Judge to Adak Seafood: You gotta pay rent

Loyal Deckboss readers know we've followed fairly closely the feisty lease dispute between Adak Seafood and its landlord, Aleut Enterprise.

To review, Aleut is suing in federal court to evict the processor from the fish plant on distant Adak Island. Aleut has its reasons, the nature of which you may glean from a search of past Adak posts.

Anyway, the two sides have been wrangling in court recently over the terms of an interim arrangement allowing Adak Seafood to stay in the plant while the litigation runs its course.

We now have those terms, as spelled out in this 13-page order from U.S. District Judge Ralph Beistline of Anchorage. The order establishes "conditions of occupancy."

Chiefly, the judge said Adak Seafood will actually have to pay rent, something it sought to avoid. And it must settle up any rent past due.

Further, the judge refused to order Aleut's subsidiary, Adak Petroleum, to sell diesel to the processor, which contends lack of fuel is strangling the business.

So there we have it.

Now let's see whether Adak's only fish plant operates during the mainstay winter cod season.