Saving Seafood

ALASKA: Study probes environmental drivers of salmon bycatch in Alaska pollock fishery

December 1, 2025 — NOAA Fisheries scientists are examining how ocean conditions influence Chinook and chum salmon bycatch in the eastern Bering Sea pollock fishery, one of the world’s largest seafood harvests. The new study, led by researchers at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center and partner institutions, analyzes more than a decade of observer data to identify environmental factors linked to salmon encounters.

Alaska’s pollock fleet lands more than 2 billion pounds annually, but unintentional salmon catch remains a longstanding management concern, particularly for western Alaska Chinook and chum stocks that have declined sharply in recent years. These salmon are important to regional communities and vulnerable to bycatch because their migration routes overlap with pollock fishing grounds. NOAA and the industry have implemented multiple avoidance measures, but managers say a clearer understanding of what drives bycatch is needed.

“This is an issue that’s the subject of ongoing discussions at North Pacific Fishery Management Council meetings,” said lead author and fisheries biologist Lukas DeFilippo. “There’s limited information available on how environmental factors affect bycatch, which could potentially be useful for informing ongoing scientific and policy discussions.”

Read the full article at National Fisherman

ALASKA: Study shows impact Alaska pollock fishery has on economy

October 27, 2025 — There are few fish that can challenge the mighty salmon’s necessity to Alaska, but if one fish could, it might be the Alaska pollock.

Alaska’s pollock fishery is in U.S. water in the eastern Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska primarily.

Now, a new pair of studies is shining a light on how important the fish is to the state.

In terms of economic output, the findings point toward the industry impacting around 6,000 jobs for the Last Frontier, Ron Rogness, Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers director of industry relations, partnerships and fishery analysis, explained.

Read the full article at Alaska News Source

ALASKA: Government shutdown creates uncertainty for fisheries management in waters off Alaska

October 10, 2025 — For the organization that oversees commercial fisheries in federal waters off Alaska, the most significant impact of the federal government shutdown might materialize in December.

That is when the North Pacific Fishery Management Council is scheduled to issue harvest limits for Alaska pollock – the nation’s top-volume commercial harvested species – and other types of groundfish harvested in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, such as Pacific cod and sablefish.

The Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska pollock harvests start in January.

To set the groundfish harvest levels, the council relies on federal scientists’ analysis of fish stocks in the ocean, work that is based in large part on scientific surveys conducted over the summer.

But during the shutdown, most National Marine Fisheries Service employees, including the scientists who analyze survey data to assess the conditions of commercially targeted fish stocks, are furloughed.

On Wednesday, the last day of the council’s October meeting, the members considered how to deal with scientific uncertainty if the government shutdown prevents completion of the detailed analysis that is usually provided in time for the December meeting.

Council member Nicole Kimball referred to a warning issued eight days prior by Bob Foy, director of the NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center, the organization that does the stock assessments. Foy said then that a shutdown lasting more than five days would compromise the ability to complete stock assessments and that a shutdown beyond 15 working days would “dramatically impact” those assessments.

Read the full article at Alaska Beacon

USDA announces USD 100 million in pollock, catfish contracts

September 26, 2025 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced contracts for USD 84 million (EUR 72 million) worth of Alaska pollock products and USD 14 million (EUR 12 million) worth of catfish products.

In August, the department announced its intention to purchase USD 100 million (EUR 86 million) worth of Alaska pollock and USD 20 million (EUR 17 million) of catfish as part of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Great American Farmers Market, an event in Washington, D.C., U.S.A., held as part of National Farmers Market Week last month.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

USDA to purchase USD 100 million worth of Alaska pollock

August 6, 2025 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to buy USD 100 million (EUR 86.4 million) worth of Alaska pollock and USD 20 million (EUR 17.3 million) of catfish as part of a bulk purchase of food products for food banks and nutrition assistance programs across the country.

According to the Genuine Association of Pollock Producers, the USDA has already spent nearly USD 60 million (EUR 52 million) on Alaska pollock products in fiscal year 2025, making it the fourth biggest year of USDA pollock purchases to date. The proposed USD 100 million would far outpace the previous record for USDA pollock purchases, when the department spent USD 76.3 million (EUR 65.9 million) in fiscal year 2019.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Seattle’s Alaska Pollock Industry Unites for Inaugural ‘Net Recycling Day’

May 29, 2025 — The following was released by the At-Sea Processors Association:

In a powerful display of responsibility in action, more than 150 volunteers from the Alaska Pollock catcher-processor fleet gathered at Terminal 91 today for the first-ever Net Recycling Day. Today’s event was a collaborative hands-on effort to dismantle and recycle end-of-life fishing nets previously used for harvesting Wild Alaska Pollock—the world’s most sustainable whitefish.

Five of the region’s predominant fishing companies led the event, including: American Seafoods, Arctic Storm Management Group, Coastal Villages Region Fund, Glacier Fish Company and Trident Seafoods. These companies are all members of the At-Sea Processors Association working collectively to raise the bar on sustainable fisheries management.
Volunteers from each of the five companies, as well as from other companies that support and partner with the Wild Alaska Pollock fishery, teamed up throughout the day to cut, sort and prepare four retired fishing nets for recycling. Participants worked side by side with vessel captains, crew, and gear experts, gaining first-hand experience working with the gear and learning how each part functions.

The recycled net material will be sent to specialized facilities where it will be repurposed into new life forms including decking, outdoor furniture and sports equipment, lunch trays, and other goods, thereby extending the life of gear that might otherwise accumulate in coastal communities or in landfills.
“Fishing gear doesn’t last forever—but it also doesn’t have to go to waste. As we continuously improve our nets and gear, it is encouraging to know that the gear that has served one useful purpose can now serve another one,” said Tim Fitzgerald, Chief Sustainability Officer at American Seafoods. “Today’s Net Recycling Day brought out the catcher-processor sector of the Alaska Pollock industry together in a deeply collaborative way to show that recycling efforts are possible—and already happening—right here in Seattle.”
While this is the inaugural event for all five companies representing the catcher-processor sector of the Alaska Pollock fishery, net recycling events have been held, individually, by some of the companies for years. American Seafoods, for example, has been holding its own net recycling events since 2021.
“Access to resources for responsible recycling and disposal of old fishing gear is a pressing need. Any step we can take to prevent accumulation of marine debris, microplastics, and ghost gear, results in valuable lessons we hope to share with other fisheries,” said Caitlin Yeager, Vice President of the At-Sea Processors Association. “Our members are constantly evaluating their fishing practices through collaborative research, improved bycatch reduction devices, and new technology such as live feed cameras. Getting rid of the old makes way for the new and serves as a reminder of the strides being taken in our commitment to responsible fisheries management.”
The Net Recycling Day took place today, at Pier 91, from 8:30am – 3:30pm. Multimedia clips from the event, including photo and video, can be found here.

ALASKA: Alaska pollock season closes with strong catches

May 16, 2025 — Alaska’s 2025 A season for wild pollock has wrapped up with robust catches, low bycatch rates, and a broad economic boost to local communities, according to a press release issued by the Alaska Pollock Fishery Alliance. The results have been praised by industry leaders and fisheries managers as an example of successful, science-driven stewardship.

With more than 90% of quotas achieved in both the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska, the season has been hailed as a benchmark for responsible management. Fishermen, scientists, and regulators alike pointed to the collaborative approach — from real-time information sharing to rigorous conservation efforts — as key to the season’s success.

“The sheer amount of communication that occurred throughout the pollock sector, all in an effort to mitigate salmon encounters, was truly amazing,” said Capt. Dan Martin, a seasoned pollock fisherman from Dutch Harbor. “This, coupled with rigorous science, proactive management, and a strong stewardship ethic led to the success of this A season.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

USDA to purchase USD 50 million worth of Alaska pollock

January 21, 2025 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to purchase USD 50 million (EUR 48 million) worth of Alaska pollock in 2025 in support of the federal government’s food bank and nutrition programs.

“We all appreciate the quick response by USDA to address the needs of the seafood industry and, at the same time, food-insecure Americans by committing to purchase what may be more than 15 million pounds of wild Alaska pollock products,” Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) Global Food Aid Director Bruce Schactler said in a statement. “These nutritious seafood products, which may include fillet portions, fish sticks, and nuggets, will strengthen the nutrition profile of USDA offerings as recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans while at the same time helping to address the extreme market challenges that are so present and causing so much disruption across the entire Alaska seafood industry.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

AI boosts Alaska pollock assessments, supporting fisheries

November 4, 2024 — Machine learning helps create more accurate Alaska pollock assessments. Fisheries managers rely on accurate stock assessments to keep industries viable and protect resources. The researchers who generate those assessments rely not only on data generated by scientists and fishermen but also on their own capacity to analyze it. According to Dr. James Thorson at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, AI and machine learning have helped improve the species distribution models (SDMs) used in generating stock assessments.

“We often use a type of machine learning called Gaussian Process Models to develop these species distribution models,” says Thorson. “The Gaussian Process Models are good at determining how many fish are in a particular area, but also why the fish are there. It can use information like temperature and bottom type.”

Read the full article at National Fisherman

Alaska pollock may gain with expanded ban on Russian product

January 9, 2024 — The recent U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control ban on the importation of Chinese seafood that originates from Russia promises to crimp the cash funding Russia’s war against Ukraine. In less than 60 days, the hope is that the United States and other countries will adapt labeling and procedures that establish clarity on country of origin, presumably shutting down the seafood pipeline coming out of Russia.

That’s the ethical-geopolitical side of it.

The so-called Seafood Determination issued Dec. 22, 2023 expands the March 2022 federal ban on importation into the U.S. of seafood and other products of Russian origin to include salmon, cod, pollock and crab harvested in Russian waters or by Russian vessels, and processed in another country.

Though language in the federal sanction has been generalized to include any third-party countries reprocessing Russian seafood products for distribution into the United States, the main country of concern is China and the predominant fish species is Bering Sea pollock, a mainstay commodity among whitefish consumers worldwide.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman