Haines trollers and a tender operator involved in the Southeast Alaska troll fishery are expressing frustration after a federal judge issued an order last week that could close the fishery.
The lawsuit, filed by the Washington state based Wild Fish Conservancy, seeks to protect endangered orcas off the coast of the Lower 48 and British Columbia — whales that feed on some of the same salmon harvested by Southeast Alaska troll fishermen.
Lindsay Johnson said since the news of the order arrived, she’s held off hiring a deckhand and investing in her vessel.
“I don’t want to hire someone then tell them they don’t have a job,” Johnson said. “I put the brakes on buying a bigger boat because I didn’t know what was going to happen, if I’d be able to pay for that or make it worth it. We’re all just kind of treading water seeing what’s going to happen next.”
Tender operator Brent Crowe said while he doesn’t believe the decision will stand, the uncertainty over the fishery is “casting a big shadow” on the upcoming season for all involved. Crowe sells troll-caught fish to Alaska Glacier Seafoods.
“I’ve definitely been not doing things I’d like to do on my boat. I need a new generator,” Crowe said. “I’ve delayed shipyard for a year. I’m not going to spend money on shipyard because I’m not sure I’m going to get my money back this year.”
Troller Ian Seward criticized Wild Fish Conservancy for targeting what he said is one of the most sustainable fisheries in Alaska.
“I feel like we are the low hanging fruit. We’re a bunch of individualists out here, barely organized at all,” Seward said. “The real threats are beyond their immediate control; pollution and noise from large vessels screwing up (the whales’) echolocation. What looks like a victory to their funders and donors, it’s really no victory at all.”
Crowe said the action will only serve to harm the broader, long-term goals of sustainability.
“I think it’s really unfortunate and it’s going to set sustainability into a tailspin,” Crowe said. “It’s going to leave a bad taste in people’s mouths, especially the fishermen who don’t have the same sustainability in mind. The old school guys, it’s putting a notch in their belt about how terrible the environmental organizations can be and how ridiculous they can be.”
The ruling wasn’t final until Tuesday, May 2 when a Seattle-based federal district judge, Richard Jones, issued a two-page order upholding the magistrate’s recommendation.
The Alaska Trollers Association and the State of Alaska appealed the decision. It’s unclear when the appeal will be heard. The state and the troller’s association asked the district court on May 8 for a stay on the fishery closure while the appeals process plays out and asked that the judge make a ruling on that request no later than May 26. The troll fishery opens July 1.
Last week’s order from Jones does not explicitly call for the closing of the summer chinook fishery. Instead, it vacated a key federal authorization that allowed the state of Alaska to open the fishery without violating the Endangered Species Act.
Board members of the trollers’ association in the lawsuit said their interpretation of Jones’ ruling is that it would cancel the summer troll chinook harvest, which can generate as much as 40% of some trollers’ annual income. The summer troll fishery runs from July through September.
But one key question is how Jones’ decision will affect trollers’ harvest of coho and chum salmon, which makes up the rest of their catch. Tuesday’s order did not specifically address cohos and chums, but some fishermen feared it could have the effect of closing those harvests, too, because trollers could still accidentally hook chinook while fishing for the other species.
Trollers typically fish alone or with a single deckhand on their small boats, and most live in communities across Southeast Alaska. Their harvests also help sustain processing plants and processing jobs around the region.
Unlike net fishermen, trollers catch salmon one at a time, on individual hooks. Careful treatment and icing keeps fish fresh and allows troll-caught salmon to sell at a higher market price: Filets are shipped around the country and can fetch $40 a pound at high-end grocery stores.
Numerous local governments and industry players throughout the region contributed to a legal fund defending the fishery against the lawsuit. And Alaska’s entire Congressional delegation, GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the state Legislature all weighed in on the trollers’ behalf.
“We will vigorously defend our fisheries from this unjustified ruling,” Alaska Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang said in a text message last week.
—Max Graham and Nat Herz contributed to this reporting.