentence represents a unique and culturally informed resolution to serious marine mammal violations, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement for Northern Alaska, with assistance from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Marine Mammals Management Office, the North Slope Borough Police Department, the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management, the Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General Digital Forensic Lab, and the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward, Alaska.