North Pacific Fishery Management Plans Draw Environmental Suit

New amendments to five fishery management plans approved by the government last month won’t do enough to protect essential fish habitats in the North Pacific, a suit brought by an environmental group claimed.

The National Marine Fisheries Service underrepresented how fishing nets towed in the Gulf of Alaska, in the Bering Sea, and around the Aleutian Islands can destroy marine ecosystems when it approved the amendments, Oceana Inc. told the US District Court for the District of Alaska in a complaint filed Aug. 16.

The group claimed the service relied on outdated environmental impact data in its filings and didn’t ...