December 17, 2025 — NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on a new draft environmental impact statement for four potential strategies to reduce chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock fishery. Comments are due Jan. 5.
The document responds to a request from the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to evaluate management options ahead of its February meeting in Anchorage.
Chum salmon, including fish from Western Alaska river systems, are unintentionally caught in the Bering Sea pollock trawl fleet.
Scientists and fishery managers attribute declines in Western Alaska chum to a mix of stressors, including changing marine conditions, competition with large numbers of hatchery-origin fish from Asia, commercial harvest, and bycatch in other fisheries.
For many Alaska Native communities, the downturn has caused repeated subsistence fishing restrictions, threatening food security and creating economic, social, and cultural strain.