'Win' for Southern Resident killer whales a 'major blow' to fishing industry

It’s a monumental win for orca conservation, yet a blow to men and women who rely on Chinook salmon to earn a living.

This week, U.S. District Judge Richard Jones made a ruling that would likely shut down the upcoming trolling season for Chinook salmon in Southeast Alaska.

Hundreds of fishermen, like Washington’s Paul Olson, rely on that fishery to make a living.

"It’s scary," said Olson. "I earn most of my family’s income fishing, Many of my friends and family rely on fishing. If we can’t go fishing, we’re going to have to find ways to survive another year."

While Olson may be gutted, those who have fought to rescue the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales are celebrating.

Wild Fish Conservancy, the group that brought the lawsuit, has spent years researching and fighting for this moment. Emma Helverson, executive director of Wild Fish Conservancy, noted that her organization has been working on this since she was in high school.

"It’s such a long time coming," said Helverson. "Essentially, the court’s decision is ending overharvest that’s been happening in Southeast Alaska for nearly a decade."

At issue is a previously approved decade-long plan for commercial trolling in Southeast Alaska. NOAA had admitted that the proposed harvest would harm orcas, but that it could offset losses through hatchery production – an argument deemed insufficient by a judge.

NOAA will now have to redo a biological opinion that’s required before the fishery can re-open. 

In the meantime, those who research Southern Resident killer whales are heralding this as one of the biggest actions taken to save the endangered species in recent history.

At last count, only 73 Southern Residents are alive. A recent report raised concerns even further when it found that inbreeding within the Southern Resident killer whale pods adds to their extinction threat.

Researchers have warned of issues facing the population for years, among them: vessel noise that disrupts their ability to hunt salmon, pollution that has leached into the whale’s bodies and their food, and a lack of that food. 

Since other whale populations that have different pretty have overcome similar habitat problems, the lack of food is considered the linchpin that will make or break the species.

The Wild Fish Conservancy, using data from the Pacific Salmon Commission, have argued that up to 97% of fish harvested in Alaska’s trolling fishery are not from Alaska. Many of those fish, they contend, originate in rivers up-and-down the coast – including endangered species that Washington state have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to resurrect.

"If these fish aren’t caught in Alaska, they can return to their natal rivers in British Columbia, Washington and Oregon transiting right through Southern Resident killer whale habitat in the process," said Monika Wieland Shields, the director of Orca Behavior Institute.

"This is the biggest action we’ve seen that will result in more adult fish being immediately available to these endangered whales."

Of course, the fishers themselves are frustrated because they consider themselves conservationists when it comes to the salmon they’re hunting.

Olson told FOX 13 that he never believed that the Southeast Alaska fishery would be shut down given the other stressors the Southern Residents face. 

"We’re just hoping we can go fishing," he said. "This dock is full of trollers. There’s roughly 300 to 400 trollers. When you lose access to Chinook salmon, which is 40- to 50-percent of our annual fishery income, it’s a risk to your career."

Legal challenges are already underway – both the state of Alaska and the Alaska Trollers Association are hoping they can get a "stay" that would prevent trolling during the summer and winter Chinook salmon seasons.

"When you have a single action that could stabilize the population and stop their decline toward extinction through a single action, it’s really hard to argue that shouldn’t occur," said Helverson.

Yet, even with the celebrations from those hoping to save the Southern Residents even those fighting to stop trollers from fishing in the Southeast Alaskan fishery say: this is a tough situation for those who will feel the brunt of this ruling.

"We acknowledge that the court’s decision is going to present a burden to Alaskan fishing communities," said Helverson. "We think having this decision come out as soon as possible so those communities can plan, and understand what’s happening – and hopefully, start the process to receive some emergency funding."

The Associated Press contributed to this report