Voters won't get to weigh in on whether Alaska should ban setnets in urban parts of Alaska, under a state supreme court ruling.
In a Dec. 31 opinion, the Alaska Supreme Court rejected the ballot initiative that would have banned setnets in urban, non-subsistence areas. It primarily target Cook Inlet, and would not have affected Bristol Bay setnets.
The Alaska Fisheries Conservation Alliance proposed the ban in 2013. The ballot initiative was struck down by then-Lt. Gov Mead Treadwell, but a state superior court judge had ruled that it should be allowed to move forward after all.
But the state Supreme Court wrote Dec. 31 that the initiative would be an unconstitutional give-away of salmon, and limit the state Legislature and Board of Fisheries' ability to make allocative decisions.
That's the position the State had taken previously.
In a statement, proponents of the ban said they would consider looking for a federal mechanism to ban the nets.