Over a year after a Washington state-based conservation group filed suit in federal court to halt commercial fishing for king salmon in Alaska, the State of Alaska has decided to intervene in the case.
In March, a judge in the US District Court of Western Washington ruled that the Alaska Department of Fish and Game had standing in a lawsuit brought by the Wild Fish Conservancy against the National Marine Fisheries Service. The suit is intended to protect an endangered population of killer whales in Puget Sound.
he news that the State of Alaska has thrown its weight behind the defense in the lawsuit comes as a relief to Amy Daugherty, executive director of the Alaska Trollers Association.
“It’s just great to have them on our team,” said Daugherty.
Trolling is one of the most lucrative fisheries in Southeast Alaska, and king salmon are trolling’s most valuable product. The suit brought by the Duvall, Washington-based Wild Fish Conservancy — if it succeeds — would be a serious blow to the salmon industry in the region which, among all species, produces $800 million in total output, and supports over 6,000 jobs, according to the Alaska Department of Fish & Game.
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