Tshibaka did not hold a commercial fishing crew license at the time, public records show.

Officials from the Department of Public Safety opened an investigation, and “after a thorough investigation and in consultation with the Alaska Department of Law’s Office of Special Prosecutions,” wildlife troopers cited Tshibaka.

In a written statement, Tshibaka said she “will abide” by the citation but believes officials are misapplying the licensing statute, which “clearly and expressly exempts a ‘visitor or guest’ aboard a commercial fishing vessel, which is obviously what I was.”