Alaska Supreme Court Confirms Limit on Kenai King Salmon Netting
| October 13, 2015
The Alaska State Supreme Court Finds That Alaska Department of Fish and Game Acted Within its Authority By Limiting Extra Fishing Time For Cook Inlet Set Netters.

Plaintiffs Ordered to Pay Part of State's Court Costs


Anchorage – In a recent decision in Cook Inlet Fisherman Fund v. State Department of Fish Game the Alaska Supreme Court rejects the Cook Inlet Fisherman Fund argument that conservation of Kenai Kings must take second place to harvest and management of Kenai sockeye. The court firmly rejected the set netters claim that an under escapement of Kenai kings is no worse than an over escapement of Kenai sockeye.
The Court also found that the Commissioner of Fish and Game has the authority to use emergency orders to manage one fishery in order to protect minimum escapement for another fishery.

Although the CIFF argued, without any specificity, that the Commissioner violated management plans, every relevant management plan contains a provision recognizing that the Commissioner's emergency authority is instrumental to effective fisheries management:
It is the intent of the board that, while in most circumstances the Department will adhere to the management plans in this chapter, no provision within a specific management plan is intended to limit the commissioner's use of emergency order authority under AS 16.05.060 to achieve established escapement goals for the management plans as the primary management objective.
Kenai River Sportfishing Association applauds the court decision as a win for the conservation of Kenai River King Salmon and for all Alaskans who rely on this fishery for their livelihood and recreation needs.

Decision available at http://caselaw.findlaw.com/ak-supreme-court/1714157.html

Kenai River Sportfishing Association (KRSA) is a charitable non-profit, membership-based educational and conservation organization of sport anglers, conservationists and others, whose primary goal is to preserve and improve salmon habitat while promoting responsible sportfishing on the Kenai River. Learn more at www.krsa.com or follow us on Facebook.
- See more at: http://www.thefishingwire.com/story/358741#sthash.3fsclNUO.dpuf

Wonder if a similar suit would work here in WA.

Good question