Charges dropped against Marshall protest fisherman

Published on October 29th, 2009

By ALEX DEMARBAN

The lone Yukon River protestor ticketed for fishing illegally this summer in an act of civil disobedience won't have to pay a thing.

The citation issued against Jason Isaac will be dismissed, according to a letter from U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler to Jason Isaac.

"This is to confirm the phone conversation we had today that the United States will be dismissing this violation notice ... when it comes up for arraingment before the court," reads the Oct. 21 letter.

The Ohogamuit Traditional Council in the village issued a written statement on Thursday, Oct. 29, announcing the dismissal.

A federal wildlife protection officer gave Isaac a $275 citation in late September for fishing during a closed period.

The tribal government had passed a resolution supporting the protest and worked with attorneys to have the ticket dismissed.

Isaac, a police officer in Marshall, a Western Alaska village of 400, was one of more than a dozen fishermen involved in the June 26 protest. Several protestors told journalists that more than a dozen people in six boats caught 100 king salmon during a closed period. They said they were protesting strict limits on subsistence fishing.

They blamed the faltering king salmon runs in recent years on the huge numbers of salmon accidentally taken by the powerful pollock fishing industry.

Nick Andrew Jr., executive director of the tribe, told journalists that people in their village weren't getting enough kings to eat and the fish were distributed to needy residents.

"The rural-urban subsistence debate is not about who has preference over fish and game resources in the state, it is a humanitarian issue and a matter of survival for rural Native Alaskans dependant on wild game," Andrew said in the written statement

All the protestors but Isaac kept mum when investigators caught wind of the fishing and looked into the incident. As a result, he was the only protestor ticketed.

"If they were calling it a protest fishery, why lie about doing a protest?" Isaac, 32, told a journalist earlier this month.

In the written statement, Andrew said the Ohogamiut Traditional Council acknowledged attorney Jim Valcarce of Bethel for his free legal counsel and advocacy.

"His dedication and willingness to litigate on the tribe's behalf strengthen our endeavors to fight for our inherent subsistence rights," Andrew said.

Andrew also thanked the Association of Village Council Presidents, a Native regional organization in Bethel, and attorney Heather Kendall-Miller of the Native American Rights Fund.

Click here to read the written statement. [http://thetundradrums.com/article/0944press_release_marshall_protest_fishermans_citation_dismissed]