AK SJR22

Alaska Legislature requests that the United Cook Inlet Drift Association and Herbert T. Jensen withdraw lawsuits seeking federal preemption of Alaska's salmon management in Cook Inlet state waters.

The lawsuits claim that nonresident commercial fishermen are discriminated against because they cannot participate in resident-only dip net fisheries and seek to declare these fisheries unconstitutional.

Legislature requests Governor Sean Parnell direct the Attorney General to oppose the lawsuits, asserting that state waters are explicitly excluded from federal jurisdiction under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

Resident-only dip net fisheries in Kenai, Kasilof, and Chitina provided an average of 14 fish per household, with the state issuing between 8,000 and 23,700 permits annually during 2006-2008.

Resolution asserts that Alaska's Constitution requires natural resources to benefit all Alaskans, not just a limited number of commercial fishermen.