News Summary November 30, 2020
Today's Top Story: Cook Inlet Fishermen, Communities Call New Alternative Salmon Plan “Appalling”, “Ludicrous”
Cook Inlet salmon management is tough enough, with several user groups lobbying for a bigger piece of the annual pie, but added to the challenge is its location. Cook Inlet is at the center of the state’s largest population density and, unlike other salmon areas in Alaska, accessible by road for more than 60% of Alaska’s population. The area has been ground zero for the ‘recreational vs commercial’ battle for generations. Now, a successful 2013 lawsuit brought by United Cook Inlet Drift Association (UCIDA) against the National Marine Fisheries Service, challenging a decision by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to remove federal waters in Cook Inlet from the scope of the federal salmon fishery management plan, has finally reached decision time by that Council. While the lawsuit sought federal management standards to be used by state salmon managers, a recently added option before the Council calls for the closure of all commercial fishing in a part of Cook Inlet...
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