Turning about

"After losing jobs for five straight years, Alaska's seafood harvesting industry grew 4 percent in 2025," the state Department of Labor reports in Trends magazine.

Tender Amatuli for sale

Here's a reel with details.

Mind the teeth

Here's an interesting article about one of the more fascinating creatures in Alaska waters — the salmon shark.

"If you incidentally catch a salmon shark please contact me," writes Sabrina Garcia, a marine research biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Bristol Bay forecast is out!

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is forecasting a 2027 harvest of just under 34 million Bristol Bay sockeye salmon.

That would be a significant increase from this season's catch of about 30 million sockeye.

Another closure for Kodiak Tanner crab

The Kodiak District bairdi Tanner crab fishery will remain closed for a second consecutive season, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced.

The closure continues the fishery's slump.

A few years back, for the 2023 fishery, managers sparked great excitement in setting a guideline harvest level of 5.8 million pounds for the Kodiak District. GHLs tapered from there.

For the 2027 season, the Chignik and South Peninsula districts also will be closed along with the Kodiak District, Fish and Game said.

Catch down, value up

This year's commercial salmon harvest of 99 million fish was only half that of 2025. But value was up 20 percent to $648 million, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports.

Much more detail in this season summary.

Warhorse

The Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development is featuring the vintage fish tender Afognak.

Helicopter hoists crew to safety

The U.S. Coast Guard reports it rescued five people today after the 58-foot fishing vessel Oracle ran aground near False Pass.

More details and a video in this press release.

Wild Fish Conservancy threatens to sue again

Here's the press release.

A hot pink salmon forecast

Next year's Southeast Alaska pink salmon harvest is expected to be in the "excellent" range at 67 million fish, says the forecast released today.

Trump announces America First Seafood Strategy

Here's the press release.

Login.gov update

The National Marine Fisheries Service has sent a response to concerns the North Pacific Fishery Management Council raised regarding a coming federal cybersecurity requirement.

Fuel notes

• Trident Seafoods, one of Alaska's biggest salmon processors, is providing fishermen some price relief on fuel. In a message to its fleet, the Seattle-based company said it was "retroactively adjusting our 2026 Bristol Bay diesel price from $6.65 per gallon to $6.15 per gallon with your fall settlements. This adjustment reflects savings achieved through strategic fuel purchasing and the buying power of our statewide operations." The company added: "Trident does not believe in the business of profiting from fuel sales to our fishermen or the coastal Alaska communities in which we operate."

• U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, says fishermen will be eligible for a U.S. Department of Agriculture fuel relief program. More details in this press release.

Why are opilio crab crossing with bairdi?

It has to do with a Bering Sea marine heatwave, a new study finds.

Dock talk

Here are notes on a couple of important dock improvement projects, one at Unalaska and the other in Seattle.

• The City of Unalaska is looking to upgrade its Spit Dock, which provides moorage for commercial fishing and other vessels up to 300 feet. More details in this request for proposals.

• The Port of Seattle has completed a $98 million redevelopment project at Terminal 91, restoring moorage for factory trawlers, motherships, research vessels and more. Improvements include a building for lease to American Seafoods. Here's a quick video explaining the project.

Council wants an accounting

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council, meeting in Anchorage, today passed this brief but interesting motion.

Russia watch

The following is from a U.S. Coast Guard enforcement report to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting this week in Anchorage.

U.S./Russian Maritime Boundary Line (MBL) Enforcement

During the reporting period, there was medium to high foreign-flagged longline and trawl fishing on the Russian side of the MBL. In the month of June, there were 88 potential FF/V incursions by 13 different Russian fishing vessels detected via electronic means. CGC ALEX HALEY patrolled the MBL in response to this activity, and no further potential incursions were detected. Coast Guard Arctic District patrols the MBL using both C-130 aircraft and surface vessels to deter and detect illegal incursions. No vessels were observed fishing over the line by Coast Guard aircraft or cutters. Coast Guard Arctic District contacted the Russian Border Guard (RBG) about each potential incursion. RBG responded to all reports of potential incursions and indicated that their investigation resulted in administrative penalties for two vessels that crossed the MBL due to Force Majeure but failed to notify the Russian government in accordance with Russian laws. All other potential incursions were noted to be too brief or limited in depth to be confirmed MBL crossings by Russian standards. RBG also indicated that their investigation confirmed no Russian vessels were engaged in fishing actively while transiting in the U.S. EEZ.

The New York Times discovers Alaska fish politics

Here's an article and a video.

Red king crab, bairdi surge while snow crab dips

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game today announced Bering Sea crab harvest quotas for the 2026-27 season.

The Bristol Bay red king crab quota is 3.41 million pounds, a 27 percent increase from last season.

The Bering Sea snow crab quota is 5.1 million pounds, down 45 percent.

The Bering Sea bairdi Tanner crab quota is 32.1 million pounds, a 185 percent increase.

The season opens at noon Oct. 15, with the fleet expected to concentrate on red king crab first.

Northwest oil threat?

A proposed Canadian pipeline could "bring a massive expansion in both the volume of crude oil and the number of tankers transiting the Salish Sea," Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson and Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller say in a joint statement.