Court Rules that Federal Fishery Managers Can Continue to Rely on Outdated Study to Manage the Trawling Industry
Anchorage, Alaska — Alaska tribal organizations express disappointment over the ruling, which allows fisheries managers to use older studies resulting in poor fisheries decisions favoring commercial trawling over subsistence harvests.
A U.S. District Court Judge in Alaska ruled Tuesday that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) can continue to rely on nearly 20-year-old environmental studies to inform federal management of the massive pollock trawling industry in the Bering Sea and Aleutians Islands.
In her ruling, Judge Sharon Gleason sided with federal fisheries managers in finding that a new environmental study was not necessary to inform annual catch limits for the federal groundfish fisheries. The annual decisions rely on studies from 2007 and 2004.
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About:
Association of Village Council Presidents: Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) is a regional non-profit tribal consortium comprising 56 federally recognized tribes of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. AVCP’s region is approximately 55,000 square miles, with a population of 27,000 residing in 48 communities along the Yukon River, Kuskokwim River, and Bering Sea coast. The residents of the region are primarily Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Athabascan. AVCP is dedicated to supporting the interests of its member tribes, including through community development, education, social services, culturally relevant programs, and advocacy. AVCP promotes self-determination and protection and enhancement of cultural and traditional values. As part of its mission, AVCP has long been committed to advocating for the protection of the Bering Sea and its resources.
