Washington watch

Two Southern senators have introduced a bill requiring all seafood be "clearly labeled" with country of origin and whether it's wild-caught or farm-raised.

Here's a press release from U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Mississippi.

Statewide salmon value surges upward

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has published its summary of the salmon season.

"The 2025 commercial salmon fishery harvest for all species was valued at approximately $541 million, a significant increase from $304 million in the 2024 season," the department said.

Copper River shortfall

The Copper River District saw a commercial sockeye salmon harvest of about 840,000 fish this year, less than half the preseason forecast of 1.92 million.

Lots more numbers in this Prince William Sound salmon season summary.

Council meeting still on, but it'll be weird

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council will go ahead with its December meeting, but it appears the government shutdown could hamper things significantly.

Here's an update the council just posted.

The council's December meeting is always one of its biggest of the year, as that's when groundfish quotas for the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska are set.

Washington watch

Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, colleagues and seafood industry players are hailing Senate passage of a bill designed to combat purported illegal and unregulated foreign fishing that competes with U.S. seafood in the marketplace.

Kodiak's big pink year

This year's Kodiak pink salmon harvest was the second-largest on record at 34.6 million fish, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports in this salmon season summary.

Washington watch

Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, in a press release this week, outlined numerous provisions in a defense bill including this:

Prohibit military dining facilities and commissaries from purchasing or selling seafood that originates or is processed in the People's Republic of China to help Alaska fishermen.