July 5, 2022 โ Cook Inlet drift fishermen can fish the federal waters of the inlet this summer after all.
Thatโs after a district court judge shot down a federal rule that would have closed a large part of the inlet to commercial salmon fishing. Fishermen said it would have been a death knell for the fishery, which has 500 drift permit-holders.
One of those permit-holders is Erik Huebsch, of Kasilof. Heโs vice president of the United Cook Inlet Drift Association, which filed the suit. And he said heโs pleased.
โOpening the EEZ is vital to the fleet,โ Huebsch said. โWithout opening the EEZ, the drift fishery is really not viable. Thatโs where we go to catch fish.โ
The EEZ is the inletโs exclusive economic zone. And itโs the federal waters that start three nautical miles offshore, south of Kalgin Island.