A new $350 million Bering Sea fish fight could hinge on a miniature Canadian railroad

A new $350 million Bering Sea fish fight could hinge on a miniature Canadian railroad

By Nat Herz

Source: Alaska Public Media

9/5/2021

A high-seas legal fight is causing havoc for one of Alaska’s biggest commercial fisheries, the Bering Sea pollock harvest out of Dutch Harbor.

The quickly escalating saga involves hundreds of millions of dollars in fines, a miniature Canadian railway and Donald Trump’s personal lawyer and it stems from the way that one of Alaska’s biggest fishing companies, American Seafoods, is using an exemption in the federal law that typically allows only U.S. ships to move cargo between U.S. ports.

American Seafoods’ shipping subsidiary and an affiliate company, Kloosterboer International Forwarding, sued U.S. Customs and Border Protection in federal court Thursday.

They’re challenging $46 million in fines issued directly to American Seafoods, plus more than $300 million levied against industry partners over the past month — some of which are holding American Seafoods’ subsidiary liable.