Saving Seafood

ALASKA: Managers OK increase in Gulf of Alaska cod harvest after shutdown delayed analysis

February 10, 2026 — In a decision that was delayed by the prolonged federal government shutdown last fall, federal fishery regulators have increased this year’s allowable harvest of Pacific cod in the Gulf of Alaska.

The approximately 37.5% increase in total allowable catch was approved by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, the panel that oversees commercial seafood harvests in federal waters off Alaska. The new limit approved by council members on Thursday totaled 30,053 metric tons across all three designated regions of the Gulf of Alaska, up from 21,826 metric tons tentatively approved in December.

Normally, the annual harvest limits for groundfish species like pollock and Pacific cod for both the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska are set at the council’s regular December meetings.

Fishery scientists lacked sufficient time to analyze data from summer surveys because of the record 43-day federal government shutdown that ended on Nov. 12, so the council then wound up using 2024 recommendations to set 2026 harvest limits.

Read the full article at Alaska Beacon

ALASKA: Low king salmon forecast leads to multiple restrictions in Alaska

February 10, 2026. — Fishing for king salmon this summer will be highly restricted after the total run forecasts for the Deshka River, Kenai River early-run, Kenai River late-run and Anchor River all show low numbers.

“King salmon are experiencing a period of poor productivity and escapement goals are not likely to be achieved in 2026,” the Alaska Department of Fish and Game stated on Monday.

“It’s all within the vein of trying to conserve king salmon in Southcentral Alaska,” said Kristine Dunker, regional supervisor for Fish Game in Southcentral Alaska.

Dunker said the state hopes that by releasing the latest regulations in February, Alaska anglers will be have plenty of time to plan for the upcoming summer.

Read the full article at KTUU

ALASKA: Science symposium emphasizes Indigenous knowledge, finfish, kelp

February 9, 2026 — Gulf of Alaska maritime issues, from halibut and herring to kelp farming, were on the agenda during the four-day Alaska Marine Science Symposium in Anchorage from Jan. 26-30.

The importance of engaging Indigenous knowledge in policy making for fisheries management in Alaska was the focus of a presentation by Hekia Bodwitch of the University of Alaska Southeast, and Alex Jenkins of the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

They noted that historically western government leaders and scientists have excluded Indigenous peoples from policymaking and research, and that uneven power dynamics persist today.

In their studies they examined perceived successes, shortcomings and limitations of recent initiatives in Alaska’s fisheries management focused on engaging Indigenous knowledge. These efforts included those of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and the Alaska Board of Fisheries. Their study involved interviews with more than 30 fishery policymakers and advisors, as well as analyses of policymaking meetings.

Those interviewed spoke of barriers to change stemming from legal frameworks, political-economic dynamics, and policy implementation challenges.

Some of these challenges reflect a mismatch between how Indigenous knowledge is typically shared and public testimony processes. Those interviewed also emphasized that Indigenous peoples remain underrepresented in policymaking, while their participation is essential in order to engage Indigenous knowledge to effect meaningful change.

Read the full article at The Cordova Times

ALASKA: Alaska regulators forecast strong Prince William Sound pink salmon run for 2026

February 4, 2026 — The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is forecasting both a strong pink salmon harvest and a strong chum salmon harvest in the Prince William Sound this year, with both expected to be 14 percent above the recent 10-year average for even years.

The official forecast predicts a wild pink salmon harvest of 3.9 million for the Prince William Sound, which would fall below last year’s 5.9 million pink salmon harvested.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Unalaska’s pollock industry anticipates upcoming chum bycatch decision

February 2, 2026 — The Unalaska City Council took up the issue of salmon bycatch at its two January meetings, ultimately agreeing to support industry-run bycatch avoidance programs.

Salmon bycatch has been a flashpoint for years. And the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which oversees federal fisheries in Alaska, including in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, will now weigh in on whether to impose stricter limits on chum salmon bycatch at its upcoming February meeting.

That’s got Unalaska leaders worried the decision could threaten the pollock industry that underpins the island’s economy.

“This is one of the most important items in the last few years,” said Frank Kelty, the city’s fisheries consultant at the city council’s Jan. 13 meeting.

Kelty warned council members that proposed limits could have major consequences for the community, whose economy revolves around the fishery.

Kelty told council members that the pollock B season — which accounts for about 60% of the annual pollock harvest — is particularly at risk.

He pointed to one proposal that would cap incidental catch of chum salmon at 100,000. Kelty said under that scenario, the pollock B season would have shut down early in eleven of the past twelve years.

That, he said, would ripple through Unalaska’s economy — affecting processors, harvesters, city revenues and support businesses, like refrigeration companies.

Read the full article at KMXT

ALASKA: NPFMC to discuss unguided halibut issue starting Feb. 5; Comment by Jan. 30

January 30, 2026 — The controversial unguided halibut angler issue will kick off the North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting on Feb. 5 in Anchorage. The action comes by request from the International Pacific Halibut Commission after its annual meeting earlier this month.

The action responds to a proposal submitted to the IPHC that aims to rein in unguided, private halibut fishing that allows individual anglers to fish anywhere, anytime and with no size limits – in sharp contrast to regulations imposed on guided sport charters. These DIY (Do it Yourself) businesses, mostly out of lodges in Southeast and South Central regions, operate by providing the vessels, rods, bait, GPS coordinates, etc. but not the personnel.

Read the full article at Alaskafish.news

ALASKA: Feds mull first-ever seafloor mining in Alaskan waters

January 29, 2026 — The Trump administration is considering allowing deep-sea mining in the waters off the coast of Alaska, sparking concerns about the fate of world class fisheries and fragile ecosystems.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy and Management, or BOEM, will begin gauging interest in a competitive mineral lease sale on Alaska’s outer continental shelf when a notice is published in the Federal Register on Thursday. The agency, according to a map posted online, is looking at large swaths of the Bering Sea, including the Aleutian Islands.

BOEM’s acting Director Matt Giacona said in a statement that Alaska’s offshore “holds strategic potential for the minerals that drive American industry, defense and next-generation technologies,” and that the request for information is “a practical first step to gauge interest and identify areas where development could make sense for jobs, investment and national supply chains.”

Read the full article at E&E News

Commission again sets Pacific halibut harvest at rock-bottom levels amid U.S.-Canada tensions

January 29, 2026 — The International Pacific Halibut Commission set the 2026 harvest at a historic low during an annual meeting that drew a Trump administration political appointee to lead tense U.S. negotiations with Canada over shares of a shrunken fishery.

The four-day gathering last week in Bellevue, Washington, came during a time of tumultuous relations between the two nations.

President Donald Trump’s tariff policy and blustering talk of making Canada part of the United States have spurred widespread anger among Canadians. January has been particularly volatile, as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, at an economic forum in Davos, Switzerland, attacked “coercion” by great powers, while Trump, in a subsequent speech, asserted that “Canada lives because of the United States.”

At the Bellevue halibut meeting, Drew Lawler, a political appointee to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, served as the non-voting head of the U.S. delegation.

In private talks sandwiched between public parts of the meeting, the U.S. delegation threatened economic sanctions, and successfully pressured Canadians to trim the British Columbia share of the halibut harvest, according to sources with knowledge of these discussions.

The commission is charged by a more than century-old treaty with conserving Pacific halibut. There are three voting representatives from the United States and three from Canada.

The halibut fishery has been in a deep prolonged downturn that has buffeted sport, commercial and subsistence fishermen in Alaska, British Columbia, Oregon, Washington and Northern California. Since the early 2000s, both the average size and overall population of halibut have fallen precipitously, according to scientists.

Read the full article at Anchorage Daily News

ALASKA: Unalaska’s pollock industry anticipates upcoming chum bycatch decision

January 29, 2026 — The Unalaska City Council took up the issue of salmon bycatch at its two January meetings, ultimately agreeing to support industry-run bycatch avoidance programs.

Salmon bycatch has been a flashpoint for years. And the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which oversees federal fisheries in Alaska, including in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, will now weigh in on whether to impose stricter limits on chum salmon bycatch at its upcoming February meeting.

That’s got Unalaska leaders worried the decision could threaten the pollock industry that underpins the island’s economy.

“This is one of the most important items in the last few years,” said Frank Kelty, the city’s fisheries consultant at the city council’s Jan. 13 meeting.

Kelty warned council members that proposed limits could have major consequences for the community, whose economy revolves around the fishery.

Kelty told council members that the pollock B season — which accounts for about 60% of the annual pollock harvest — is particularly at risk.

He pointed to one proposal that would cap incidental catch of chum salmon at 100,000. Kelty said under that scenario, the pollock B season would have shut down early in eleven of the past twelve years.

That, he said, would ripple through Unalaska’s economy — affecting processors, harvesters, city revenues and support businesses, like refrigeration companies.

Read the full article at KUCB