Court rejects Unkechaug Nation’s eel fishing challenge

January 30, 2025

The Second Circuit has upheld a ruling against the Unkechaug Indian Nation’s challenge to New York’s fishing regulations, finding that a 1676 agreement does not preempt state law. The tribe argued that the colonial-era order protected its right to harvest American glass eels, but the court ruled it is not a federal treaty. The decision affirms the state’s authority to regulate fishing in its waters.

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