The Highliner

Commercial fishing is a bedrock industry in Alaska, and has been for more than a century. Every year scores of fishermen net millions of migrating salmon, challenge the icy Bering Sea to trap king crabs, lay miles and miles of baited hooks for halibut, and scoop up enough pollock for a zillion fish sticks. And when fishermen aren't out fishing, they're usually talking about fishing. That's what this blog is all about. Cast your net here for commercial fishing news and notes. And if you've got a bone to pick, post a comment.

About me:
I've pounded the commercial fishing beat for the Anchorage Daily News since 1999. I hail originally from Tennessee. I've never fished commercially, but I've spent much time as a journalist aboard boats and inside fish-processing plants. Of course, I'm a big consumer of Alaska seafood. One of my favorites: canned sockeye.

Contact Wesley Loy at wloy@adn.com.


Archive

A fisherman vice president? - 8/29/2008 1:20 pm

Madsen loses bid for state House - 8/27/2008 3:12 pm

EPA fines another processor - 8/27/2008 10:24 am

Breaking news: Partial settlement in Exxon case - 8/26/2008 6:44 pm

Homer man charged with sablefish violation - 8/25/2008 10:00 am

Kodiak cutter crew boards Japanese vessel - 8/23/2008 5:17 pm

Salmon eaters, beware tapeworms - 8/22/2008 7:51 pm

American Seafoods lets catfish go - 8/22/2008 6:04 pm

Pebble and Bristol Bay’s salmon defenders - 8/22/2008 10:24 am

American Seafoods gets bigger - 8/18/2008 7:38 pm

MSC replies to state on 'client' status - 8/13/2008 1:16 am

Scale scandal - 8/13/2008 12:22 am

Court commands more delay in Exxon case - 8/12/2008 11:49 pm

Skipper accepts plea in vessel grounding - 8/7/2008 5:01 pm

Southeast seiners reduce their ranks - 8/6/2008 2:58 pm

Young defenders - 8/6/2008 2:16 pm

UFA: Stevens ‘innocent until proven guilty’ - 8/1/2008 3:45 pm

‘The tragedy of Sen. Stevens’ - 7/30/2008 1:49 pm

What’s fishy about Stevens indictment - 7/29/2008 11:58 am

A bit more on Aleutians king crab - 7/27/2008 12:29 am

Aleutians king crab deal announced - 7/27/2008 12:00 am

Brothers lose liberty, boat for halibut scheme - 7/25/2008 10:56 am

full archive »

It ain't over

Posted by The Highliner

Posted: July 15, 2008 - 12:48 pm

Plaintiffs in the Exxon Valdez oil spill case should not be allowed to collect interest on the $507.5 million judgment the U.S. Supreme Court issued recently, lawyers for Exxon Mobil Corp. are arguing.

The company today submitted a nine-page brief to the high court opposing the application of interest, which could bring the total sum Exxon owes from the 1989 spill to nearly $1 billion.

“Exxon does not agree that there is any sound basis to award plaintiffs what they seek – approximately $488 million over and above the $507.5 million that this Court determined was the legally proper amount to punish and deter,” according to Exxon’s filing.

Lawyers for commercial fishermen and other plaintiffs last week asked the Supreme Court to clarify whether interest would apply.

With interest, and minus attorney fees, an estimated $628 million would be divided among the more than 32,000 plaintiffs in the case.

Read a full report on this development in tomorrow’s Anchorage Daily News.


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