Seasonal Salmon Harvests in Southeast Alaska Halted by Judge

Winter and summer harvests of salmon in commercial fisheries in southeast Alaska were halted by a federal judge who agreed with an environmental group that the closures would increase orca populations.

Judge Richard A. Jones of the US District Court for the Western District of Washington on Tueday adopted Magistrate Judge Michelle L. Peterson’s report and recommendation, which found that closing fisheries would improve the amount of salmon available to Southern Resident Killer Whales and help population stability and growth.

The Wild Fish Conservancy sued the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2020, alleging that the agency failed to comply ...