BANGOR, Maine (AP) - The Penobscot Indian Nation is suing the state of Maine over who has jurisdiction over the Penobscot River.
The tribe went to federal court Wednesday to seek an injunction to keep intact its authority over the river on which the tribe has fished for hundreds of years.
The tribe points to an advisory opinion in 1988 from then-Attorney General James Tierney that gave tribal members the right to "sustenance fishing" for salmon.
But since then, Penobscot River salmon has been declared as endangered by the federal government. And Attorney General William Schneider issued an advisory opinion this month saying the tribe has authority over its land but not over the river, which he says is subject to state and federal law.
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