Ruling clouds future of Southeast Alaska king salmon fishery

SEATTLE, Washington (AP) - A federal court ruling this week has thrown into doubt the future of a valuable commercial salmon fishery in Southeast Alaska.

The U.S. District Judge Richard Jones in Seattle sided with the nonprofit Wild Fish Conservancy in determining that the National Marine Fisheries Service improperly approved the troll fishery for king salmon, also known as Chinook, in 2019.

The court said the agency failed to fully weigh the fishery’s effect on the endangered killer whales that depend on Chinook for food.

The conservation group said the decision is a “bombshell,” while the Alaska Trollers Association said it would “fight to preserve our fishery and our way of life.”

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