Another opportunity for trollers

Southeast Alaska trollers will get a fourth summer opener beginning just after midnight Thursday, with 5,400 treaty Chinook available, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said in an advisory announcement.

Each permit holder will be allocated 15 Chinook for the 10-day opener.

The third summer opener ran from Aug. 24 through Sept. 2, with 331 permit holders taking about 4,400 Chinook, the department said.

Salmon notes

• The Southeast Alaska summer troll fishery will see a third opener beginning just after midnight tonight, with about 6,800 treaty Chinook up for grabs. Each troll permit holder will be allocated 18 Chinook for the 10-day fishery.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the purchase of nearly $877,000 in canned pink salmon from Silver Bay Seafoods for the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program.

• British Columbia activists behind a campaign known as Alaska's Dirty Secret are again accusing Southeast Alaska fishermen of intercepting, or "stealing," Canadian salmon. They've posted this video.

17 Chinook per permit

Two trollers at work. Pacific Fishing magazine archival photo

The second summer Chinook opener for Southeast Alaska trollers will begin just after midnight Friday, with each permit to be allocated 17 fish, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today.

Trollers will have 10 days to catch their salmon.

Overall, about 9,000 treaty Chinook remain up for grabs — a number too small for a competitive fishery. Thus, the department is going with equal shares of 17 Chinook per registered permit.

The first summer opener, in early July, produced a catch of 44,797 Chinook. The fish averaged 10.8 pounds and paid an average of $8.07 per pound.

Salmon notes

• The Bristol Bay salmon harvest stands at nearly 38 million fish, with daily catches now appearing to slow significantly. Deckboss still hasn't heard anything regarding ex-vessel prices.

• Southeast trollers will get a second summer Chinook opener next month, but the available quota won't be enough for a competitive fishery. So, the Department of Fish and Game plans to divide the quota among registered permit holders. After Aug. 1, the department will announce the number of Chinook per permit, and the dates for the planned 10-day opener.

Salmon notes

Here's a quick update as the Alaska salmon season continues to unfold.

• The statewide commercial catch now exceeds 2.8 million salmon, including 1.4 million sockeye and 1.2 million chums. These totals are small — we won't see really big numbers until the Bristol Bay sockeye fishery and the pink salmon fisheries kick in later in the summer. The state has forecast a total haul of 214.6 million salmon for this season.

• The first opener of the Southeast Alaska summer troll season will begin July 1 targeting about 36,500 treaty Chinook salmon, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today. That's way down from last year's initial quota of 64,700 Chinook.

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.

Potential victory for the troll fishery

The federal government has released documents that could put an end to the Wild Fish Conservancy's lawsuit challenging the Southeast Alaska salmon troll fishery.

Here's an Alaska Department of Fish and Game press release that explains further.

Twelve more for trollers

Southeast Alaska trollers are getting a shot at 4,000 additional treaty Chinook salmon.

A 10-day fishery opens after midnight tonight, with 12 Chinook allocated per permit, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced.

Salmon notes

Here are a few interesting items as the salmon season steams ahead.

• The statewide commercial salmon harvest stands at just over 70 million fish. The preseason forecast called for a harvest of 135.6 million fish this year. That could be unattainable with the pink salmon harvest lagging badly, especially in Prince William Sound.

• It appears Southeast Alaska trollers might be denied a second summer opener and the chance to catch 15,000 highly valuable Chinook salmon. The Alaska Trollers Association is livid.

• Juneau-based Alaska Glacier Seafoods has acquired Triad Fisheries for an undisclosed price. Triad, based in Sitka the past 16 years, works with a group of independent hook-and-line, frozen-at-sea boats primarily fishing king and coho salmon in Southeast Alaska, with the catch marketed under the Bruce Gore brand.

• Saturday, Aug. 10, is Alaska Wild Salmon Day!

Summer troll fishery set

The summer troll fishery will open July 1 targeting 64,700 treaty Chinook salmon, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today.

That's a considerable drop-off from last year's opening period target of 74,800 treaty Chinook.

What about disaster funding for trollers?

The Alaska Trollers Association has posted an update.

A few extra fish for Southeast Alaska trollers

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game today announced a preseason troll treaty harvest allocation for 2024 of 153,000 Chinook salmon, up 3,900 from last year.

Addressing the court's concerns

The National Marine Fisheries Service is grinding through a tedious process that, once complete, could form a bulwark against the lawsuit aiming to shut down the Southeast Alaska salmon troll fishery.

In the hatch

The first opener of the Southeast Alaska summer troll fishery closes at midnight tonight, with the fleet expected to reach the full quota of 77,100 Chinook.

Troll fishery set

Southeast Alaska salmon trollers will go after 74,800 treaty Chinook starting July 1.

Troll legal battle

For important updates, revisit our May 2 post on the Wild Fish Conservancy court case, which is threatening to shut down this summer's Southeast Alaska troll Chinook fishery.

Hammer drops on Southeast trollers

A Seattle federal judge today issued a two-page order that would appear to close this summer's Southeast Alaska Chinook salmon troll fishery.

We'll update this post with reaction expected to pour in shortly.

Updates:

The Alaska Trollers Association says the judge's order "will cause irreparable harm to the communities of Southeast Alaska."

SalmonState, an environmental organization, condemns the Wild Fish Conservancy lawsuit and concludes: "This fight is far from over."

The state of Alaska plans to appeal "a bitter ruling" that takes the "radical step" of closing a fishery.

The Wild Fish Conservancy hails "a landmark order halting the overharvest of Chinook salmon in Southeast Alaska that has persisted for decades, jeopardizing the survival of federally protected Southern Resident killer whales and wild Chinook populations coastwide."

Eric Jordan, of Sitka, writing on Facebook: "Tough news for this lifelong troller."

Alaska Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang: "I find this ruling to be wholly unfair and disappointing."

The Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association calls out the court's "disappointing decision" and vows to "continue to fight Wild Fish Conservancy's spurious lawsuit."

The state of Alaska wastes no time in filing its notice of appeal.

The Alaska congressional delegation condemns the court order.

The National Marine Fisheries Service issues a statement saying: "We are working expeditiously to address the court's order."

The state of Alaska moves for a partial stay of the judge's order pending appeal.

The Alaska Trollers Association says it has received confirmation from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game that the troll coho and chum fisheries "will occur this year as normal, although without Chinook retention."

Norman Pillen, president of Seafood Producers Cooperative, writes in a column that the company and its fishermen "will survive this debacle."

NMFS also is appealing the judge's order.

Jon Kurland, head of NMFS for Alaska, will be in Sitka on June 7 to give salmon trollers an update on the agency's response to the Wild Fish Conservancy lawsuit.

NMFS summarizes its actions in the case.

Seattle federal Judge Richard A. Jones denies the state's motion for a partial stay of his May 2 order. Thus, Southeast Alaska's summer Chinoook salmon troll fishery remains in jeopardy of closure this year.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game releases an update on the situation.

NMFS hasn't ruled out opening the summer troll season despite the judge's rulings, Sitka radio station KCAW reports.

Southeast Alaska tribes and Native corporations have filed papers in support of keeping the troll fishery open. "Approximately 31 percent of Southeast Alaska's trollers are tribal citizens," the filing says.

Troll Chinook limit takes a hit

The state today announced a commercial troll treaty harvest allocation for 2023 of 149,100 Chinook salmon, which is 44,100 fish below last year's limit.

Now, we wait to see if the courts allow the troll fishery to proceed.

Conservancy replies

The Wild Fish Conservancy has filed this nine-page response to the Alaska congressional delegation's amici curiae brief.

Conservancy lawyers seem to argue, among other things, that Congress could simply appropriate disaster funds if the court orders a troll fishery closure.

Congressional delegation weighs in

Alaska's congressional delegation has filed this amici curiae brief arguing against any shutdown of the Southeast Alaska salmon troll fishery.