Hynes, Regional Director, Fish and Wild Life Service v. Grimes Packing Co.

185 F.2d 338, 13 Alaska 65, 1950 U.S. App. LEXIS 3275
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedNovember 10, 1950
Docket12469_1
StatusPublished

This text of 185 F.2d 338 (Hynes, Regional Director, Fish and Wild Life Service v. Grimes Packing Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hynes, Regional Director, Fish and Wild Life Service v. Grimes Packing Co., 185 F.2d 338, 13 Alaska 65, 1950 U.S. App. LEXIS 3275 (9th Cir. 1950).

Opinion

ta-catajt a at m.- t t j DENMAN, Chief Judge.

This is -an appeal from a final decree enjoining appellant from seizing the boats and gear and otherwise interfering with the fishing of the appellees for salmon in *340 the waters of-the Shelikof Strait,, within the boundaries, of the Karluk Indian Reservation, “by way of enforcing restrictive provisions of Section 208.23(r) of the 1946 Alaska Fisheries General Regulations or any other regulations of like or substantially like import which may be hereafter promulgated or attempted to be promulgated by the Department of Interior of the United States of America through its Fish and Wildlife Service or otherwise.” The decree was made on the purported requirement of the mandate of the Supreme Court in the case of Hynes v. Grimes Packing Co., -jo'y t t o o/- cr\ o /-«a. n/ro tl u í. 337 U.S. 86, 69 S.Ct. 968. It was substan- ^ • • 11 1 u *1. j* tially the same as originally made by the aisA trict court save that there was added the matter after the words “General Regula- 10nS’

. . . The decree is made m a suit m equity in which one of two issues tendered sought to have declared void Public Land Order 128 issued by the Secretary of Interior, hereafter called the Secretary, creating a reservation for the Karluk Indians, including an area in Shelikof Strait extending 3000 feet in the waters of the strait beyond the short line at mean low water. The reservation was made under the -authority of Section 2 of the Act of May 1, 1936, 49 Stat. 1250, 48 U.S.C.A. § 358a, -authorizing the Secretary to create an Indian Reservation out of the “public lands” in Alaska. The district court held the Public Land Order invalid because such waters below mean low water are not public lands. -67 F.Supp. 43. This court of appeals affirmed. Hynes v. Grimes Packing Co., 165 F.2d 323. The Supreme Court, 337 U.S. 86, 69 S.Ct. 968 reversed, Hynes v. Grimes Packing Co., supra, holding that such waters are public lands and the Secretary’s Public Land Order creating the reservation therein is valid.

The sole remaining issue tendered by the complaint for the consideration of the district court is the validity of the Secretary's Alaska Fisheries General Regulation § 208.23 (r). This, in effect, purports to give to the Karluk Indians a monoply of the fishing in the reservation waters, including the waters of Shelikof Strait, to be shared in by appellees and others only if granted permits by the Indians. Its provisions are :

“Sec. 208.23. Waters closed to salmon fishing. All commercial fishing for salmon is prohibited as follows:

“(r) All waters within 3,000 feet of the shores of Karluk Reservation (Public Land 0rder No. 128, May 22, 1943), beginning. at a point on the east shore of Sheli_ kof Strait. on Kodiak Island, latitude 57° 32, 3(r thence northeasterly along said s^ore t0 a p0jnt 57° 39' 49"

r „ ihe foregoing prohibition shall not - ,, t . , . apply to fishing by natives in possession of . / . „ . . „ said reservation, nor to fishing by other , * , ® ; pe™ns natives (49 Stat. 1250, 48 U.S.C. 358a [48 U.S.'C.A. § 358a]). Such authority shall be granted only by Qr pursuant to ordi. nance of ^ Native yillage of Karluk> ap_ proved by ^ Secretary of the Interior Qr bis duly authorized representative.” 11 -p. , -n qcoo ’

Tb* sole rflef sou^ht ^ the “mplaint 0n this sm§’le remaining issue is That “P0? suf heann? this court enter a final orfer afJ"dfand decreein& said subsection 208.23(r) of the Alaska Fishenes General Regulatmn null and void and of n0 leSaI effect" and that the dis' <flct.court issue a Permanent injunction a£alnst defendant' from doing any act or thm£ t0' carry out ^ of the Pr°vlsi°ns oi sald «Section 208.23(r) of the Alaska Commercial Fishing Regulations for 1946.”

It will be noted that the relief sought by the complaint does not affect the right of -appellant ITynes to seize the boats, nets and gear of the appellees and interfere with their fishing, other than by doing any act or thing to carry out the provisions of § 208.23(r). No amendment of appellees’ complaint has -at any time been sought,

The district court held § 208.23 (r) invalid and decreed the permanent injunction sought. This court and the Supreme Court affirmed the holding that the regulation is invalid, the latter stating the regul-ation is “void as a whole.” However, the Supreme Court vacated the decrees of *341 this and the district court and remanded the case to the district court, stating:

“This is an equitable proceeding in which the respondents seek protection against unlawful action by petitioner, the Regional Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior. The interests of respondents the Indians of Karluk Reservation, and the efforts of the Department of the Interior to administer its responsibilities fairly to fishermen and Indians are involved. These are questions of public policy which equity is alert to protect. This Court is far removed from the locality and cannot have the understanding of the practical difficulties involved in the conflicts of interest that is possessed by the District Court. Therefore we think it appropriate for us to refrain from now entering a final order disposing definitively of the controversy. With our conclusion on the law as to the establishment of the reservation and the invalidity of the regulation before them, the Department and the parties should have a reasonable time, subject to the action of the District Court on the new proposals, to adjust their affairs so as to comply with our ^p+pi-tnínn+ínriQ

“We therefore vacate the decrees of the District Court and the Court of Appeals and remand this proceeding to the District Court with directions to allow thirty days from the issuance of our mandate for the Secretary of the Interior to give consideration to the effect of our decision. Unless steps are taken in this proceeding the District Court, on the expiration of thirty ciay.?, shall enter a decree enjoining the defendant Hynes and all acting in concert •with him substantially as ordered in the permanent injunction entered November 6, 1946. If timely steps are taken, the District Court will, of course, be free to enter such orders as it may deem proper and not inconsistent with the present decision. Pending the entry of further orders by the District Court the preliminary injunction entered July 18, 1946, shall apply to pro-feet the rights of the respondents.” (Emphasis supplied.) [337 U.S. 86, 69 S.Ct. 990.]

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Related

Grimes Packing Co. v. Hynes
67 F. Supp. 43 (D. Alaska, 1946)
Hynes v. Grimes Packing Co.
165 F.2d 323 (Ninth Circuit, 1947)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
185 F.2d 338, 13 Alaska 65, 1950 U.S. App. LEXIS 3275, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hynes-regional-director-fish-and-wild-life-service-v-grimes-packing-co-ca9-1950.