Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire
Eric Osuch tries to offer papers related to his arrest in front of the Alaska State Capitol on Monday, April l17, 2023, to a reporter as Juneau Police Department officers escort him to a nearby patrol vehicle. Osuch, who was staging a solo protest about fisheries bycatch policies, was banned from the Capitol after causing a public disruption and was arrested a short time later for another alleged disturbance inside the State Office Building.

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire Eric Osuch tries to offer papers related to his arrest in front of the Alaska State Capitol on Monday, April l17, 2023, to a reporter as Juneau Police Department officers escort him to a nearby patrol vehicle. Osuch, who was staging a solo protest about fisheries bycatch policies, was banned from the Capitol after causing a public disruption and was arrested a short time later for another alleged disturbance inside the State Office Building.

Fisheries activist arrested at Capitol

Juneau man staging solo protest disrupts committee hearing

A Juneau man staging a solo protest of fisheries bycatch policies was arrested in front of the Alaska State Capitol on Monday morning after disrupting a committee hearing inside and then engaging in a fight inside the State Office Building, according to police and security officers.

Eric Osuch, 23, was banned from the Capitol for one year after disrupting a Senate Finance Committee meeting at about 9:30 a.m., shouting to at least one lawmaker on the committee. Osuch was handcuffed and detained by two security officers in the entryway of the Capitol until a Juneau Police Department officer arrived to formally serve him with the notice banning him from returning, although Osuch said he planned to return for a 2 p.m. meeting scheduled with a legislator regardless of the order.

But he never got that chance, as about an hour later he was arrested on suspicion of criminal trespass after a “fight in the sky bridge of the State Office Building,” said Lt. Krag Campbell of the Juneau Police Department. The arrest occurred shortly after two officers saw him on the sidewalk in front of the Capitol.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Osuch shouted objections and pleas for his cause as police handcuffed him and led him to a patrol vehicle, using modest force as he resisted and tried to offer documents to an observing journalist.

While protests and other gatherings are frequent at the Capitol during the legislative session, police and legislative officials said disturbances resulting in bans or arrests are rare.

“The last time an individual was issued a trespass notice from the building was in 2020 and the time before that was in 2016, both for a two-year period,” Jessica Geary, executive director of the Legislative Affairs Agency, wrote in an email. “It does not happen very often, but JPD was involved in each instance.”

Osuch, while being detailed after his first disruption, told security and other people within earshot he was fired earlier that morning from his job at the Douglas Island Pink and Chum Inc.’s Macaulay Salmon Hatchery for discussing ethics because he believes the “hatcheries system is corrupt.” He staged a similar solo protest in front of the Capitol last week and at the Baranof Hotel later that day where a legislative reception was being hosted by Trident Seafoods.

He claims Alaska Natives in particular are losing salmon and other subsistence species due to commercial trawlers’ bycatch, which refers to unintentionally harvested species that cannot be sold or kept due to regulations or demand.

A weeklong meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in early April, during which hundreds of Alaskans testified, resulted in some stakeholders expressing dissatisfaction with the outcome. A press release issued last Tuesday by SalmonState, a Juneau-based nonprofit, stated the council “failed to meaningfully address the issue of the pollock trawl fleet’s bycatch of chum salmon, king salmon, herring, halibut, snow crab, Bristol Bay red king crab, and many other species.”

Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com.

Eric Osuch is searched by a Juneau Police Department officer as he arrested after causing disturbances at the Alaska State Capitol and State Office Building on Monday, April 17, 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Eric Osuch is searched by a Juneau Police Department officer as he arrested after causing disturbances at the Alaska State Capitol and State Office Building on Monday, April 17, 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

More in News

Pool manager and swim coach Will Hubler leads a treading water exercise at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Swimmers, parents call on Kenai to support Kenai Central pool

The KPBSD Board of Education last week said communities will need to step up and take over administration of pools within the next year.

Traffic passes by South Spruce Street in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai drops effort to rename South Spruce Street

The resolution would have changed the name to make it clear which road led to North Kenai Beach

Gov. Mike Dunleavy compares Alaska to Mississippi data on poverty, per-pupil education spending, and the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress fourth grade reading scores during a press conference on Jan. 31, 2025. Alaska is highlighted in yellow, while Mississippi is in red. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Dunleavy calls special session for August

Lawmakers on Wednesday said they were surprised by the move.

A makeshift coffin decrying the risks of Medicaid funding cuts is seen on Thursday, June 26, in front of the Blazy Mall in Soldotna. The cuts were included in legislation passed by the U.S. Senate early Tuesday morning. (Photo by Jonas Oyoumick/Peninsula Clarion)
Ahead of Senate vote, Soldotna protesters defend Medicaid funding

Cuts to the program were included in legislation passed by the U.S. Senate early Tuesday morning.

Board President Zen Kelly speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Peninsula Borough school board to finalize budget

The new budget designed by the committee will be considered at a public hearing during the full board meeting on Monday evening.

The Russian River Sanctuary Area is seen in the area labeled B in this map provided by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. (courtesy)
Strong sockeye run prompts early open of Russian River Sanctuary

In regulation, the confluence is expected to be open from July 15 to Aug. 20.

The Swan Lake Fire can be seen from above on Monday, Aug. 26 on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Alaska Wildland Fire Information)
Burn suspension lifted for Kenai Peninsula and Kodiak

The public is asked to remain vigilant while burning due to minimal available resources.

Commanding Officer Corey Engel, Rear Adm. Megan Dean, and former ASPEN Commanding Officer Shea Winterberger smile for a photograph during the Change of Command ceremony on Thursday, June 26, 2025, on the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)
USCG ASPEN changes command

Commanding Officer Corey Engel will be in charge of the cutter’s operations and crew.

Volunteers repair the trails at Erik Hansen Scout Park in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Volunteers revitalize Kenai scout park

Kenai’s Erik Hansen Scout Park overlooks the mouth of the Kenai River in Old Town.

Most Read