Alaska appeals Kuskokwim River fisheries lawsuit that pitted AFN against state officials
Apr 18, 2024 | 1:30 pm ET
Description
The Kuskokwim River is seen in this image captured by scientists working on NASA's Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment, or ABoVE, which measured the elevation of rivers and lakes in Alaska and Canada to study how thawing permafrost affects hydrology. (Photo by Peter Griffith/NASA)
The state of Alaska is appealing its defeat in a lawsuit brought by the federal government over control of salmon fisheries on the Kuskokwim River in Southwest Alaska.
In a notice published Tuesday with the U.S. District Court for Alaska, the Alaska Department of Law said it was appealing Judge Sharon Gleason’s decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The court’s preliminary briefing schedule calls for written arguments to be submitted by July 26, making a decision unlikely in time for this summer’s fishing season.
The federal government sued the state in 2022 after the Alaska Department of Fish and Game periodically opened the Kuskokwim river to fishing by all state residents despite federal orders that limited fishing access amid low returns.
The federal government’s suit was backed by the Alaska Federation of Natives and several regional tribal organizations.
Juneau
