Kodiak crabber Lu Dochtermann said that after years of frustration and state statutes he filed a lawsuit against the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in the Superior Court of Alaska in Kodiak Feb. 12. According to him several letters has been written to everyone in power for 25 years and have tried hard to address this issue with fish board but in vain.
Dochtermann said that the last crabbing season in Kodiak was 1982 and further said that the crab stocks have shown no measurable improvements since the fishery closed. The suit states, “the Fish and Game has failed to maintain a comprehensive, coordinated state plan for the orderly present and long-range rehabilitation, enhancement, and development of all aspects of the state’s fisheries.”
The suit also states that the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has prevented the rehabilitation of Kodiak king crab by allowing bottom trawling in areas where Kodiak king crab may live, spawn or migrate.
According to Dochtermann the main purpose of the lawsuit is to force Fish and Game to come up with a comprehensive plan to revitalize crab stocks and implement the programme. The lawsuit plea the court to order Fish and Game to restrict bottom trawling in area waters where king crab may live.
