An escalating legal battle

In April, we reported how two prominent Alaska tribal organizations had gone to court to challenge the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands groundfish fisheries. They raise concerns about trawl bycatch of salmon amid ecosystem change.

Since the lawsuit was filed, the case has expanded with new parties jumping in.

The two main Bering Sea trawling organizations, the At-sea Processors Association and United Catcher Boats, have intervened on the side of the defendant, the National Marine Fisheries Service, which manages the groundfish fisheries.

And this past week, five environmental and tribal organizations moved to file an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs. The group includes the Ocean Conservancy, SalmonState, Native Peoples Action, Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, and the Alaska Marine Conservation Council.

We probably can expected quite a legal battle here, as this case would appear to represent a very serious challenge to Alaska's trawl industry.