Wednesday, November 11, 2026
(https://www.nativenews.net/wednesday-november-11-2026/)
The Washington state nonprofit Wild Fish Conservancy recently issued a notice of intent to sue the Alaska Department of Fish and Game over its management of the chinook fisheries in parts of Southwest Alaska.
It is the latest action from the group, following previous lawsuits and petitions, as the Alaska Desk’s Katie Reuther (https://alaskapublic.org/people/katie-reuther-1) reports.
The nonprofit organization Wild Fish Conservancy released a letter of intent last month to sue over alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act.
The organization claims that threatened or endangered chinook, or king salmon, from the Pacific Northwest are being caught in the commercial salmon fisheries of the Alaska Peninsula and Chignik Management Areas, as well as in the commercial and sport fisheries in the Kodiak Management Area.
Emma Helverson is the Executive Director of Wild Fish Conservancy. She points to a genetic stock report from Fish and Game released earlier this year, indicating that many chinook in that region had come from rivers outside of Alaska.
“It was mostly assumed from 2012 through the present, that these were fish from Alaska. and so it’s not a small change, I mean this is a total flip to find out that most of these fish actually originate from other places.”
The notice of intent calls on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the U.S. Department of Commerce to prepare or amend fishery management plans under the Magnuson-Stevens Act for the South Alaska Peninsula management areas.
It also lays out the intent to sue both the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Department of Commerce for what the Wild Fish Conservancy says are violations of a number of federal laws including the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act. The agencies listed have 60 days to act before legal measures are taken.
Dani Evenson is the policy advisor at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. She says Fish and Game is still reviewing the notice and evaluating its response.
“So this is a wide-ranging letter. It involves three management entities, three federal laws, and then two, potentially three lawsuits and one petition. It is a lot to unpack, and it’s hard to say much at this point in time. But we’ll know more if we receive a lawsuit.”
Evenson says Fish and Game takes its management responsibilities very seriously.
“Sustainable management of our natural resources is enshrined in the state constitution, and primacy, the ability to manage our fisheries, was primary driver behind statehood.”
In 2020, the Wild Fish Conservancy sued – ultimately unsuccessfully – to shut down the Southeast Alaska king salmon troll fishery. And in 2024, it petitioned the federal government to list Gulf of Alaska chinook under the Endangered Species Act.
The National Marine Fisheries Service found that listing unwarranted earlier this year.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Stella Standingbear (@stellastandingbear) (https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dfh7fYazwh1/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading)
An Oglala Lakota hip-hop artist is bringing Indigenous music to the national basketball stage.
According to The Circle News, Stella Standingbear performed during halftime at the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Native American Heritage Night on November 4.
The performance marked her second NBA halftime appearance, following an earlier performance for the Phoenix Suns.
Standingbear says she is honored to have the support of Indian Country and hopes young Indigenous people see themselves represented in major entertainment spaces.
The two-time Native American Music Award winner recently released a five-track project called Rap Star Two.
The Thunder also hosted its seventh annual Native American Student Day, welcoming approximately 2,000 students from Oklahoma Tribal Nations.
Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter (http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?llr=6jkj7wbab&p=oi&m=1101353232701&sit=dvuinxrbb&f=88c6be1b-4f5a-478e-8aef-9374dae9d4a4) today.
Download our NV1 Android (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.publicmediaapps.nativevoice1) or iOs (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nv1/id1239288251) App for breaking news alerts.
Check out today’s Native America Calling episode
Wednesday, November 11, 2026 — Native artwork that reflects and honors military service (https://www.nativeamericacalling.com/wednesday-november-11-2026-native-artwork-that-reflects-and-honors-military-service/)
Comments
This post currently has no comments.