Bits of news from Alaska

Saw a news release that a Federal judge (low level) had found that management in AK of Chinook, primarily I would guess the troll fisheries, violate ESA. Apparently even NOAA admits that the management they approved starve the SRKWs, they don't change management. Maybe this will force a change.

In another article it was pointed out that ADFG closed the Yukon to all salmon fishing, which includes subsistence. As with the whales, it is quite possible that people will starve due to lack of access to food. On the other hand, AK could prohibit tourists from visiting remote areas, or at least not approaching areas where subsistence consumers live, require planes to avoid such areas (to keep them quiet), and so on. They have a lot of very successful tools that have been used down here to recover the whales.

OK, that gave me a chuckle. Those measures are sure to mitigate starvation.

They must. Why else would everybody buy into them down here? Except maybe to look like you're doing something but keep on fishing.

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.