July 1, 2023 — Federal judges in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals laid to rest threats of closing this year’s Southeast salmon troll fishery – at least for now.
As the final days of June ticked toward the traditional July 1 opening for Pacific Salmon Treaty chinook salmon many in the fleet didn’t know whether to ready their boats for the season or start beating the streets for alternative work. The decision breathes new hope for a fleet that feared that politics rather than sound scientific studies dictate the future of their fishery.
“We’re very relieved that the Ninth Circuit honored our request for a stay,” says Amy Daugherty, executive director of Alaska Trollers Association in Juneau. “Not only has it kept the fishermen from going crazy at the docks if they had been tied up for the season, but they now are starting to believe in the judicial system.”