The Alaska Supreme Court has ordered that amounts to be refunded in a case about overpayment of nonresident commercial fishing fees be recalculated.

The class action suit began in 1984 on behalf of all nonresidents participating in Alaska commercial fisheries. The Alaska Supreme Court has taken up the case five times.

The focus this time is $62 million in interest and $7.5 million in attorney fees. The court said in a ruling Friday that it had erred in calculating the interest. It said the attorney fees also need adjustment.

Nonresident commercial fishermen argue that the state illegally charged them more than it charged residents for commercial permits and licenses. Between 1984 and 2002, nonresidents paid three times as much as residents.