With a blitz of semi-automatic rifle fire, a Craig man and an accomplice slaughtered sea otters by the dozens as part of a plan to sell the hides to an overseas distributor for a premium price, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

A two-year investigation into the methodically planned but indiscriminate killing of the animals in Southeast Alaska came to an end this week when Christopher R. Rowland, 41, was sentenced to just over three years in prison. Prosecutors say Rowland, a commercial fisherman, planned to sell between 40 and 50 hides each month to a broker in Korea for about $1,000 apiece.

"He was a pretty big player in Southeast," said Stan Pruszenski, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent in charge of law enforcement in Alaska. "He did have some contacts overseas and was trying to set up his business. Fortunately, I think, for us and for the sea otters, we were able to get involved with Rowland soon enough that he wasn't able to fulfill his dream, so to speak."

Rowland's lawyer, however, suggested her client was lured into the scheme by undercover agents who befriended him over time and supplied him with booze.

According to a plea deal reached in December, Rowland, who is not Alaska Native and cannot legally hunt sea otters, supplied an unnamed Native accomplice with marijuana and was invited onto the person's boat in early 2007.

The pair then launched a 10-day offensive off the north end of Prince of Wales Island, using a smaller skiff to close in with an AR-15 rifle, the document says.

"One technique used was to use the skiff to rush the sea otters and shoot them in the head," the plea deal documents say. "Using this method, they were able to take about five sea otters before the pod of sea otters would dive under water. (They) would anticipate where the pod would come up and chase the sea otters and shoot them in the head when the sea otters surfaced for air."

The pair hand-plucked 56 floating carcasses from the water, with other dead otters likely sinking to the bottom and injured animals fleeing with fatal injuries, the document says. Federal agents moved in after a concerned citizen reported the kills.

One day in May 2007, two agents showed up in Craig pretending to be adventurers and befriending Rowland, according to documents filed by Rowland's attorney, Sue Ellen Tatter. Rowland, who was "fairly gullible and friendly," talked with the officers frequently and freely offered them information, many times while drinking, she wrote.

That same month, Rowland and an accomplice -- unnamed in court files, as are the others -- sold an otter hide to an undercover agent for $400, the plea deal documents say.

Weeks later, Rowland, having killed five more otters with a .22-caliber rifle on an outing with yet another person, sold two hides and a skull to an agent for $650, then mailed the parts to waiting agents in Minnesota.

In December 2007, Rowland, this time working with a fourth individual, sold three hides and two skulls to an agent, again sending the parts to a Minnesota address.

The Fish and Wildlife Service documented about 75 sea otters killed and six sea otter pelts along with a few skulls illegally sold. Two of the illegally killed animals were spring-born pups, described by Rowland as "micro-babies," special assistant U.S. attorney John Reardon said.

Rowland learned from biologist maps and population studies where to scout for otters and also tried to avoid detection by calling wildlife officials anonymously and going online to learn the law, he said.

"He certainly did his research in contacting all these agencies," Reardon said. "He certainly knew the regulations and he knew some of the techniques that could be used to try to avoid getting caught."

Rowland was arrested in October. In December he pleaded guilty to four counts of violating the Lacey and Marine Mammal Protection acts.

According to the prosecution's sentencing report, Rowland is a two-time felon whose criminal record "establishes a continued pattern" of drug possession, alcohol abuse, wildlife infractions and harassment.

Tatter said Rowland agreed to the plea deal to take off the table a possible felon in possession of a firearm charge, which could draw significant time in prison. But the defense still had a number of concerns about the investigation.

"He believes that we had substantial issues in the Lacey Act otter case, such as entrapment," Tatter said. "The agents provided liquor to my client, who had a drinking problem. There were issues like that. They pretended to be his friend and they got him to do a number of things as his friend, over a long period of time."

Under the agreement, Rowland was sentenced Monday to 37 months in prison and fined $5,000. The others involved remain under investigation.