9th Circuit Lifts Closure of Southeast Alaska King Salmon Troll Fishery
August 23, 2024 | 1 min to read
A 2023 court ruling that mandated the closure of commercial trolling for king salmon in Southeast Alaska has been lifted by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The panel partially reversed the lower court decision linked to a lawsuit from a Washington conservation group aimed at protecting an endangered population of killer whales. The judges expressed concern for the economic impact on Southeast communities if the fishery were shut down.
A controversial 2023 court ruling ordering the closure of commercial trolling for king salmon, or chinook, in Southeast Alaska has been lifted.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals partially reversed a lower court ruling stemming from a lawsuit brought by a Washington state conservation group hoping to protect an endangered population of killer whales. A three-judge panel decided that shutting down the fishery is the wrong prescription for the whales’ survival.
When judges Mark Bennett, Anthony Johnstone, and Milan Smith Jr. heard oral arguments for the case on July 18, they expressed sympathy for the Southeast communities that would suffer severe economic consequences from losing the fishery.
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