June 6, 2014 — A federal judge ruled to allow additional information to be filed in the lawsuit regarding federal oversight of Cook Inlet salmon management.
United Cook Inlet Drift Association and Cook Inlet Fisherman’s Fund, who brought the lawsuit forward in February 2013, want federal oversight of the State’s salmon management — and believes that is what congress has intended in its regulations of fish in federal waters.
Although the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is responsible for day-to-day management, there is a federal salmon fishery management plan for most of the state. The National Marine Fisheries Service, however, specifically excluded Cook Inlet salmon from the federal fishery management plan, or FMP, via Amendment 12.
Read the full story from the Alaska Journal of Commerce