The U.S. District Court for Alaska has dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Groundfish Forum – a trade group representing trawl catcher-processors in Alaska – alleging a North Pacific Fishery Management Council rule limiting the sector’s halibut bycatch was unfair.
Finalized in 2023, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Amendment 123 tied the sector’s annual catch limit for halibut bycatch to the most recent halibut abundance figures. The rule could lower the catch limit by up to 35 percent if the abundance level is too low. Amendment 123 went into effect 1 January 2024.
The Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.-based Groundfish Forum, which represents the five companies comprising the Amendment 80 trawl sector, claimed the new rule was unfair and would cost the Amendment 80 sector fleet USD 100 million (EUR 91 million) annually.
In a 8 November opinion, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed the Groundfish Forum’s lawsuit, ruling in favor of NOAA Fisheries.
In its lawsuit, the Groundfish Forum claimed that ...
