Bone up on business

Here's something that sounds worthwhile.

Alaska Sea Grant is offering an online Business of Fishing workshop.

"It is designed for boat owners, permit holders and fishermen looking to upgrade their fishing operations and improve their financial management skills," the event description says.

National marine sanctuary effort dropped

A Bering Sea tribal government is backing off its proposal for a national marine sanctuary in the area of St. Paul Island.

The Aleut Community of St. Paul Island in late 2021 nominated what it called Heart of the Ocean for consideration as a national marine sanctuary. The nomination has been pending with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

However, the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government has "decided not to pursue" designation of Heart of the Ocean as a national marine sanctuary, according to a brief notice online.

The notice doesn't elaborate further.

But a recent International Pacific Halibut Commission report says the tribal government, in dropping the marine sanctuary effort, instead has "signed an agreement with the federal government focused on Indigenous-led conservation in waters surrounding the Bering Sea island."

Rick Lauber crosses the bar

Rick Lauber, former chairman of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, has died. Here's an obituary.

'Trouble at Sea'

A documentary film titled "Trouble at Sea" is set to air at 7 p.m. tonight on Alaska Public Media TV.

The film "explores the ecological ripple effects of salmon hatcheries and asks Alaskans to engage in hard conversations about the future of our changing oceans," according to an online promo.

The hatchery industry already is firing back. Here's a statement from Salmon Hatcheries for Alaska.

King Cove mayor issues 'help wanted' plea

The imperiled town's seafood processing plant is "now going on three years of being closed," writes Mayor Warren Wilson.

An update on the Metlakatla case

Here's the story from Alaska Public Media's Eric Stone.

Showtime in Seattle

Pacific Marine Expo runs today through Saturday in Seattle.

The huge trade show annually attracts scores of North Pacific commercial fishermen looking to shop gear or mingle with old friends.

Show details are here.

Are you going? I hope so. Unfortunately, Deckboss can't make it this year.

'Salmon everywhere'

Here's what happens when you knock out a bunch of dams on a legacy salmon river.

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.

An 'average' pink salmon forecast

"The 2026 Southeast Alaska pink salmon harvest is expected to be near average, with a harvest forecast of 19 million fish," says this advisory announcement.

Personnel file

Diana Evans has been named interim executive director of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council following the retirement of David Witherell.

Notable reading

Northern Journal has launched an interesting series of articles.

Here's part one on the struggling Pacific halibut fishery.

And here's a sidebar.

Bristol Bay forecast is out!

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is forecasting a 2026 Bristol Bay harvest of 32.3 million sockeye salmon.

Last season produced a catch of 41.2 million.

Search warrant served in Kodiak

A Kodiak organization representing the trawl industry says Alaska Wildlife Troopers this week served a search warrant at its downtown office.

Electronics including the the executive director's laptop and cell phone were seized, the Alaska Groundfish Data Bank (AGDB) said in an "urgent update" sent Wednesday to the organization's members.

A spokesman for the Alaska Wildlife Troopers today said the agency was working on a media statement regarding the matter. The Alaska Groundfish Data Bank has represented Gulf of Alaska shoreside trawl catcher vessels and processors since 1986, the organization's website says.

The investigation doesn't appear to be focused on AGDB per se. Rather, the search is believed to be part of a broader investigation into the disposition of "prohibited species catch" such as salmon and halibut. These fish are taken as bycatch in trawl groundfish fisheries and can't be sold.

AGDB's executive director, Julie Bonney, in October testified before the North Pacific Fishery Management Council regarding a recent change of management policy to bar turning prohibited species catch into fishmeal.

Such fish now are hauled from processing plants to sea and dumped.

"AGDB does not have anything to hide, so it's extremely unfortunate that authorities have chose to take this route," the member update said.

Where have all the fishermen gone?

The state Department of Labor's latest Alaska Economic Trends magazine has a cover story devoted to fishing jobs.

"Alaska lost seafood harvesting jobs for a fifth straight year in 2024, bringing the industry to its lowest job count since data collection began in 2001," the department reports.

Washington watch

Two Southern senators have introduced a bill requiring all seafood be "clearly labeled" with country of origin and whether it's wild-caught or farm-raised.

Here's a press release from U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Mississippi.

Statewide salmon value surges upward

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has published its summary of the salmon season.

"The 2025 commercial salmon fishery harvest for all species was valued at approximately $541 million, a significant increase from $304 million in the 2024 season," the department said.

Copper River shortfall

The Copper River District saw a commercial sockeye salmon harvest of about 840,000 fish this year, less than half the preseason forecast of 1.92 million.

Lots more numbers in this Prince William Sound salmon season summary.