Disappointment for Kodiak crabbers

The Kodiak District will remain closed for the 2026 commercial Tanner crab season.

Last season, managers set a 560,000-pound catch quota for the district.

Copper River closure

The Copper River District is closing to commercial driftnetting because "the Chinook salmon return may be weak and conservative management at this time is warranted," the state says in this advisory announcement.

Outlaws at Egegik

Citing "numerous reports of illegal fishing activity in closed waters," the Alaska Department of Fish and Game today is closing commercial fishing with driftnet gear in Bristol Bay's Egegik District.

A timeout for the Copper River

The Copper River is off to a hot start this season, with the first three fishing periods yielding stronger than expected catches of sockeye salmon.

Now, the fishery is taking a break.

The Copper River District will remain closed on Monday, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today. The department didn't say when the fishery might reopen.

The problem appears to be lagging escapement upriver. The cumulative sonar count through Friday was 2,808 fish whereas 44,862 had been projected, the department said.

The cumulative harvest to date in the Copper River District is about 168,000 sockeye and 4,100 Chinook.

Peter Pan temporarily idles its King Cove plant

Bellevue, Washington-based processor Peter Pan Seafood today issued this statement regarding its operational status for this year in Alaska:

We are saddened to inform our fishermen and the King Cove community that Peter Pan Seafood will not be able to operate our King Cove facility for the 2024 A Season. This is an unfortunate but temporary step. We will be open for the 2024 B Season, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to Alaska, our fleet, and the communities where we do business.

We did not come to this decision quickly or easily. The current state of the seafood industry is tumultuous, and it has impacted many operators in the region. The industry is facing inflation, interest rates hikes, financing challenges, and high fuel costs. We have worked through these issues as diligently as possible and have explored possible options. This temporary step, while difficult, is necessary to maintain our long-term commitment to the future of our business in Alaska.

We remain committed to continuing to provide the best service and support possible to our fleet, communities, and stakeholders while continuing our mission to be an exemplary global supplier of top-quality and responsibly sourced seafood. Looking to the future, we will employ more than 1,000 this year as we open the King Cove facility for the 2024 B Season and our other three facilities as normal for the salmon season.

We are steadfast in our future commitment to Alaska, our fleet, and the communities we do business in. We are grateful for the strong relationship we have with King Cove and we remain committed to doing everything in our power to support the community and fishermen during this time.

Copper River closure

After two lackluster fishing periods to begin the season, the Copper River salmon fishery is going on hiatus, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced.

Calamitous crab announcement

The Bristol Bay red king crab fishery, historically one of Alaska's most valuable shellfish harvests, will be closed this season due to stock weakness. Here's the announcement.

Kenai closure

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game just announced the following:

In an effort to conserve the Kenai River king salmon population for future generations of Alaskans, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is closing sport fishing for king salmon on the Kenai River and in marine waters of Cook Inlet north of Bluff Point and is closing all commercial setnet fisheries on the east side of Upper Cook Inlet effective ... July 24.

More in this press release.

Bad news for bairdi

The Bering Sea bairdi Tanner crab fishery will not open this season, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today.

That's a significant blow to the Alaska seafood industry. Last season, the fleet had a catch quota of nearly 20 million pounds of bairdi.

No go for Southeast red king crab

After opening in 2011 to end a five-year shutdown, the Southeast Alaska commercial red king crab fishery will remain closed this year due to weak stocks.

State fishery managers say the biomass of mature male crab is at its lowest level in 22 years. Read more here.

Last season, 54 permit holders had a small but lucrative harvest of 176,083 pounds of red king crab. The crab paid $10.64 per pound at the docks, for a total fishery value of $1.87 million.

Ocean Beauty shutters damaged Petersburg plant

Seattle-based Ocean Beauty Seafoods won't operate its Petersburg cannery this year due to damage sustained when the state ferry Matanuska crashed into the plant May 7.

Ocean Beauty has arranged to process fish elsewhere, including at its Excursion Inlet plant.

Here's the company press release.

The Petersburg plant usually runs from late June to mid-September and employs 160 to 180 people from all over the United States and Mexico, Ocean Beauty's website says.

Deckboss imagines the weak pink salmon forecast made the shutdown decision a little easier.

Recall that Ocean Beauty idled the Petersburg plant before, in 2010, in expectation of a low pink return.

It's all over in Sitka

Coming into the season, Sitka Sound herring seiners had a record 28,829-ton quota in front of them.

But the blockbuster harvest wasn't to be.

Today, the Department of Fish and Game closed the season after a scratchy harvest of 13,534 tons, or less than half of that big quota.

The department said the decision was "based on the completion of major spawning in Sitka Sound."

Of course, Sitka herring are valuable only if harvested before they spawn and drop their prized roe.

Well, Deckboss imagines we'll be debating this curious herring season for quite some time.

Maybe a smaller harvest is for the best, given the poor price Sitka herring fetched last year.

Thoughts, anyone?

Upper Cook Inlet king fishery to stay closed

Here's an announcement from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game canceling commercial fishing periods for Chinook salmon in part of Upper Cook Inlet.

Southeast red king crab fishery to remain closed

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today we won't be having a Southeast Alaska red king crab fishery in 2009-10.

This will be the fourth consecutive season closure due to weak crab stocks.

The state's management plan says the fishery can't open unless the stock is able to support a catch of at least 200,000 pounds of mature male red king crab.

Fish and Game estimates the stock, based on the latest survey results, could support only a 13,075-pound harvest.

"Regionally, the biomass of mature male red king crab has been declining since 2001 and is currently at its lowest level in sixteen years," according to this Fish and Game press release.

The commercial catch of red king crabs in Southeast peaked in 1979-80, when 39 permit holders took 658,087 pounds.