'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.

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.

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.

Pollock industry says it's won MSC recertification

Here's the press release.

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.

Prince William Sound pollock trawl fishery set

The Prince William Sound pollock trawl fishery is set to open Jan. 20 with a quota of 7.3 million pounds, says this advisory announcement from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

That's a 20 percent drop from last season's quota of 9.1 million pounds.

Two captains address pollock trawl 'misinformation'

Read their opinion piece in the Anchorage Daily News.

Another pollockpalooza next year

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council, meeting in Anchorage, today voted 11-0 in support of Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands catch quotas for 2026.

As usual, the quota — or total allowable catch — for Bering Sea pollock is gargantuan at 1,375,000 metric tons.

That's only slightly below this year's TAC of 1,389,000 tons.

Setting groundfish quotas was tricky this year as the federal government shutdown, which lasted from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, disrupted the normal scientific stock assessment process.

Avoiding salmon in the Bering Sea pollock fishery

A new study examines how the pollock fishery might avoid salmon bycatch by better understanding how Chinook and chum respond to oceanographic conditions.

Trident among winners in huge USDA pollock buy

The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced the purchase of 34.7 million pounds of Alaska pollock products — frozen fish sticks, nuggets and fillets — for $84.2 million.

USDA awarded contracts to three companies including Seattle-based Trident Seafoods Corp., which sold 5.6 million pounds for $14.7 million.

The pollock purchase is "in support of child nutrition and other related domestic food distribution programs," the USDA said.

Epic government pollock buy

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is looking to buy a huge volume of Alaska pollock products — more than 43 million pounds of frozen fish sticks, nuggets and fillets, according to this 127-page solicitation.

Notable reading

Alaska Public Media has an update on the Metlakatla fishing rights case.

And Alaska pollock trawlers, in a column in the Anchorage Daily News, defend their fishery.

Trident, Silver Bay land USDA pollock contracts

Here's the announcement.

USDA seeks another big bite of pollock products

Details in this solicitation.

Trident's big contract

Seattle-based Trident Seafoods Corp. has won a contract to sell the U.S. Department of Agriculture nearly 10.6 million pounds of Alaska pollock products — frozen fillets, fish sticks and nuggets — for $25.1 million.

The purchase is "in support of child nutrition and other related domestic food distribution programs," says this USDA announcement.

Huge government pollock buy coming, ASMI says

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to purchase up to $50 million of Alaska pollock, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute said in a press release.

"These USDA purchases provide food insecure Americans with high-quality, healthy and sustainable seafood protein," ASMI said. "They also support American fishermen, companies and communities currently struggling with low pollock prices due to reductions in demand and increased competition, mostly from Russia."

Board of Fisheries to weigh PWS proposals

The Alaska Board of Fisheries is meeting this week in Cordova to consider dozens of proposals for the Prince William Sound region.

Here are a few attracting our interest:

Proposal 16, from the Chenega IRA Council, would close the Prince William Sound pollock trawl fishery.

Proposal 43, from Cordova District Fishermen United, would establish a directed octopus fishery in Prince William Sound.

Proposal 73, from James Burton, and several other proposals deal with permit stacking in the salmon seine and driftnet fisheries.

Proposal 78, from Virgil Umphenour, would reduce Prince William Sound pink salmon hatchery production by 25 percent.

Opinion: Appreciate CDQ program, pollock fishery

In an Anchorage Daily News opinion piece, three community development quota executives tout the value of the CDQ program and the pollock fishery that underpins it.

Uncle Sam wants fish

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is looking to buy large quantities of salmon products as well as pollock products.

Those sneaky Russians

Writing in the Anchorage Daily News, Einar Gustafsson, CEO of American Seafoods, which operates a fleet of Bering Sea pollock factory trawlers, complains about market competition from Russia.