Saving Seafood

Alaska pollock fishery secures MSC recertification

March 20, 2026 — Recertification of the Alaska pollock fishery against the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard was finalized today, reaffirming the fishery’s status as a responsibly managed and sustainable seafood resource.

The Alaska pollock fishery has maintained MSC certification since 2005 and has now been recertified for another five-year period following a comprehensive, independent assessment.

Matt Tinning, CEO of the At-sea Processors Association (APA), which holds the MSC certificate for the Alaska pollock fishery, issued the following statement:

“We are proud that the Alaska pollock fishery continues to meet the rigorous, science-based standards of the Marine Stewardship Council. This recertification reflects decades of responsible management, strong science, and a shared commitment to continuous improvement across the fleet.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

ALASKA: Board of Fish to consider limiting pink and chum hatchery production and changes to trawl gear

March 19, 2026 — The Alaska Board of Fisheries is meeting Tuesday through Saturday in Anchorage at the Egan Civic and Convention Center to consider changes to statewide finfish fisheries. Board members are appointed by the governor. They consider changes to the state’s fish regulations after listening to opinions from Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game and the public.

Three proposals are seeking to limit hatchery production of chum and pink salmon in the state. There are about 30 salmon hatcheries, mostly in Southeast and Prince William Sound. Almost all of them are private nonprofits permitted by the state.

Read the full article at Alaska Public Media

 

ALASKA: Kodiak commercial trawlers pause fishing while Board of Fisheries considers trawl proposals

March 19, 2026 —  The Kodiak-based trawl fleet is pausing its fishing for pollock in state waters for three days while the Alaska Board of Fisheries weighs in on proposed tighter restrictions for trawl fishermen, including monitoring of seafloor contact in and around state waters.

According to Rebecca Skinner, the executive director of the Alaska Whitefish Trawlers Association, the local pollock trawl fleet temporarily stopped fishing by Tuesday morning, March 17, and will wait 72 hours before resuming. Skinner said by phone that her understanding is that the fleet made this decision to give some of its fishermen time to testify at this week’s state Board of Fisheries meeting in Anchorage without missing out on fishing.

The federal Gulf of Alaska pollock fishery “A season” opened in January with a total allowable catch this year of just under 140,000 metric tons, roughly 25% less than last year’s harvest, and is expected to go into April.

Read the full article at KMXT

Alaska Pollock Fishery Recertified Sustainable Against the Marine Stewardship Council Standard

March 19, 2026 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

Recertification of the Alaska pollock fishery against the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard was finalized today, reaffirming the fishery’s status as a responsibly managed and sustainable seafood resource.

The Alaska pollock fishery has maintained MSC certification since 2005 and has now been recertified for another five-year period following a comprehensive, independent assessment.

Matt Tinning, CEO of the At-sea Processors Association (APA), which holds the MSC certificate for the Alaska pollock fishery, issued the following statement:

“We are proud that the Alaska pollock fishery continues to meet the rigorous, science-based standards of the Marine Stewardship Council. This recertification reflects decades of responsible management, strong science, and a shared commitment to continuous improvement across the fleet.”

The MSC certification process includes an in-depth evaluation conducted by an independent, third-party Conformity Assessment Body. The assessment measures fishery performance across key areas including stock health, ecosystem impacts, and effective management systems.

“Credible third-party certification programs can provide seafood buyers and consumers with added confidence that their sourcing decisions are backed by credible, transparent standards,” Tinning added. “That accountability is central to maintaining trust in global seafood markets.”

The Alaska pollock fishery operates under one of the most comprehensive fisheries management systems in the world, with strict catch limits, real-time monitoring, and robust bycatch controls.

As the largest MSC-certified fishery globally, Alaska pollock plays a critical role in supporting coastal communities, providing a stable source of wild-caught protein, and contributing to the U.S. seafood economy.

“Sustainable fisheries are essential to the long-term health of our oceans and the communities that depend on them,” Tinning said. “We remain committed to advancing responsible practices and ensuring Alaska pollock continues to set the standard for sustainable fisheries worldwide.”

Background:

The At-sea Processors Association (APA) represents the Eastern Bering Sea Alaska pollock catcher-processor fleet. APA has served as the MSC certificate holder for the Alaska pollock fishery since 2005. The certification covers pollock harvested in the Eastern Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. The full assessment report and certification details are available on request.

ALASKA: Board of Fish to consider limiting pink and chum hatchery production and changes to trawl gear

March 17, 2026 — The Alaska Board of Fisheries is meeting Tuesday through Saturday in Anchorage at the Egan Civic and Convention Center to consider changes to statewide finfish fisheries. Board members are appointed by the governor. They consider changes to the state’s fish regulations after listening to opinions from Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game and the public.

Three proposals are seeking to limit hatchery production of chum and pink salmon in the state. There are about 30 salmon hatcheries, mostly in Southeast and Prince William Sound. Almost all of them are private nonprofits permitted by the state.

Read the full article at KFSK

ALASKA: NOAA releases Aquaculture Atlas for Gulf of Alaska

March 16, 2026 — A new Aquaculture Atlas for the Gulf of Alaska says the state’s aquaculture sector may be uniquely positioned to adapt to future climate scenarios, but that risks remain.

Shifts in water quality, disease outbreaks and intensified harmful algal bloom levels could threaten production and public health, the NOAA report said.

Additionally, expanding and shifting ranges of non-native or invasive species can affect ecosystem health and aquaculture viability in the future, according to the report.

The time series data used in the document, which was released in February, are relatively short, as they were not intended to distinguish climate-scale changes over time. Integrating longer-scale datasets, climate scenarios, and techno-economic modeling into future planning will be essential for building a resilient aquaculture industry, researchers said.

Read the full article at The Cordova Times 

DOJ sides again with conservationists to block Pebble Mine

March 13, 2026 — A lengthy Department of Justice (DOJ) brief in defense of a veto on the Pebble Mine in Southwest Alaska has opponents of the mine elated and Northern Dynasty Minerals in Vancouver, Canada, promising further legal action.

The Feb. 17 filing in U.S. District Court in Anchorage stands firmly behind the Trump administration’s 2020 decision to deny mining permits for the copper, gold and molybdenum prospect in Southwest Alaska bordering on the world’s largest run of wild sockeye salmon.

The EPA’s decision exercised its authority under the Clean Water Act to prohibit and restrict discharges related to mining the Pebble deposit, based on scientific and legal analysis emphasizing protection of salmon habitat and ecological resources.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists have forecast a return of 45.32 million red salmon to Bristol Bay in 2026, 21% above the long-term average of 37.4 million fish.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Study: Southern Alaska orca diet shifts across foraging hotspots

March 11, 2026 — Killer whales in Alaska’s Prince William Sound and Kenai Fjords have a diverse, seasonally changing diet of salmon and groundfish, consumed across regional foraging hotspots, a new study shows.

This population of about 1,000 animals, with a growth rate estimated in 2014 at 3.4 percent, shifts from Chinook, chum, and coho salmon to smaller amounts of Pacific halibut, arrowtooth flounder, and sablefish, depending on where the orcas are hunting. The study was published recently in the journal Ecosphere.

An actual estimate of the number of fish these killer whales eat was not part of this study, said Hannah Myers, an assistant professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, and lead author of the study. Researchers found that the orcas consumed mostly Chinook salmon in one foraging hotspot, mostly chum salmon in another, and mostly coho salmon in the third, Myers said. Pacific halibut, arrowtooth flounder, and sablefish also showed up in fecal samples as important prey items.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

ALASKA: Trump’s High-Profile Oil and Gas Lease Sale in Alaska Has No Takers

March 9 2026 — The Trump administration did not receive a single bid for its offer of new offshore oil and gas exploration opportunities in Alaska’s Cook Inlet, dealing a blow to President Trump’s ‘drill, baby drill,’ agenda.

The attempted sale of rights to drill in more than 1 million acres was the first of six offshore oil and gas auctions in Alaska that Republicans mandated last year when they passed Mr. Trump’s sweeping tax law.

It was seen as a key test of the industry’s appetite for investment in a state that Mr. Trump has called a “natural resource warehouse,” and essential for his “energy dominance” agenda of maximizing domestic production of oil, natural gas and coal. On Wednesday, though, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management acknowledged that no drilling companies submitted bids.

“This is a huge embarrassment for Trump’s Alaska fossil fuel fantasy,” said Cooper Freeman, the Alaska director of the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group.

Read the full article at The New York Times

ALASKA: Trump administration defends Biden-era rejection of Pebble mine by EPA

March 9, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Justice is defending a Biden-era veto of the Pebble copper and gold project, saying the Environmental Protection Agency properly exercised its authority to prevent adverse impacts to a “globally significant” fishery in Bristol Bay.

The Feb. 17 court filing by the Department of Justice continues the Trump administration’s opposition to the proposed mine, a departure from the president’s aggressive pro-development agenda that includes support of U.S. mineral production in Alaska.

The Pebble project sits on state land about 200 miles southwest of Anchorage, near the headwaters of Bristol Bay, home to the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery.

Mine developer Pebble Limited Partnership brought the case in 2024, suing EPA over its decision to block the mine under a little-used provision in the Clean Water Act. The agency had said the mine would cause “unacceptable, adverse” harm to the valuable Bristol Bay salmon fishery.

The Justice Department said in its filing that the Pebble mineral deposit exists under streams, wetlands and other waters that are critical for supporting salmon in the watershed, “a largely undisturbed, globally significant economic, ecological, and cultural resource.”

“(Pebble Limited Partnership’s) mine plan calls for the disposal of large quantities of fill into waters of the United States that would destroy or comparably damage large areas of salmon habitat that are fishery areas,” the filing said.

Ron Thiessen, president of Pebble’s parent company, Northern Dynasty Minerals, said in a statement that the filing is “surprisingly short-sighted” and legally flawed.

Read the full article at Alaska Journal of Commerce