What researchers learned studying PNW orcas hunting for salmon
Seattle Times by Isabella Breda – March 13, 2023
In a first-of-its-kind study of the hunting behaviors of salmon-eating orcas, researchers found stark differences in two populations of killer whales that may have implications for their survival.
Press Release: Alaska Delegation Urges Court To Drop Deceptive Lawsuit Threatening Southeast Alaska Troll Fishermen
Sullivan.senate.gov – March 9, 2023
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (both R-Alaska), and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska), filed an amicus brief with the U.S. District Court in Seattle, Washington this week supporting Southeast Alaska troll fishermen in a case that threatens to shut down their small boat troll fishery on the pretense that their salmon harvest is a primary contributor to the population decline of Southern resident killer whales hundreds of miles away in Puget Sound. The lawsuit does not consider the potential impacts of similar fisheries in Oregon and Washington.
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/alaska-delegation-urges-court-to-drop-deceptive-lawsuit-threatening-southeast-alaska-troll-fishermen
Southeast Alaska troll fishery has deep local ties
Salish-Current.org by Peter Granger and Norman Pillen – March 7, 2023
The essays, analyses and opinions presented as Community Voices express the perspectives of their authors on topics of interest and importance to the community, and are not intended to reflect perspectives on behalf of the Salish Current.
While Alaska might be more than 1,000 miles away, Washington shares a lot more with the 49th State than most people realize. This is especially true in the fishing industry, where the relationship between Washington and Alaska runs deep and ripples throughout Washington’s economy and communities.
https://salish-current.org/2023/03/07/southeast-alaska-troll-fishery-has-deep-local-ties/
Southeast trollers appreciate support amid ‘misguided’ lawsuit
Alaska will not stand by quietly as WFC tries to wipe Alaska’s fishing families off the map.
Juneau Empire by Casey Mapes – March 7, 2023
As spring approaches, thousands of Alaskan fishing families don’t yet know if they will be allowed to fish for the prized Chinook salmon this year. For full-time commercial fishermen like myself who rely on Chinook as a primary source of income, not being allowed to troll this year would be devastating to my family and Southeast’s rural communities. That’s why Southeast’s trollers are so appreciative of the dozens of communities (most recently Juneau), associations, and businesses that have stepped up with letters of support, resolutions, and donations as Alaska’s trollers fight to save Southeast’s troll fishery from the Seattle-based Wild Fish Conservancy’s misguided lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service. If the Wild Fish Conservancy gets their way with the courts, then Alaska’s winter and summer Chinook troll fishery will be shut down and Puget Sound’s orcas and Chinook will continue to suffer from habitat loss, toxic pollution and urbanization in the Pacific Northwest.
https://www.juneauempire.com/opinion/southeast-trollers-appreciate-support-amid-misguided-lawsuit/
