The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal of a lawsuit filed against suction dredging miners on the Klamath River, handing a victory to the Karuk tribe, which sued nine years ago to protect coho salmon in the river.
"This decision is a great victory for the Karuk Tribe and everyone else who believes that federal agencies must act to protect our natural resources and fisheries," Buster Attebery, chairman of the Karuk Tribe in Happy Camp, said in a news release.
In 2004 the Karuk sued the U.S. Forest Service, The New 49ers Inc. and others claiming the forest service needed to consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service before the forest service granted suction dredging permits to miners.
The Karuk said suction dredging harms coho salmon, which are on the federal endangered species list. A federal court ruling agreed with the Karuk, but mining groups and the forest service appealed. Last June the federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling, which led to the request for a Supreme Court review.
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