Alaska salmon restrictions face new legal challenge
Subsistence advocates consider lawsuit after attorney general overturns Board of Fisheries action
Subsistence fishing advocates are considering legal action after Alaska Acting Attorney General Cori Mills invalidated restrictions adopted by the Alaska Board of Fisheries to reduce commercial salmon harvests in the Aleutian Islands. According to reporting from the Northern Journal, the regulations would have shortened fishing time, reduced harvest opportunities and expanded restrictions in an effort to protect salmon bound for Western Alaska spawning streams.
The restrictions were approved by the Board of Fisheries in February after years of advocacy from subsistence fishermen and tribal leaders concerned about declining salmon runs. Mills rejected most of the measures on May 19, ruling that the board's vote was improper following ethics complaints involving several board members. According to the Northern Journal reporting, the Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association is considering an appeal to the Alaska Supreme Court and a separate lawsuit to restore the regulations.
- 1.Olivia Ebertz. Northern Journal, .
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