I'm not pleased with the decision by the 3-judge panel of the 9th Circuit, but I think I understand it. The economic impacts to Alaskan fisherman and communities is calculable and certain, whereas the prospective benefits to the listed orcas is speculative and not calculable. However, the salient question not addressed by the court and certainly not the fish management agencies, is that isn't it well beyond time that mixed stock ocean salmon fisheries are phased out to make a significant contribution to salmon and orca conservation goals?

Personally I think that all the conservation efforts directed toward the SRKW are too late to facilitate their recovery. The things that could have made a difference for the SRKW were decided decades ago. So now we find ourselves in the, "But we have to do something!" situation to comply with the ESA and mainly to make ourselves feel better about their eventual extinction.