Cook Inlet notes

Here are a couple of items concerning salmon management in the Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone.

• Anchorage federal Judge Sharon Gleason has dismissed a driftnetter lawsuit challenging the 2024 federal takeover of salmon fisheries in the EEZ. Here's the judge's 32-page decision and order.

• Eugenio Piñeiro-Soler, head of the National Marine Fisheries Service, is chiding the North Pacific Fishery Management Council for advising it doesn't intend to recommend catch limits for the 2026 Cook Inlet EEZ salmon fishery.

Cook Inlet court battle

For those interested in following the never-ending legal conflict over Cook Inlet salmon management, here's a litigation update provided to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

More legal conflict in Cook Inlet

For over a decade, Cook Inlet salmon management has been enmeshed in legal battles.

Now, predictably, another lawsuit has been filed as the federal government takes over salmon management in the inlet's federal waters.

Here's the 35-page suit: United Cook Inlet Drift Association v. National Marine Fisheries Service.

The Cook Inlet conundrum

The National Marine Fisheries Service is moving to establish federal management of salmon fisheries in the federal waters of Upper Cook Inlet.

This is the latest twist in a long and contorted legal battle over Cook Inlet salmon management.

Cook Inlet reopening

In a huge ruling issued today, a judge has vacated Amendment 14, which closed the federal waters of Cook Inlet to commercial salmon fishing.

Court battle over Cook Inlet salmon continues

Two interesting documents were filed yesterday in federal court in Alaska.

UCIDA motion to vacate Amendment 12

Declaration of Erik Huebsch

For background, here's a news item from the November 2016 issue of Pacific Fishing magazine:

Cook Inlet salmon ruling

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Sept. 21 ruled in favor of United Cook Inlet Drift Association (UCIDA) and Cook Inlet Fishermen’s Fund in a case concerning Cook Inlet salmon management.

The two groups sued the federal government in 2013 and appealed after a loss in the district court.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has jurisdiction over the federal waters of Cook Inlet, the 9th Circuit opinion said.

In 2010, the council began a comprehensive review of the salmon fishery management plan (FMP), and the next year voted unanimously to remove Cook Inlet from the salmon FMP. The government argued in court that the removal amounted to delegation of Cook Inlet to the state of Alaska, which had long managed the inlet’s salmon fisheries.

UCIDA and its co-plaintiff opposed implementation of the council’s action. They have problems with the state’s management of Cook Inlet salmon, saying commercial sockeye catches have suffered over the years.

The 9th Circuit remanded the case to the district court.

Battle for Cook Inlet salmon goes to court

United Cook Inlet Drift Association has filed a lawsuit over a recent amendment to the federal fishery management plan for salmon off Alaska.

UCIDA, which represents commercial drift gillnet fishermen, is upset that certain areas, including the federal waters of Cook Inlet, were excluded from the FMP with Amendment 12.

The way UCIDA sees it, the state has done a poor job of managing the Cook Inlet salmon fisheries, and now the feds have formally abandoned salmon oversight.

Cook Inlet, of course, is the most contentious of Alaska's fishing grounds due to the bitter rivalry between the commercial and sportfishing sectors.

The suit, filed in the federal court in Washington, D.C., names the National Marine Fisheries Service and top Commerce Department officials as defendants.

Lance Nelson, an Alaska assistant attorney general, tells Deckboss the state will move to intervene in the suit to defend Amendment 12.

Cook Inlet commercial salmon industry scores huge victory as judge grants restraining order

The 12-page ruling says the Alaska Board of Fisheries lacked an "emergency" basis to enact late-minute regulations that drift gillnetters said could have cut their catch by up to half this season.

It's a defeat for the state as well as the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, which jumped into the case as an intervenor.

Lawsuit challenges Cook Inlet 'emergency' regs

Here's that Cook Inlet lawsuit.

This is the gist of the 16-page suit, as stated in the introduction:

Plaintiff seeks declaratory judgment with respect to "emergency" regulations issued by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (the "Department") and the Alaska Board of Fisheries (the "Board") restricting commercial salmon fishing in Cook Inlet. These regulations will affect at least half of the regular fishing periods during the most important commercial salmon fishing window this summer by placing significant restrictions on those days. These emergency regulations were issued without public comment or due process on June 30, 2011, well after the 2011 fishing season started, and will have an immediate impact on commercial fishing beginning July 9, 2011.

Lawsuit filed today against Board of Fisheries

A commercial fishing group today sued the state, but Deckboss hasn't yet seen the lawsuit and can't say for sure what it's about.

The "complaint for injunctive relief" was filed in Superior Court in Anchorage. A motion for a temporary restraining order also was filed.

The plaintiffs are listed as Stephen Vanek, Erik Huebsch, Ian Pitzman, United Cook Inlet Drift Association and Copper River Seafoods Inc.

Listed defendants include the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the state Board of Fisheries.

My presumption is the plaintiffs are suing because they're unhappy with the state's treatment of the commercial salmon sector in Cook Inlet.

As we all know, Cook Inlet long has been a battleground pitting commercial, sport, dipnet and subsistence users.