April 11, 2023 — The Association of Village Council Presidents and the Tanana Chiefs Conference have filed a lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service in U.S. District Court to protect subsistence fishing rights.
The two organizations represent nearly a hundred tribes in Alaska, and are suing the federal government in order to protect their rights to subsistence fishing. The nonprofit EarthJustice is representing the Tribal organizations.
“It’s challenging the National Marine Fisheries Service’s recent decision adopting the catch limits for the Bering Sea groundfish fisheries,” EarthJustice senior attorney Kate Glover said.
The lawsuit alleges that NOAA fisheries have been using outdated environmental studies when setting groundfish catch limits for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands.