Haight to step aside at CFEC

Glenn Haight, Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission chair, is leaving the position with Feb. 27 to be his last day.

Haight advised the governor's office via email that he didn't plan to seek reappointment for a new four-year term.

The CFEC is a small agency that controls participation in Alaska's many fisheries. It issued 16,973 commercial fishing permits and 7,101 vessel licenses in 2025.

Haight has helmed CFEC since Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed him chair effective May 7, 2022. His term expires soon, on March 1.

Haight came to CFEC after serving a number of years as executive director of the Alaska Board of Fisheries.

What's next for him? He told Deckboss he's not sure.

"I don't have anything hard and fast right now," Haight said. "My wife has a list of things."

Haight has led CFEC through a period of rebuilding, concentrating on filling open positions and advancing efforts to modernize the agency's information technology systems. The agency is budgeted for 21 permanent full-time employees.

"Operations have stabilized," Haight told the governor's office. He further wrote: "Working at CFEC these last few years has been very rewarding. However, I need to step back and let others take over."

CFEC has been controversial over the years, with some questioning whether it has enough work to justify a standalone agency, with handsome salaries for its leadership.

State Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, this year introduced Senate Bill 199 to transfer CFEC's duties to the Department of Fish and Game.

CFEC can have up to two commissioners, and with Haight's exit only Rick Green will remain. It's unclear at this point whether the governor will appoint a replacement for Haight.

The governor appointed Green to the commission in 2024. He previously was special assistant to state Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang, but is best known for his years hosting the "Rick Rydell" radio show.

During a legislative hearing this week in Juneau, with Haight and Green appearing as witnesses, House Speaker Bryce Edgmon asked about the "succession plan" at CFEC.

Green acknowledged he lives in Anchorage, not Juneau where CFEC is based.

Presumably, Green will become lead commissioner, and CFEC for the first time will not have  a commissioner in Juneau, Edgmon said.

"I have to tell you that that is unsettling to me," Edgmon said, noting he himself is a former permit holder. "I think the commissioner should be here with the staff."

Green noted, however, that the commission has an executive director who "basically runs" the agency.

Southeast crab fishery on weather hold

More details in this advisory announcement from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

'The Grace'

Here's a 13-minute documentary film about a struggling Southeast Alaska salmon troller.

Salmon notes

• The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has set a total allowable catch of 1,487,153 sockeye for this year's Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone salmon fishery. That's well above last year's 800,126 sockeye.

• In legislative action in Juneau, the Senate Resources Committee yesterday held a hearing on Senate Bill 158. Sponsored by Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, the bill would segregate eastside Cook Inlet setnet permits into their own district separate from the rest of the inlet. The sponsor says this would help the setnetters — who have been mostly shut down in recent years to conserve scarce Chinook salmon — pursue relief such as a buyback of permits. Video of the hearing is available here and is well worth watching.

• Circle Seafoods, of Aberdeen, Washington, announced plans for the upcoming salmon season: "In partnership with the Metlakatla Indian Community, Circle plans to operate on Annette Island during the 2026 salmon season. The Circle I barge, with a daily production capacity of 500,000 pounds and 1M pounds of salmon tank capacity, is expected to moor at the city dock in Metlakatla and buy fish off the port side." The company posted a video of its rapid slush ice delivery system. Circle debuted its newly built processing barge last year at Metlakatla.

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.

Gulf gets more cod

Details in this press release from the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Togiak herring quota set, but will anyone fish?

This year's harvest quota for the Togiak sac roe herring fishery is a sizeable 20,737 tons.

The question is, will any commercial fishermen go after it?

We saw no fishery 2023, 2024 and 2025 due to lack of market interest.

This could well be the fourth consecutive year the Togiak herring fishery remains dormant.

It's odd considering that years ago, this was a wildly competitive fishery with numerous boats, spotter planes and processors going after fish valued in Asia for their eggs, or roe.

Here's the quota announcement from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.