The Sitka Tribe is seeking Indian Country's support as it seeks to protect the subsistence herring fishery in southeast Alaska.

The tribe filed a lawsuit against the state in December, seeking better management of the fishery. According to The Juneau Empire, the herring population has decreased dramatically in recent years.

"Our efforts have fallen on deaf ears," the tribe said in support documents distributed during the National Congress of American Indians winter session in Washington, D.C., last week. Leaders from the region also spoke about their efforts to hold the state accountable for "mismanagement of our herring," one official said.

Demonstrators today outside Juneau’s court building showing support for Sitka Tribe of Alaska’s lawsuit against the... Posted by Sealaska Heritage Institute on Tuesday, February 19, 2019

The lawsuit was filed in December. A hearing took place on Tuesday to discuss the tribe's request for an injunction against the state.

“It’s not just a Southeast thing,” Sealaska Heritage Institute President Rosita Worl told The Empire in a rally outside of the courthouse. “It affects the whole state, Alaska Natives wherever they live.”

The Sitka Tribe has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the litigation.

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