I’m not sure there are any ‘low level’ Federal judges. There are district court judges, circuit court judges, and Supreme Court judges. There are no differences, except where and how, they decide cases.

In late September, NMFS got an adverse ruling at the District Court in Seattle regarding Southern Resident Killer whales.

https://wildfishconservancy.org/summary-judgement-in-se-ak-lawsuit/at_download/file

An appeal to the 9th Circuit Court is possible but appealing a District Court ruling is made by DoJ (in DC), by the Solicitor General. The Solicitor General is considered the second most important position in DoJ, right behind the Attorney General (Merrick Garland). So the decision to file an appeal, or not, is made at a level far higher than NMFS.

My point is that this ruling is a really big deal, especially for those of us who live in the PNW. If NMFS has to provide better protection for Chinook, that is something most of us on this BB have been requesting for years. I hope the Solicitor General decides against an appeal.

Also, I believe the State of Alaska has already restricted visitation to remote villages in Alaska due to COVID. I’m not sure how restrictive, or how that is enforced, but the history of pandemics and Native Alaskans is tragic. So if visitation is limited, the lack of food (salmon) in remote areas is another justification for the restrictions.