{"id":8018,"date":"2015-02-02T19:15:05","date_gmt":"2015-02-03T04:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aksalmonalliance.org\/staging1\/?p=8018"},"modified":"2015-02-02T19:15:05","modified_gmt":"2015-02-03T04:15:05","slug":"explaining-ucidas-role-in-cook-inlet-salmon-management-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aksalmonalliance.org\/staging1\/2015\/02\/02\/explaining-ucidas-role-in-cook-inlet-salmon-management-lawsuit\/","title":{"rendered":"Explaining UCIDA’s role in Cook Inlet salmon management lawsuit"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Alaska Dispatch News<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

David Martin<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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February 1, 2015<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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OPINION: There have been numerous misstatements made about a lawsuit challenging a decision by the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council that affects Cook Inlet salmon management. Pictured: A drift gillnetter fishes for sockeye salmon on July 23, 2005, in the Cook Inlet with the 11,070-foot Mount Spurr towering above in the distance. <\/span> <\/span> Daryl Pederson<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In January 2013, the United Cook Inlet Drift Association filed a lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Secretary of Commerce challenging the approval of 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. This case is pending before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, as case number 14-35928, and is under assessment by the mediation program for settlement potential.<\/p>\n

There have been numerous misstatements made about this case, including statements by some Alaska legislators and in an op-ed piece by Karl Johnstone<\/a> (recently removed as Board of Fisheries chairman) as to the intent of this case. We hope that this brief statement provides clarification on the nature of this litigation.<\/p>\n

UCIDA does not want federal management of the Cook Inlet fishery. We want the council, in conjunction with the state and stakeholder groups, to write a Fisheries Management Plan for Cook Inlet that complies with the 10 National Standards in the Magnuson-Stevens Act, then delegate authority to the state to manage the fishery. This process is used in Southeast Alaska for salmon management and in other fisheries across the state, Bering Sea crab, for example. We are not asking for anything out of the ordinary, we are only asking that the state be held to the same management standards in Cook Inlet that it has to follow in other areas.<\/p>\n

The plaintiffs in this case are UCIDA and the Cook Inlet Fishermen\u2019s Fund. The suit was filed against the secretary of Commerce and the National Marine Fisheries Service. The state of Alaska was not sued. The state of Alaska decided to intervene in support of the NMFS and participate as an intervenor-defendant.<\/p>\n

UCIDA\u2019s principal concern is the long-term health of the salmon fisheries in Cook Inlet and the ability to maintain a viable commercial fishery in the Inlet for generations to come. The MSA is our national charter and model for sound, science-based management of commercial fisheries. The MSA includes 10 national standards and requires the development of an FMP based on the best science available to ensure that fisheries are sustainably managed and managed to ensure the maximum sustainable yield from that fishery. The MSA expressly allows these plans to incorporate state management measures and allows NMFS to delegate management of the fishery to a state.<\/p>\n

Due to copyright law, the Alaska Salmon Alliance cannot repost full articles. You can read the whole article\u00a0 here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Because the Alaska Salmon Alliance wish to provide a wide breadth of information, we sometimes provide links and documents that may conflict or present only one perspective on an issue.\u00a0 Because of that, we feel it is important to note that none of the content provided on our website necessarily represents the views or opinions of the Alaska Salmon Alliance, excepting, of course, those articles authored by us.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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