Blotter

Check out The Brig for lots of enforcement news added this week!

Bristol Bay homicide investigation

The Alaska State Troopers today posted this press release.

State records list a Henry Ayojiak, of Manokotak, as a Bristol Bay salmon setnet permit holder.

Juneau watch

The Legislative Budget and Audit Committee tomorrow will consider a special audit request from Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, chair of the House Fisheries Committee.

She's seeking a review of how the Alaska Board of Fisheries has been conducting business of late, saying the board has "lost the public's trust."

Here's the committee agenda. The hearing begins at 8:30 a.m. and will be teleconferenced.

Salmon notes

• The Bristol Bay catch now stands at 23.6 million sockeye toward a preseason harvest forecast of 32.3 million.

• Dillingham radio station KDLG has a report on the Northline Seafoods freezer barge and its alliance this season with Silver Bay Seafoods. Listen to it here.

• The Southeast Alaska summer Chinook troll fishery appears to be progressing slowly and will remain open "until further notice," the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said yesterday. "Based on landed catch and reported harvest onboard freezer vessels to date, less than 40,000 of the 83,700 Chinook salmon allocation has been harvested over the first 10 days of the fishery."

• Looking farther south, to Canada, the forecasted run size for Fraser River sockeye is 7.7 million fish, the Pacific Salmon Commission reports.

What's behind the decline of Yukon Chinook?

Increased natural mortality associated with Bering Sea marine heatwaves is "an important driver" of the Yukon River Chinook salmon crash, a new study finds.

The study also "found no evidence that harvest of adult salmon or bycatch removals prior to spawning have been significant factors in population level declines of Yukon River Chinook," says this write-up from NOAA Fisheries.

Blotter

Bristol Bay fishermen are catching a lot of salmon — and a lot of citations from the Alaska Wildlife Troopers. Follow all the enforcement action on our sister blog The Brig.

'The question that needs to be asked'

Independent journalist Craig Medred today posted this remarkably cogent comment on his site:

When you look at the data, the pollock trawl fishery is among the cleanest damn fisheries in the state. Should the country sacrifice millions of tons of renewable, high-quality protein to save the comparatively small number of kings taken as bycatch in that fishery? That's the question that needs to be asked.

A trawler takes to task both Sullivan, Peltola

Here's his opinion piece on the Anchorage Daily News website.

Salmon notes

• Bristol Bay exploded for a Fourth of July catch of more than 2.3 million sockeye, the largest daily catch of the season so far and the first day for a haul exceeding 2 million fish.

• An available surplus of sockeye will allow for a commercial fishery at Goodnews Bay, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced. "Sockeye salmon run strengths in the Kuskokwim area have been increasing over the last 20 years," the department said, noting one commercial processor is registered to buy.

• The long closure in the Copper River District continues. Here's the latest from Fish and Game. The last opener was June 11.

Salmon spill

A truck hauling salmon overturned Friday night on the Seward Highway, causing quite a mess, the Alaska State Troopers reported.

Blotter

Be sure to catch our sister blog The Brig for fisheries enforcement news.

Bristol Bay builds steam

We're now seeing substantial harvest numbers at Bristol Bay, scene of Alaska's richest commercial salmon fishery.

As of this moment, the cumulative catch stands at nearly 11.4 million sockeye. The state forecast calls for a potential harvest of 32.3 million this season.

The Nushagak District on the west side of Bristol Bay is leading the catch with 4.3 million sockeye so far, followed by the eastside Egegik District with 3.6 million.

Fishing effort was concentrated in the Nushagak District with 475 vessels and 673 permits registered there, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said yesterday.

Daily catches baywide have been strong in recent days, well above 1 million fish, providing a steady stream of deliveries to processors. The biggest day was June 28 with 1.8 million fish.

Feds announce seafood 'regional priorities'

Here's the press release.

Man overboard in Bristol Bay

A man was reported overboard from a fishing vessel in Bristol Bay this week, and an intensive search failed to locate him.

The Alaska State Troopers identified the missing man as Seth Whiteman, 23, of Eagle River.

U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders on Monday received a report of a man overboard from the F/V Sandman near Egegik Bay, Petty Officer 3rd Class Cameron Snell said.

A seven-hour search ensued involving the cutter Frederick Mann, a helicopter from Air Station Kodiak, the Alaska State Troopers patrol vessel Stimson and state aircraft.

The search was suspended late Monday pending development of new information.

The missing man reportedly was not wearing a life jacket, Snell said.

State records indicate the Sandman belongs to Isaac J. Thistle, of Wasilla.

Pollock wars

The state of Alaska is objecting to Marine Stewardship Council recertification of Russia's Western Bering Sea pollock fishery.

Here's a letter from Alaska Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang to MSC Chief Executive Rupert Howes.

Washington watch

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, has introduced an updated version of bycatch legislation he offered last year.

"I've heard from countless Alaskans ... who are rightfully demanding direct action to reduce bycatch and gear contact with the seafloor," Sullivan says in a press release.

Surprise appointments to the North Pacific Council

The secretary of commerce today appointed Forrest Bowers to an Alaska seat and Chad See to a Washington seat on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Both are surprises as neither was the top choice of their respective governors.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy had nominated Märit Carlson-Van Dort as his lead pick, with Bowers and Israel Payton as his second and third choices. Carlson-Van Dort chairs the Alaska Board of Fisheries. Bowers is a longtime state employee in the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, currently working as acting commercial fisheries director.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson nominated crab fleet representative Jamie Goen for a second term on the council, but the commerce secretary instead appointed Chad See, Ferguson's second choice. See is executive director of the Freezer Longline Coalition.

Mary Peltola blasts off on fish

Here's her opinion piece on the Anchorage Daily News website.

Salmon notes

Here are a few observations from the young salmon season thus far.

• The statewide commercial catch as of this moment stands at 3.7 million salmon. More than 2 million of these are sockeye.

• The Copper River salmon fishery is struggling and currently stuck in a long closure amid lagging escapement. "The cumulative commercial harvest to date is 4,172 Chinook and 228,277 sockeye salmon," the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said yesterday in this advisory announcement.

• The first opener of the Southeast Alaska summer troll season will begin July 1 targeting about 81,300 treaty Chinook salmon, Fish and Game announced yesterday. Last year's first period quota was 36,500 treaty Chinook.

USDA buys $6.4M in pollock products from Trident

Here's the purchase announcement.

Bringing back crab

National Fisherman has published an article about a pioneering hatchery project to bolster struggling king crab stocks in the Bering Sea.

USDA buys $11M in canned pinks from Silver Bay

Here's the announcement.

$124M in disaster relief set for Alaska, elsewhere

Here's the press release from NOAA.

As best we can tell, these are the affected Alaska fisheries and the sums we can expect someday:

• 2023-24 Bering Sea snow crab fishery, $75.2 million

• 2022 Chignik salmon fishery, $18.5 million

• 2023 Upper Cook Inlet eastside setnet salmon fishery, $5.8 million.

The first million

As of this posting, Alaska's commercial salmon catch stands at 1.1 million fish.

The season is just getting started, and the state is forecasting a total harvest of 125.5 million salmon once the fishing year is done.

You can track the catch on the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's Blue Sheet.

Commissioner clarifies status of fishing regulations

Here's the press release.

The situation with Cook Inlet beach seines seems particularly noteworthy.

Salmon outlook

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute has posted its annual salmon market bulletin.

The advent of the charter halibut stamp

Read about it here.

F/V Arctic Sea remains aground at St. George Island

Here's a situation report from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

Station Papa out?

The Alaska Marine Community Coalition is sounding the alarm about the Trump administration moving to dismantle "one of the world's most advanced ocean monitoring systems."

This includes Station Papa, a key site in the Gulf of Alaska.

"Station Papa has been collecting ocean data since the Cold War era, making it one of the longest continuous ocean records in the North Pacific," AMCC writes in this blog post.

With ocean changes evolving rapidly and events such as salmon and crab crashes and marine heatwaves becoming more common, the group argues "we need more information about our oceans, not less."

Bristol Bay eastside salmon announcement No. 1

Read it right here.

Northline barge heads north

Northline Seafoods announced on Facebook today that its 400-foot freezer barge, the Hannah, departed Bellingham for the Bristol Bay salmon fishery.

This is notable, as the company had seen upheaval in recent weeks with the abrupt resignation of its chief executive, Ben Blakey.

This will be the barge's third season packing sockeye in Bristol Bay.

To the best of our knowledge, Northline and its barge are under the control of Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp. and Zachary Scott, a Seattle private investment firm.

It's believed Northline might work cooperatively with a larger processor, Silver Bay Seafoods, to handle Bristol Bay salmon catches this summer. But thus far, no company has publicly confirmed such an arrangement.

Copper River gets it started

Alaska's new salmon season kicked off Friday with a 12-hour commercial driftnet opener in the Copper River District.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reported a harvest of 967 Chinook salmon and 39,000 sockeye.

That compares to 1,090 Chinook and 28,128 sockeye in the first opener last year.

The department has set another 12-hour opener for Tuesday in the Copper River District.

Circle Seafoods touts salmon prices for 2026

Here's the announcement.

Personnel file

Eric Deakin is retiring from Coastal Villages Region Fund after six years as executive director and CEO.

Based in Anchorage, CVRF is the largest of Alaska's six community development quota organizations. These companies are major players in the state's commercial fisheries, harvesting fish and crab on behalf of often impoverished Bering Sea villages.

The CVRF board has appointed Nick Souza, previously director of sales and marketing, as the new CEO.

More details in this press release.

Heads-up on a possible Area M bombshell

Deckboss hears reliably that Alaska's acting attorney general, as soon as tomorrow, will block most or all of the controversial actions the Board of Fisheries took recently on Area M salmon fisheries.

The AG's expected action comes in the context of a lawsuit from commercial fishing groups, the Aleutians East Borough and others seeking to void regulations the board adopted at its February meeting on Alaska Peninsula finfish.

The suit focuses, in part, on board members with alleged conflicts of interest. The plaintiffs say two proposals the board approved on close votes would "dramatically reduce open fishing time and area for commercial purse seine and gillnet gear in the South Alaska Peninsula."

In February, the borough and tribal governments called on the AG to "act on a formal ethics complaint filed against members of the Alaska Board of Fisheries."

UFA seeks new skipper

The state's top commercial fishing organization, United Fishermen of Alaska, is recruiting a new executive director.

The position carries an estimated starting salary of $90,000 to $100,000 depending on experience, a job description says.

The successful candidate will replace the outgoing executive director, Tracy Welch, who just won legislative confirmation to the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

Trawl electronic monitoring bill clears Legislature

The Legislature has passed House Bill 117, which includes language authorizing Alaska's fish and game commissioner to require electronic monitoring for vessels operating in state trawl fisheries.

The bill now goes to Gov. Mike Dunleavy for his signature.

Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, offered the language. He said in a recent Facebook post that electronic monitoring will "allow the state to better manage our fisheries through better bycatch data, monitoring compliance, and catch and discard information."

The bill includes provisions meant to limit impacts to trawlers. For example, the bill says vessel owners won't be required to "purchase or install electronic monitoring equipment beyond what is already required" for vessels in federally managed fisheries.

Juneau watch

Legislators on Thursday confirmed the governor's appointments and reappointments:

• Paul Cyr, Blair Hickson and Mike Wood to the Board of Fisheries

• Tracy Welch to the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission

• Renee Alward to the Fishermen's Fund Advisory and Appeals Council.

The only drama involved Hickson with Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, objecting to his confirmation. On the ensuing roll call of legislators, Hickson was confirmed on a vote of 39 yeas 21 nays.

Here is Hickson's resume.

To see how all legislators voted, check this legislative journal report.

Silver Bay announces its Bristol Bay starting price

Deckboss found the following "Bristol Bay Fleet Update" floating around on Facebook, and a Silver Bay Seafoods spokesperson verified it.

Bristol Bay Fleet Update

Dear Bristol Bay Fishermen,

Silver Bay Seafoods is pleased to announce the 2026 pre-season price of $1.60/lb for qualifying (chilled, floated, bled) sockeye. This is $.30/lb more than last year's pre-season price and is considered a conservative starting price for the 2026 season.

Please hold the date for pre-season fishermen meetings. Silver Bay Seafoods Management, Board Members, and Fishermen Committee Members will be joining these meetings to talk about company business, market updates, and 2026 fleet operations and support.

Preseason meeting dates:

• Naknek: June 13

• Egegik: June 14

• Dillingham: June 19

Stay tuned for more preseason info. See you soon!

No ESA listing for Chinook

The National Marine Fisheries Service has found that listing Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon under the Endangered Species Act is "not warranted at this time."

Here's a notice to be published in the Federal Register.

ESA watch

Tomorrow is the deadline for the National Marine Fisheries Service to submit its finding on whether Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon should be listed under the Endangered Species Act.

The agency is considering the question in response to a listing petition from the Wild Fish Conservancy, a nonprofit headquartered in Washington state.

A finding that some or all Gulf of Alaska Chinook stocks are threatened or endangered would be momentous.

Deckboss will be watching closely to see what drops!

Whittier commissioning for destroyer Ted Stevens

Details in this Navy press release.

SE fisherman fined, banned in halibut conspiracy

Here's a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Dismal salmon news out of Kodiak

Here's an Alaska Department of Fish and Game advisory announcement describing pitiful Chinook salmon escapements and implications for commercial fisheries.

Juneau watch

The House Special Committee on Fisheries tomorrow will consider the governor's appointees to the Alaska Board of Fisheries.

The appointees include newcomers Paul Cyr and Blair Hickson.

Mike Wood is up for reappointment to the board.

The committee hearing is set to begin at 10 a.m.

Dave Bronson claims fishy business at Dutch Harbor

Here's a press release.

The new salmon season comes in sight!

The famed Copper River salmon fishery will open at 7 a.m. May 22 for a 12-hour period, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today.

The commercial harvest forecast for this year is 728,000 sockeye, which is on par with the 10-year average of 733,000, the department said.

Sockeye and king salmon from the Copper River are a highly anticipated culinary treat each year, with the start of the fishery serving as the kickoff to a new Alaska salmon season.

Rep. Begich wants North Pacific Council revamp

Congressman Nick Begich, R-Alaska, has introduced a bill to restructure the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

The Anchorage-based council makes recommendations for managing ocean fisheries off Alaska. Its 11 voting members come from Alaska, Washington and Oregon, and most members are representatives of government agencies or commercial fishing interests.

Begich's bill, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council Representation Enhancement Act of 2026, would guide Alaska's appointments to the council.

The legislation would "require that voting members include at least one representative each from recreational, small-scale commercial, rural subsistence, and urban subsistence user groups," says this press release from Begich's office.

Juneau watch

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has signed House Bill 33 into law.

Kodiak Republican Rep. Louise Stutes, in her sponsor statement, said the bill would allow members of the Board of Fisheries to have a say on subjects for which they have a personal or financial interest.

"The passage of this bill will allow the conflicted board members to offer remarks and input on deliberations but still precludes them from voting on the conflicted issue," the statement said.

Commercial fishing organizations including United Fishermen of Alaska generally supported the legislation, while other interests such as the Kenai River Sportfishing Association opposed it.

ASMI hails federal funds for international marketing

Here's a press release from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.

An update on Board of Fisheries appointments

A few days ago, we reported the governor had picked three people for service on the Alaska Board of Fisheries.

Now, the governor has officially submitted his appointees for legislative confirmation.

But there's been a change.

Paul Cyr, of Ketchikan, is now an appointee instead of Josh Hayes, of Anchorage.

The other two are Blair Hickson, of Wasilla, and Mike Wood, of Talkeetna, who already holds a seat on the board and is being reappointed to a second term.

Board of Fisheries to hold special meeting Friday

The Alaska Board of Fisheries will convene a special meeting online at 1 p.m. Friday to consider four board-generated proposals.

Proposal 192 is drawing the most interest. It would make a change in eastside Cook Inlet legal commercial fishing gear, replacing set gillnet gear with set beach seine nets.

Beach seining could be a way to allow fishermen to harvest sockeye salmon while safely releasing scarce king salmon, says this Alaska Department of Fish and Game commentary on Proposal 192.

But the proposal is expected to draw opposition.

A second commissioner for CFEC

The governor has appointed Tracy Welch, of Juneau, to the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

CFEC now has a full complement of two commissioners, the other being Rick Green.

Oregon's new man on the North Pacific Council

Details in this letter.

Juneau watch

Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, says he added an amendment for the state fish and game commissioner to "institute and oversee an electronic monitoring system for trawl vessels that participate in state fisheries."

More in this Facebook post.

Expect a smaller salmon catch this year

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is forecasting a commercial harvest of 125.5 million salmon this year.

If realized, a harvest of that size would be considerably less than last year's haul of 197.4 million salmon.

A much smaller catch of pink salmon is anticipated this year, which largely accounts for the lower forecast.

Three in line for seats on Board of Fisheries

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has picked three individuals for service on the Board of Fisheries. Here are letters the governor sent to each.

Josh Hayes

Blair Hickson

Mike Wood

Wood already holds a seat on the board, so this would be a reappointment in his case.

The other two are newcomers, and Deckboss doesn't know much about them. They would replace two board members who are not seeking reappointment — Greg Svendsen and Gerad Godfrey.

So far, the governor's picks haven't generated much talk, at least not publicly. They're subject to legislative confirmation, but we're not aware of any confirmation hearings thus far.

Could it be this slate of names is meeting some quiet resistance?

'Increasingly unpredictable and unstable'

Four legislators are unhappy with the Alaska Board of Fisheries and have fired off this pointed letter.

USDA Office of Seafood established

Here's a press release.

The Magnuson-Stevens Act at 50

Here's a leadership message from Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, head of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

It's showtime in Kodiak

ComFish Alaska 2026 is set for tomorrow through Saturday in Kodiak.

For more information about the big trade show, click here.

Suit targets pollock trawlers as threat to fur seals

The Center for Biological Diversity is suing the National Marine Fisheries Service for "failing to prevent northern fur seals on St. Paul Island from declining because of prey competition with the Bering Sea's massive pollock trawl fishery," says this press release.

Trident sues over Tacoma fire disaster

You might recall how fire ravaged a Trident Seafoods factory trawler, the Kodiak Enterprise, back in 2023.

Now, Trident reportedly is suing the city of Tacoma over the fire department's handling of the blaze. More in this KING 5 news report.

Are you a wanted fisherman?

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game recently posted its 2026 commercial salmon fishing outlook for Bristol Bay. It's loaded with interesting notes, including Alaska Wildlife Troopers enforcement priorities.

This one stood out to me:

Fishermen who failed to appear for scheduled court hearings do have outstanding arrest warrants issued by the court. Absconders will be arrested and remanded to jails in either Dillingham or King Salmon, which will result in substantial loss of fishing time. Wildlife Troopers encourage fishermen to address any outstanding arrest warrants.

Y'all been warned!

Board of Fisheries sued over Area M action

Here's a press release from the Aleutians East Borough.

Coast Guard seizes 'unreported' pollock roe

The crew of the cutter Waesche seized more than 5 metric tons of pollock roe, worth over $65,000, after uncovering "significant violations of federal fishing regulations" aboard the factory trawler Northern Eagle, says this U.S. Coast Guard press release.

Five hoisted from distressed boat in Aleutians

More details in this press release from the U.S. Coast Guard.

A big boost for Southeast Alaska trollers

The preseason troll treaty harvest allocation for this year is 146,000 Chinook, or more than 53,000 fish above the limit in 2025, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said in this advisory announcement.

'Be cautious about demonizing'

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski yesterday addressed the Alaska Legislature. In her written remarks, she had the following to say regarding fisheries.

Our fisheries ... remain in crisis. When salmon runs collapse, it threatens the food security, culture and ways of life of so many Alaskans.

The reality is that these declines cannot be attributed to one factor alone. There is no silver bullet to solve this complex problem. But when faced with causes beyond our immediate control, like climate change, it is understandable why the discourse focuses on what we can control: bycatch.

Don't get me wrong, there is more we can do to reduce bycatch, and we should do it. An example is Sen. Sullivan's Bycatch Reduction and Research Act, which I am cosponsoring. But we should also be cautious about demonizing one sector of Alaska's fisheries at a time when we need to work together to find solutions.

Commercial fishing provides good jobs and is the economic backbone of dozens of coastal communities. And while it is easy and often appropriate to point fingers at Seattle, we have to remember that many Alaska towns and villages are suffering after losing their fleets and processing plants. Life isn't necessarily better without them.

We need sound science because that is the foundation of sound management. We need constructive dialogue that respects the needs of communities upriver while recognizing the benefits of industry. And we need to focus on what unites us so we can conserve and responsibly harvest one of our most precious, irreplaceable resources.

Juneau watch

Legislators are holding a "lunch and learn" meeting at noon tomorrow on the topic of outmigration of limited entry fishing permits from rural Alaska.

Presenters include Rachel Donkersloot, of Coastal Cultures Research; Courtney Carothers, of the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences; and Joe Nelson, board co-chair, Alaska Federation of Natives.

Journalist Nathaniel Herz, of Northern Journal, last year published a lengthy article on the impact of state fishing permits being sold out of, or otherwise leaving, coastal Alaska villages.

And they're off at Sitka!

The Sitka Sound herring sac roe fishery has begun, with the first opener running from noon to 6 p.m. Friday.

Another opener was set for 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today.

About 495 tons of herring was harvested in the initial opener, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reported.

The quota for this year's fishery is 35,015 tons, but industry is not expected to take anywhere near that much.

Carl Rosier crosses the bar

Here's a recent press release from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Juneau watch

We have a hearing this afternoon in the Senate Resources Committee on Senate Bill 269, which would radically revamp the Alaska Board of Fisheries.

The bill would restructure the board from a seven-member panel to a 15-member body comprised of three regional boards, says this sponsor statement from Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel.

Trawl rep claps back at Senate candidate Peltola

Matt Tinning is CEO of the At-sea Processors Association. Read his commentary here.

It's halibut time again

Another long North Pacific halibut season opens at 6 a.m. local time tomorrow. The season is scheduled to run until Dec. 7.

This is a tough time for the halibut fishery as stocks of the big, flat fish are low.

This year's coastwide catch limit is 29.33 million pounds. Five years ago, in 2022, the limit was 41.2 million pounds.

For those who would like to delve much deeper into the numbers, click here.

We wish all halibut fishermen a fine season. Please be safe!

CFEC sets Thursday meeting

The Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission has scheduled a public meeting for 11 a.m. tomorrow in Juneau. Here's more information.

Juneau watch

The Senate Community and Regional Affairs Committee today held a hearing on Senate Bill 268 with the short title "Sick leave exemption: fish processors."

The Pacific Seafood Processors Association really likes this bill.

But the Alaska AFL-CIO doesn't, writing to the committee: "Just because someone works in a seafood processing plant does not mean their right to sick leave should be taken away."

Here's the sponsor statement for SB 268 from Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak.

More council news

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson has nominated Jamie Goen for a second term on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Here's the governor's nomination letter.

Pollock industry says it's won MSC recertification

Here's the press release.

'This letter clarifies what is permissible'

The National Marine Fisheries Service says it's OK for Gulf of Alaska processors to convert "prohibited species catch" into fishmeal and other low-value products for sale.

The agency explains in this letter to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Sitka herring update No. 1

Spring is coming and the whales and sea lions are gathering. Click here.

Council nomination news

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has nominated Märit Carlson-Van Dort for a seat on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Here's the governor's nomination letter.

New battles coming on hatcheries, trawling

The Alaska Board of Fisheries concludes its 2025-26 meeting cycle with a five-day session starting tomorrow in Anchorage on statewide finfish and supplemental issues.

Among the more notable issues, a trio of proposals (170, 171 and 172) would constrain pink and chum production from salmon hatcheries. Two of the proposals are from the Kenai River Sportfishing Association.

Another trio of proposals (163, 164 and 165) would appear to make life tougher for trawlers. The proposals are from an organization called the Alaska Healthy Habitat Alliance.

Proposal 163 would define all trawls operating in state waters as bottom contact gear. Proposal 164 would "establish bottom contact monitoring requirements for pelagic trawl gear."

The Alaska Whitefish Trawlers Association hates these trawl proposals, commenting in a letter to the board:

There seems to be an assumption that trawlers operating in the Gulf of Alaska and Prince William Sound regularly put their pelagic nets on the bottom. This is not accurate. The seafloor in the GOA and PWS are rocky, and our pelagic nets are relatively delicate. Contact with the bottom (or sunken shipwrecks) shreds our nets, requiring time-consuming and expensive repairs or replacement, and lost fishing time. On average a pelagic trawl net alone for our members costs $110,000, and we are not going to intentionally damage an expensive piece of gear.

The wait is nearly over

We'll soon have the government's answer on whether Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon should be listed under the Endangered Species Act.

The National Marine Fisheries Service is pledging to render its decision on or before May 13.

A nonprofit organization, the Wild Fish Conservancy, petitioned NMFS for the listing and later sued the agency for failing to meet the deadline for making its decision. The lawsuit has now been settled with the setting of the May 13 date.

Chinook runs across Alaska are weak, forcing fishery conservation measures.

But the Alaska Department of Fish and Game doesn't support listing the fish, writing in September 2024: "The best available scientific and commercial information makes it clear that GOA Chinook salmon do not meet the definition of a threatened or endangered species."

Three charged with intentionally sinking boats

Here's a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Juneau watch

Senate Bill 161, which "puts an end to bottom trawling in state waters beginning in 2028," according to its sponsor, is up for consideration tomorrow in the Senate Resources Committee.

Report: 'Deadliest' crewman falls overboard, dies

Here's the story from the Associated Press.

Juneau watch

A bill up for a hearing tomorrow in the House Special Committee on Fisheries aims to make Metlakatla tribal interests eligible for state hatchery financing.

One commercial fishing group is very opposed.

The sponsor of House Bill 253 is Ketchikan Republican Rep. Jeremy Bynum, whose district includes Metlakatla.

Significant news from Silver Bay

Silver Bay Seafoods, one of Alaska's largest salmon processors, today provided the following statement from Branson Spiers, chief operating officer:

Silver Bay Seafoods will be buying salmon in all Prince William Sound drift and seine fisheries in 2026, and we will continue to provide fleet services in Cordova. Given the low salmon forecasts in PWS, we've developed an operational plan that prioritizes fishermen opportunity and economics, with processing planned in Valdez and Seward.

We've asked the company for clarification, but presumably this means Silver Bay will not process salmon this season at its plant in Cordova, the main port for the gillnet fleet targeting famed Copper River salmon.

Another Area M battle

The Alaska Board of Fisheries this week approved changes, including a reduction in commercial fishing time, for the June salmon fishery along the South Alaska Peninsula.

The fishery, also known as the Area M or False Pass fishery, has long been controversial as an "intercept" fishery in which seiners and gillnetters targeting sockeye sometimes catch chum salmon bound for Western Alaska.

Western Alaska is experiencing a salmon crisis, with chum and Chinook runs crashing. That's put enormous public pressure on the Board of Fisheries and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to take action to reduce salmon bycatch in fisheries such as Area M and the Bering Sea pollock trawl fishery.

State Sen. Mike Cronk, R-Tok, was among those urging the Board of Fisheries to take action to conserve salmon headed for Western Alaska rivers.

Two commercial fishing groups — Concerned Area M Fishermen and the Area M Seiners Association — opposed language the board ended up passing on a 4-3 vote.

Interesting reading

"Open ocean aquaculture isn't about replacing wild fisheries; it's about complementing them to help provide more American-raised seafood to American families," two congressmen write in The Hill.

Personnel file

• Trident Seafoods today announced the retirement of Jim McManus from the company's board of directors.

• Frank O'Hara III has been elected president of the Wild Alaska Sole Association.

• Keyport LLC, a crab and frozen seafood processor and supplier, has named Craig Morris as president. He joins Keyport after seven years as CEO of the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers.

Juneau watch

Several bills of importance to the commercial fishing industry were introduced today in the Alaska Legislature. Here's a rundown.

Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, filed Senate Bill 268 titled "An Act relating to minimum paid sick leave requirements for individuals employed in seafood processing."

Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, filed Senate Bill 269 titled "An Act restructuring the Board of Fisheries."

Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, filed House Bill 356 titled "An Act relating to health and sanitary requirements and certain permits for commercial fishing vessels."

Rep. Neal Foster, D-Nome, filed House Bill 368 titled "An Act relating to meetings of the Board of Fisheries."

Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake, filed House Joint Resolution 34 titled "Urging the United States Congress and federal fisheries managers to make changes to the federal Prohibited Species Donation program to reduce the waste of edible bycatch, increase vessel participation, and improve food security in the state."

Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, filed House Joint Resolution 35 titled "Urging federal fisheries managers to reduce trawl bycatch, maintain existing bycatch limits, and strengthen enforcement; and supporting federal efforts aimed at reducing bycatch and benthic habitat contact."

A must for your fish library

Don Giles, the former CEO of Icicle Seafoods, has published a memoir of his career in the fish business. "Fish Tales: My Unplanned Journey Through the Alaskan Seafood Industry" follows a Texas college kid who starts out unloading crab on a Seward dock and ends up running one of Alaska's great salmon processors. It's a remarkably candid insider account of the stressful life of a seafood executive, with the story extending through the bittersweet sale of Icicle in 2007. In telling his own story, Giles describes monumental changes in the industry such as the advent of individual fishing quotas for halibut and sablefish. Buy the book at Amazon.

Is Little Port Walter dead?

During legislative testimony last week, Scott Wagner, general manager of Sitka-based hatchery operator Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, dropped some news about NOAA's Little Port Walter Research Station.

"This facility was recently shut down by NOAA in the last couple of months. It is now shuttered, the lights are out, generators off. It's closed," he said.

The station, located on Baranof Island, dates to 1934 and is "the oldest year-round biological field station in Alaska," NOAA says.

Featuring a small hatchery, Little Port Walter has a long and productive history of king salmon and other research, Wagner said.

"It definitely is a shame to see it go," he said.

From the sound of it, funding was a factor in the closure, but we don't know for sure. Deckboss has asked NOAA for comment on the station's status, but we've not heard back.

Bernt Bodal crosses the bar

Here's a press release from American Seafoods Co.

Haight to step aside at CFEC

Glenn Haight, Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission chair, is leaving the position with Feb. 27 to be his last day.

Haight advised the governor's office via email that he didn't plan to seek reappointment for a new four-year term.

The CFEC is a small agency that controls participation in Alaska's many fisheries. It issued 16,973 commercial fishing permits and 7,101 vessel licenses in 2025.

Haight has helmed CFEC since Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed him chair effective May 7, 2022. His term expires soon, on March 1.

Haight came to CFEC after serving a number of years as executive director of the Alaska Board of Fisheries.

What's next for him? He told Deckboss he's not sure.

"I don't have anything hard and fast right now," Haight said. "My wife has a list of things."

Haight has led CFEC through a period of rebuilding, concentrating on filling open positions and advancing efforts to modernize the agency's information technology systems. The agency is budgeted for 21 permanent full-time employees.

"Operations have stabilized," Haight told the governor's office. He further wrote: "Working at CFEC these last few years has been very rewarding. However, I need to step back and let others take over."

CFEC has been controversial over the years, with some questioning whether it has enough work to justify a standalone agency, with handsome salaries for its leadership.

State Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, this year introduced Senate Bill 199 to transfer CFEC's duties to the Department of Fish and Game.

CFEC can have up to two commissioners, and with Haight's exit only Rick Green will remain. It's unclear at this point whether the governor will appoint a replacement for Haight.

The governor appointed Green to the commission in 2024. He previously was special assistant to state Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang, but is best known for his years hosting the "Rick Rydell" radio show.

During a legislative hearing this week in Juneau, with Haight and Green appearing as witnesses, House Speaker Bryce Edgmon asked about the "succession plan" at CFEC.

Green acknowledged he lives in Anchorage, not Juneau where CFEC is based.

Presumably, Green will become lead commissioner, and CFEC for the first time will not have  a commissioner in Juneau, Edgmon said.

"I have to tell you that that is unsettling to me," Edgmon said, noting he himself is a former permit holder. "I think the commissioner should be here with the staff."

Green noted, however, that the commission has an executive director who "basically runs" the agency.

Southeast crab fishery on weather hold

More details in this advisory announcement from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

'The Grace'

Here's a 13-minute documentary film about a struggling Southeast Alaska salmon troller.

Salmon notes

• The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has set a total allowable catch of 1,487,153 sockeye for this year's Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone salmon fishery. That's well above last year's 800,126 sockeye.

• In legislative action in Juneau, the Senate Resources Committee yesterday held a hearing on Senate Bill 158. Sponsored by Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, the bill would segregate eastside Cook Inlet setnet permits into their own district separate from the rest of the inlet. The sponsor says this would help the setnetters — who have been mostly shut down in recent years to conserve scarce Chinook salmon — pursue relief such as a buyback of permits. Video of the hearing is available here and is well worth watching.

• Circle Seafoods, of Aberdeen, Washington, announced plans for the upcoming salmon season: "In partnership with the Metlakatla Indian Community, Circle plans to operate on Annette Island during the 2026 salmon season. The Circle I barge, with a daily production capacity of 500,000 pounds and 1M pounds of salmon tank capacity, is expected to moor at the city dock in Metlakatla and buy fish off the port side." The company posted a video of its rapid slush ice delivery system. Circle debuted its newly built processing barge last year at Metlakatla.

Council moves to limit Bering trawl chum bycatch

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council, meeting in Anchorage, just voted 8-3 in favor of a complex motion setting an overall bycatch cap of 45,000 Western Alaska chum salmon in the Bering Sea pollock trawl fishery.

The action concludes what was a passionately debated issue before the council.

We'll update this post with further details and public reaction. See the comments section.

Gulf gets more cod

Details in this press release from the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Togiak herring quota set, but will anyone fish?

This year's harvest quota for the Togiak sac roe herring fishery is a sizeable 20,737 tons.

The question is, will any commercial fishermen go after it?

We saw no fishery 2023, 2024 and 2025 due to lack of market interest.

This could well be the fourth consecutive year the Togiak herring fishery remains dormant.

It's odd considering that years ago, this was a wildly competitive fishery with numerous boats, spotter planes and processors going after fish valued in Asia for their eggs, or roe.

Here's the quota announcement from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Mining the seabed off Alaska?

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, in a recent Federal Register notice, said it is "initiating the first steps that could potentially lead to a lease sale for minerals on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore Alaska."

Here's a BOEM map showing prospective mining areas.

Juneau watch

Jeremy Woodrow, executive director of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, is scheduled to present this sweeping overview tomorrow to the House Finance Committee.

An interesting graph on Page 10 tracks the ex-vessel value of Alaska's seafood harvest over the last decade.

An anxious moment for Bering Sea pollock trawlers

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is meeting for a week starting Thursday in Anchorage, and the main item on the agenda is possible action to crack down on chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock fishery.

Trawlers are worried over the possibility the council might recommend limits, or caps, on the number of chum the fleet could take each season. Once met, such caps could result in closure of the fishery, leaving valuable pollock quota stranded in the water.

The council is under enormous pressure from Western Alaska villagers, environmental groups and others to impose caps on the trawl fleet, which has been broadly blamed for poor chum returns and subsistence fishing restrictions.

"The salmon situation in our communities has become an existential crisis," the Bethel-based Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission said in a letter to the council.

The pollock industry is adamantly opposed to caps, arguing they wouldn't do much to help improve Western Alaska chum runs. For one thing, they argue, many of the chum caught as bycatch in the pollock trawl fishery actually come from Japanese and Russian hatcheries, not Alaska rivers.

Trawl interests urge the council to select a different option, one that would build upon steps the fleet already has begun to avoid chum — particularly Western Alaska chums. These steps include fleet communication, avoidance of chum "hot spots," genetic identification of chum to determine their origin, and the use of salmon excluders in nets.

"It is obvious that the pollock fishery's bycatch is not driving Western Alaska chum declines," United Catcher Boats, a Seattle-based fleet organization, said in a letter to the council. UCB noted complex factors such as changing ocean conditions.

The chum bycatch issue is expected to draw a ton of public comment at the meeting. Council members likely won't have an easy time deciding this one.

Look out for the ladder cops

A fishing vessel owner tells Deckboss he was surprised a few days ago when a U.S. Coast Guard boarding team issued his skipper a ticket for lack of a pilot ladder onboard.

The owner shared a copy of the ticket with us.

The ladder regulation hadn't been enforced previously — boarding teams never asked for a ladder during numerous boardings, he said, and no one ever asked to see one during dockside exams.

The boat involved in the Jan. 21 boarding was a 58-footer fishing cod in the Bering Sea out of False Pass. The boarding team was from the Coast Guard cutter Alex Haley.

The boarding team told the skipper they were "starting now" to enforce the ladder requirement, the fishing vessel owner said.

A pilot ladder is a flexible ladder lowered over the side of a vessel to aid people coming aboard.

Such ladders are helpful, as it's always perilous to climb from boat to boat.

This recent enforcement action begs the question: Are we seeing a crackdown on the pilot ladder requirement?

The vessel owner noted that pilot ladders are bulky, and expensive.

Scott Wilwert, the Coast Guard's fishing vessel safety program manager for Alaska, told us he was not aware of any big enforcement push on pilot ladders.

But fishermen should be aware that if their vessel has more than 4 feet of freeboard, federal regulations require a boarding ladder to assist law enforcement personnel and fishery observers, Wilwert said.

Freeboard can change considerably depending on whether the fishing vessel is tanked down, he noted.

The False Pass vessel had a freeboard of 5 feet, 6 inches, the ticket said.

Seattle sinking

A venerable fishing vessel, the Quaker Maid, sadly has sunk at Fishermen's Terminal in Seattle. We don't have any details on how this happened, nor do we know much about the vessel's history. The 72-foot wood boat, a Hanson make, was built in 1935, according to the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission database. The boat was registered for many years with CFEC as a fish tender, with 2020 being the last year. Her homeport is listed as Excursion Inlet, and the owner is Quaker Maid Fisheries, of Lynnwood, Wash. Note the "for sale" sign on the wheelhouse. Jeff Pond photo

Here's your Copper River salmon forecast

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game predicts an uninspiring commercial harvest this year of 728,000 sockeye.

Juneau watch

The House Special Committee on Fisheries has introduced House Joint Resolution 29 supporting continued prohibition of Russian seafood imports.

Halibut catch limit goes lower, but only a little

The International Pacific Halibut Commission, meeting this week in Bellevue, Washington, set this year's coastwide catch limit at 29.33 million pounds.

That's a decrease of 1.3 percent from last year, says this IPHC press release.

Notably, the entire cut comes in Canada, Area 2B.

The commission set a commercial fishing season of 6 a.m. local time March 26 to 11:59 p.m. Dec. 7.

Congressman Begich draws a fisherman challenger

Independent Bill Hill, a Bristol Bay salmon driftnetter and former teacher, says he'll run against U.S. Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska.

Here's his announcement, and here's his bio.

Two hoisted from boat in distress off Kodiak

Details and a photo in this press release from the U.S. Coast Guard.

An update on the F/V Arctic Sea grounding

The fishing vessel Arctic Sea remains hard aground on the rugged north coast of St. George Island in the Bering Sea.

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation today issued situation report No. 2 on the shipwreck, including some new photos and details on efforts to recover fuel and capture any rats that might be aboard.

Unfortunately, it sounds like tough weather is preventing much progress on salvaging the vessel.

Commercial group takes aim at sport bag limit

This proposal is stirring debate as the International Pacific Halibut Commission holds its annual meeting this week in Bellevue, Washington.

Juneau watch

Rep. Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan, is sponsoring House Bill 253 titled "An Act relating to the fisheries enhancement loan program."

Mary Peltola announces U.S. Senate bid

Former Congresswoman Mary Peltola, a Democrat, today announced she'll challenge incumbent U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska.

Peltola, in an email blast from the Democratic National Committee, declared: "My agenda for Alaska will always be: fish, family, freedom."

She further said: "Multinational companies are trawling our waters and decimating our fish stocks."

Sullivan has served in the Senate since 2015 and likewise has shown considerable interest in fisheries, often referring to Alaska as a "superpower of seafood."

How long is too long in Bristol Bay?

The Alaska Board of Fisheries is set for a six-day meeting starting Tuesday in Anchorage to consider regulatory proposals for Bristol Bay, home to Alaska's richest salmon fishery.

The proposals cover a wide range of concerns, but we're particularly interested in this raft of 10 proposals addressing the bay's longstanding 32-foot length limitation for drift gillnet boats.

Proposals to increase the length limit, which many fishermen feel is outmoded and overly confining, have come before the board and failed regularly since 1991.

Now, we see more proposals. For example, Proposal 83, from fisherman Abe Williams, would extend the length limit to 36 feet. Proposal 84, from fisherman Matt Marinkovich, would extend it to 34 feet, 2 inches.

A major objective for fishermen offering the 10 proposals is clearing up confusion over whether certain attachments may somewhat exceed the 32-foot limit. Attachments include anchor rollers, fish dropout baskets, gillnet rollers, outdrives and outdrive guards, trim tabs, transom coolers and more.

In a letter to the Board of Fisheries, Alaska Wildlife Troopers Capt. Derek DeGraaf said the agency doesn't have an opinion on vessel length, but believes allowing no exceptions is best for enforcement.

"Having a maximum distance from the most forward extremity to the aft extremity eliminates all confusion on what is allowed," DeGraaf wrote.

Relaxing the vessel length limitation in Bristol Bay would be a big deal. Proponents argue bigger boats would be safer with more space aboard to produce better quality products. Others, however, raise concerns about the costs involved and potential for creating competitive mismatches in the fishery.

Could be a lively discussion at the Board of Fisheries.

AMCC is changing its name to ... AMCC

The Alaska Marine Conservation Council says that, come Jan. 15, it will be known as the Alaska Marine Community Coalition.

Here's a press release explaining the name change.

Juneau watch

State Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, has prefiled Senate Bill 199 titled "An Act repealing the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Limited Entry Commission and transferring its duties to the Department of Fish and Game and the office of administrative hearings."

The title is an apparent reference to the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

The prefiled bill comes in advance of the next legislative session, which begins Jan. 20.

Bycatch Reduction and Research Act introduced

Here's a press release from the Alaska congressional delegation.

Southeast Chinook run forecasts released

See the numbers in this advisory announcement from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

9 reportedly rescued from grounded boat in Bering

The Anchorage Daily News has the story.