The Wild Fish Conservancy has notified state and federal fisheries officials of its intent to sue over salmon management in Kodiak, Chignik, and Alaska Peninsula waters, alleging that commercial and sport fisheries are harming protected Chinook salmon populations.
The Washington-based conservation group sent an Oct. 28 notice to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and NOAA Fisheries, arguing that Alaska fisheries harvest Chinook salmon originating from threatened and endangered populations in the Pacific Northwest without sufficient federal oversight under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), according to the Kodiak Daily Mirror, in a story distributed by The Associated Press.
The group cited ADF&G genetic research showing that 86.4 percent of Chinook salmon caught in South Alaska Peninsula commercial fisheries in 2024 originated outside Alaska, increasing to 88.4 percent in 2025.
Wild Fish Conservancy argues that Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections should extend to listed salmon populations throughout their migratory range, including Alaska waters where the fish are harvested before returning to their spawning rivers.
The group also pointed to research indicating that more than 80 percent of Chinook harvested in Kodiak commercial and marine sport fisheries originated in British Columbia and the U.S. West Coast, while less than 5 percent came from Kodiak's native Chinook runs.
In addition to its proposed legal action against ADF&G, the organization intends to sue NOAA Fisheries over alleged violations of the ESA, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and National Environmental Policy Act. It also plans to petition the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to revise salmon management plans for federal waters near Kodiak and the Alaska Peninsula.
Alaska fisheries officials have pushed back against the allegations, comparing the threatened litigation to Wild Fish Conservancy's previous legal challenge involving Southeast Alaska's commercial troll fishery.
ADF&G Commissioner Douglas Vincent-Lang said the state would defend its salmon management practices. "Sustainable management of our fisheries is the bedrock concept of our salmon management program," Vincent-Lang said. "We do not take such unfounded allegations lightly. As we did with the previous unjustified actions by this group, we will defend Alaska's fisheries."
ADF&G Policy Advisor Dani Evenson described the notice as wide-ranging, involving salmon stocks from the Yukon to Oregon, multiple management agencies and three federal laws.
Wild Fish Conservancy executive director Emma Helverson maintained that Alaska's harvest of migrating Chinook could undermine billions of dollars invested in salmon recovery efforts in the Columbia River Basin. The organization has issued a notice of intent to sue, but the threatened litigation has not yet been filed, according to AP News.
