Kodiak notes

Here are a couple of interesting items from Alaska's Emerald Isle:

• ComFish Alaska, Kodiak's big fisheries trade show, is set for April 15-17. Here are all the details.

• The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned a new cutter, the John Witherspoon, in a ceremony Thursday in Kodiak. It's the first of three fast-response cutters to be homeported at Coast Guard Base Kodiak.

Crewman reported missing at Unalaska

Details in this city news release.

Washington watch

Here are two notes of interest from the nation's capital.

• U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and colleagues have introduced legislation to help seafood processors meet labor needs.

• U.S. Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska, is cosponsoring a bill to establish "a dedicated secretary of the Coast Guard, providing the service with the same level of leadership and representation as the Army, Navy and Air Force."

Nenana woman named to Board of Fisheries

Here's the announcement from Gov. Mike Dunleavy:

Olivia Henaayee Irwin of Nenana has been appointed to the Board of Fisheries. Irwin has served as co-chair of the Minto/Nenana Fish and Game Advisory Committee and currently works as a policy coordinator at the Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association.

Fish farming in Alaska?

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has prepared this overview for House Bill 111, the governor's legislation to legalize limited fish farming in the state.

Bill would expand Farm Credit System for fishing

U.S. Sens. Angus King, of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, are among sponsors of the legislation. More details in this press release.

A big cut for Southeast Alaska trollers

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game today announced a preseason troll treaty harvest allocation for 2025 of 92,700 Chinook salmon, down 39 percent or 60,300 fish from last year.