Juneau watch

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has signed House Bill 33 into law.

Kodiak Republican Rep. Louise Stutes, in her sponsor statement, said the bill would allow members of the Board of Fisheries to have a say on subjects for which they have a personal or financial interest.

"The passage of this bill will allow the conflicted board members to offer remarks and input on deliberations but still precludes them from voting on the conflicted issue," the statement said.

Commercial fishing organizations including United Fishermen of Alaska generally supported the legislation, while other interests such as the Kenai River Sportfishing Association opposed it.

ASMI hails federal funds for international marketing

Here's a press release from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.

An update on Board of Fisheries appointments

A few days ago, we reported the governor had picked three people for service on the Alaska Board of Fisheries.

Now, the governor has officially submitted his appointees for legislative confirmation.

But there's been a change.

Paul Cyr, of Ketchikan, is now an appointee instead of Josh Hayes, of Anchorage.

The other two are Blair Hickson, of Wasilla, and Mike Wood, of Talkeetna, who already holds a seat on the board and is being reappointed to a second term.

Board of Fisheries to hold special meeting Friday

The Alaska Board of Fisheries will convene a special meeting online at 1 p.m. Friday to consider four board-generated proposals.

Proposal 192 is drawing the most interest. It would make a change in eastside Cook Inlet legal commercial fishing gear, replacing set gillnet gear with set beach seine nets.

Beach seining could be a way to allow fishermen to harvest sockeye salmon while safely releasing scarce king salmon, says this Alaska Department of Fish and Game commentary on Proposal 192.

But the proposal is expected to draw opposition.

A second commissioner for CFEC

The governor has appointed Tracy Welch, of Juneau, to the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

CFEC now has a full complement of two commissioners, the other being Rick Green.

Oregon's new man on the North Pacific Council

Details in this letter.

Juneau watch

Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, says he added an amendment for the state fish and game commissioner to "institute and oversee an electronic monitoring system for trawl vessels that participate in state fisheries."

More in this Facebook post.

Expect a smaller salmon catch this year

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is forecasting a commercial harvest of 125.5 million salmon this year.

If realized, a harvest of that size would be considerably less than last year's haul of 197.4 million salmon.

A much smaller catch of pink salmon is anticipated this year, which largely accounts for the lower forecast.

Three in line for seats on Board of Fisheries

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has picked three individuals for service on the Board of Fisheries. Here are letters the governor sent to each.

Josh Hayes

Blair Hickson

Mike Wood

Wood already holds a seat on the board, so this would be a reappointment in his case.

The other two are newcomers, and Deckboss doesn't know much about them. They would replace two board members who are not seeking reappointment — Greg Svendsen and Gerad Godfrey.

So far, the governor's picks haven't generated much talk, at least not publicly. They're subject to legislative confirmation, but we're not aware of any confirmation hearings thus far.

Could it be this slate of names is meeting some quiet resistance?

'Increasingly unpredictable and unstable'

Four legislators are unhappy with the Alaska Board of Fisheries and have fired off this pointed letter.

USDA Office of Seafood established

Here's a press release.

The Magnuson-Stevens Act at 50

Here's a leadership message from Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, head of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

It's showtime in Kodiak

ComFish Alaska 2026 is set for tomorrow through Saturday in Kodiak.

For more information about the big trade show, click here.

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.

Trident sues over Tacoma fire disaster

You might recall how fire ravaged a Trident Seafoods factory trawler, the Kodiak Enterprise, back in 2023.

Now, Trident reportedly is suing the city of Tacoma over the fire department's handling of the blaze. More in this KING 5 news report.

Are you a wanted fisherman?

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game recently posted its 2026 commercial salmon fishing outlook for Bristol Bay. It's loaded with interesting notes, including Alaska Wildlife Troopers enforcement priorities.

This one stood out to me:

Fishermen who failed to appear for scheduled court hearings do have outstanding arrest warrants issued by the court. Absconders will be arrested and remanded to jails in either Dillingham or King Salmon, which will result in substantial loss of fishing time. Wildlife Troopers encourage fishermen to address any outstanding arrest warrants.

Y'all been warned!

Board of Fisheries sued over Area M action

Here's a press release from the Aleutians East Borough.

Coast Guard seizes 'unreported' pollock roe

The crew of the cutter Waesche seized more than 5 metric tons of pollock roe, worth over $65,000, after uncovering "significant violations of federal fishing regulations" aboard the factory trawler Northern Eagle, says this U.S. Coast Guard press release.

Five hoisted from distressed boat in Aleutians

More details in this press release from the U.S. Coast Guard.

A big boost for Southeast Alaska trollers

The preseason troll treaty harvest allocation for this year is 146,000 Chinook, or more than 53,000 fish above the limit in 2025, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said in this advisory announcement.

'Be cautious about demonizing'

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski yesterday addressed the Alaska Legislature. In her written remarks, she had the following to say regarding fisheries.

Our fisheries ... remain in crisis. When salmon runs collapse, it threatens the food security, culture and ways of life of so many Alaskans.

The reality is that these declines cannot be attributed to one factor alone. There is no silver bullet to solve this complex problem. But when faced with causes beyond our immediate control, like climate change, it is understandable why the discourse focuses on what we can control: bycatch.

Don't get me wrong, there is more we can do to reduce bycatch, and we should do it. An example is Sen. Sullivan's Bycatch Reduction and Research Act, which I am cosponsoring. But we should also be cautious about demonizing one sector of Alaska's fisheries at a time when we need to work together to find solutions.

Commercial fishing provides good jobs and is the economic backbone of dozens of coastal communities. And while it is easy and often appropriate to point fingers at Seattle, we have to remember that many Alaska towns and villages are suffering after losing their fleets and processing plants. Life isn't necessarily better without them.

We need sound science because that is the foundation of sound management. We need constructive dialogue that respects the needs of communities upriver while recognizing the benefits of industry. And we need to focus on what unites us so we can conserve and responsibly harvest one of our most precious, irreplaceable resources.