Juneau restaurant pays penalty for buying subsistence halibut

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The owners of a Juneau restaurant have agreed to pay a penalty for buying subsistence-harvested halibut.

The Juneau Empire says the owners of the Zen Restaurant will pay a civil penalty of $18,000 over the next 12 months for purchasing halibut they knew was subsistence-caught.

Residents living in rural areas are only eligible for subsistence hunting rights on federal land. The Northern Pacific Halibut Act prohibits the sale, offer for sale, trade or barter of subsistence-harvested halibut.

It was not immediately known if those selling the halibut were charged, and a NOAA...