Confederated Tribes and Bands v. Baldrige

605 F. Supp. 833, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22013
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Washington
DecidedMarch 7, 1985
Docket80-342
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 605 F. Supp. 833 (Confederated Tribes and Bands v. Baldrige) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Confederated Tribes and Bands v. Baldrige, 605 F. Supp. 833, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22013 (W.D. Wash. 1985).

Opinion

STIPULATION AND ORDER

CRAIG, District Judge.

This stipulation is entered into by all parties to this proceeding for the purpose of defining a procedure and standards by which the parties agree to determine the allocation of certain chinook salmon resources between fisheries in and off the state of Alaska and fisheries in and off the states of Washington and Oregon.

The parties hereto are the United States, the states of Washington and Oregon, the twenty-four Indian tribes identified on the signature pages hereto whose fishing rights are secured by treaties entered into between the United States and the respective tribes in the mid-1850’s (Stevens and Palmer Treaties), and the State of Alaska. This stipulation is intended to establish a mechanism which will permit the parties to address chinook salmon allocation issues in the cooperative spirit necessary for effective interjurisdictional coordination of management and to avoid the need to litigate the legal and factual issues raised by the parties in this case concerning fisheries in and adjacent to Alaska.

The following represents the full agreement of the parties and the terms by which they will abide for the duration of this stipulation.

I. Purposes. The purposes of this agreement and stipulation are:

A. To promote ratification and effective implementation of the U.S./Canada Pacific Salmon Treaty signed at Ottawa January 28, 1985;

B. To provide, with respect to Alaska chinook fisheries, for satisfaction of United States’ obligations, if any, to the tribes under the Stevens and Palmer Treaties;

C. To provide for a resolution of the dispute between Alaska and the other parties as to Alaska’s role, if any, in the satisfaction of the United States’ obligations under these treaties;

D. To provide for a fair interstate domestic allocation of chinook salmon resources originating in Washington, Oregon and Idaho and migrating to waters in and adjacent to Alaska.

II. Agreed Statements. The parties agree to the following statement of facts relevant to this stipulation:

A. There exist treaties entered into force in the mid-1850’s between the United States and certain Pacific Northwest Indian tribes in which the tribes reserve the right to take fish at their usual and accustomed places.

B. There exists a dispute between Alaska and the other parties concerning whether Alaska has an obligation to limit its harvest of far north migrating salmon stocks.

C. The parties have a common interest in the wise management, enhancement, and *835 fair division of the chinook salmon resources subject to this agreement.

D. A treaty between the United States and Canada concerning Pacific Salmon has been signed which if implemented will be mutually beneficial to all parties.

III. Definitions. The following definitions govern the use of terms in this stipulation:

A. The fish stocks referred to in this stipulation are chinook salmon resources originating in Washington, Oregon and Idaho and migrating in significant numbers to waters in or adjacent to Alaska.

B. The term North/South allocation, as used in this stipulation, means the allocation of the chinook stocks subject to this stipulation between fisheries managed by Alaska and the United States in and adjacent to Alaska on the one hand (collectively “North”), and fisheries managed by Washington, Oregon, the Stevens and Palmer Treaty Tribes and the United States in and adjacent to Washington and Oregon on the other hand (collectively “South”).

IV. North/South Allocation. While the U.S.-Canada Pacific Salmon Treaty and this stipulation are in force, obligations of Alaska and the United States for fisheries in or adjacent to Alaska, if any, under the Stevens and Palmer Treaties concerning North/South allocation of chinook salmon shall be deemed satisfied, provided that this section shall not be construed as modifying or otherwise limiting the remedies of any party to enforce this stipulation pursuant to Paragraph V C, below. The mechanism and standards by which the parties shall determine North/South allocation of chinook salmon stocks subject to this stipulation are:

A. Mechanism. The parties agree that North/South allocation determinations shall be made by the U.S. Section of the Pacific Salmon Commission. Decisions of the U.S. Section of the Commission with respect to North/South allocations shall be made only by unanimous vote of the voting members thereof.

B. Allocation During Rebuilding. During the joint U.S.-Canada chinook rebuilding program, the North/South allocations shall be made by the Pacific Salmon Commission under the terms of the Pacific Salmon Treaty.

C. Allocation After Rebuilding is Complete. Following the chinook rebuilding period, the U.S. Section of the Pacific Salmon Commission shall make North/South allocation determinations which shall account for and consider the following:

1. The total cumulative impact of all fisheries’ activities upon the stocks subject to this stipulation.

2. The contributions of each party to conserving, rebuilding, and enhancing chi-nook salmon, stocks.

3. The contributions and investments of each party in the resource, including spawning, production, growth and survival of chinook salmon stocks.

4. The cultural, social, and economic dependence of each party on chinook salmon stocks.

5. The history of participation by each party in the chinook fisheries.

6. The establishment of fishery regimes to maintain the stocks at optimum productivity and provide fair internal allocation.

7. A sharing of benefits of coastwide rebuilding and enhancement.

8. The obligation to insure that Indian treaty fishing rights under the Stevens and Palmer Treaties are satisfied.

D. Commission Decisions. The U.S. Section of the Pacific Salmon Commission shall make good faith efforts to insure that decisions made by the Commission are consistent with the provisions of Paragraphs IV B and C, above.

V. Agreement Not to Sue/Dispute Resolution.

A. Each party agrees to be bound by the provisions of Section IV of this stipulation governing allocation, including the unanimous allocation determinations by the voting members of the U.S. Section of the *836 Pacific Salmon Commission regarding the North/South allocations. Except only as provided in Paragraph V C below, each party covenants not to bring any suit arising from, relating to or in any way challenging this stipulation or its implementation, including but not limited to the dispute resolution provision in Paragraph V B, below.

B. This stipulation by the parties shall be given force and effect through the voting members of the U.S. Section beginning at the end of the chinook rebuilding period specified in Chapter 3, Annex IV of the Pacific Salmon Treaty. In the event the U.S.

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Related

United States v. State Of Washington
98 F.3d 1159 (Ninth Circuit, 1996)
United States v. Washington
98 F.3d 1159 (Ninth Circuit, 1996)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
605 F. Supp. 833, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22013, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/confederated-tribes-and-bands-v-baldrige-wawd-1985.