Saving Seafood

ALASKA: USDA purchases $50M in Alaska pollock, aiding fisheries and food banks

January 10, 2025 — Good news for Alaska’s seafood industry and for food-insecure Americans across the country. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a major purchase of Alaska pollock, benefiting both communities in need and the state’s struggling fisheries.

The USDA plans to purchase up to $50 million worth of Alaska pollock. This initiative will provide high-quality, sustainable seafood to food banks and aid organizations nationwide, offering a vital source of nutrition to those in need.

Read the full article at Your Alaska Link

Alaska cities reach agreement on Bering Sea snow crab harvest

January 9, 2025 — The cities of Unalaska and St. Paul in the U.S. state of Alaska have reached an agreement to share revenue collected from the processing of 1.6 million pounds of Bering Sea snow crab.

After two years of closures, NOAA Fisheries announced in October 2024 that it would be opening up the Bering Sea crab fishery for a limited harvest with a 4.7 million pound total allowable catch (TAC). Around 1.6 million pounds of that TAC was designated for the North Region, which, according to a framework agreed to by harvesters and processors in September 2024, had to be processed in St. Paul.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

ALASKA: Relief comes for Alaskan fisheries via FISHES Act

January 7, 2025 — The FISHES Act, which expedites the distribution of federal disaster relief following fishery disaster declarations, was signed into law over the weekend by President Joe Biden.

The FISHES (Fishery Improvement to Streamline Untimely Regulatory Hurdles Post Emergency Situation) Act establishes procedures for reviewing spending plans submitted to the Department of Commerce by those seeking fishery resource disaster assistance funding.

Previously, the Office of Management and Budget had a 15-step process when overseeing a fishery disaster.

“Rapidly changing ocean conditions in recent years has led to significantly more federal fishery disaster declarations in Alaska, and it takes years to receive disaster monies,” Alaska Whitefish Trawlers Executive Director Rebecca Skinner said in a statement.

Read the full article at Alaska News Service

Genetic Diversity in Alaska Red King Crab May Provide Resilience to Climate Change

January 3, 2024 — Maintaining genetic diversity within and among populations is vital to ensure species are resilient to challenging conditions. Without it, a single disease or set of conditions—such as a prolonged change in ocean acidification—could drive a species to extinction. Fortunately, new research has revealed more genetic diversity across Alaska’s red king crab populations than originally documented. This suggests that the species will be more resilient in the face of changing conditions like ocean warming. However, any efforts to enhance red king crab populations need to be careful not to affect this genetic diversity.

King Crab in Alaska

Historically, the red king crab fishery was Alaska’s top shellfish fishery. It’s embedded in the culture of Alaska’s working waterfronts and king crabs have been the centerpiece of holiday feasts around the world. However, the red king crab fishery collapsed in the 1980s. Since 1983, most populations have been depressed statewide and the Gulf of Alaska fishery remains closed.

Wes Larson is co-author of the new research and the genetics program manager at the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center. He reflects, “When it comes to understanding crab biomass declines and how to recover populations, we need to better understand population structure and local adaptation. There are a lot of concerned and invested fishermen, processors, and community members getting more engaged in these issues and it’s propelling new and innovative research.”

To dig into this need, Larson and a team of collaborators embarked on a study to generate whole genome sequencing data on red king crab in different locations across Alaska. The benefit of whole genome sequencing over previous methods is that it’s akin to reading the full story of an organism’s makeup instead of just a chapter or two. This holistic approach offers more robust analysis in order to tease apart similarities and differences between locations. Collaborators on the research included:

  • Cornell University
  • University of Alaska Fairbanks
  • Alaska Department of Fish and Game
  • NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries 

ALASKA: NOAA announces up to $1 million in funding for crucial research projects — here’s why we should be paying attention

December 30, 2024 Alaska is known for its beauty, northern location, fishing industry, and harsh winter weather. Now, the resilient state is set to benefit from up to $1 million to support research geared toward its local communities, as reported by NOAA.

During the first year alone, the remote state will receive about $500,000 of that funding thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act signed by the Biden-Harris administration in 2022.

Alaska may be the country’s largest state by land mass, but it has a sparse population in comparison — one projected to decline by 2% or 15,000 people by 2050, according to Alaska’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Read the full article at The Cool Down

Fish, crab may shift to further north waters

December 27, 2024 — Regional models being developed by NOAA Fisheries indicate that some fish and crab may shift further north in Alaskan waters than previously predicted due to climate change.

A new report issued by NOAA Fisheries on Dec. 17 says scientists have developed new models that predict more extreme changes in the ecosystem of the eastern Bering Sea by the end of the century, with larger summer northward shifts and changes in areas occupied by important commercial crab and fish species.

Specifically, the majority of models estimate changes in the center of distribution for several commercially important species. They predict that most species’ summer distributions will shift north by between 50 and 200 kilometers by 2080-2089.

Scientists also project large declines in the amount of area occupied by red king crab and snow crab and potentially northern rock sole in summer months, a substantial increase in area occupied by arrowtooth flounder who are a key predator of walleye pollock and declines in probability of occurrence of most species in areas with low pH and oxygen concentration.

Read the full article at The Cordova Times

ALASKA: ‘Mining and salmon have never gotten along’: Alaskan tribes don’t want B.C. gold mine

December 20, 2024 — Southeast Alaskan tribal groups are decrying a proposed mine in northwestern British Columbia, arguing it will have disastrous environmental repercussions for the Taku River watershed.

Vancouver-based Canagold Resources Ltd., is proposing to develop the New Polaris gold mine, an underground gold mine located 100 kilometres south of Atlin, B.C. and 60 kilometres northeast of Juneau, Alaska.

The remote, fly-in mine would produce around 1,000 tonnes of ore per day.

“The people of the Taku have subsisted, survived and stewarded the Taku River watershed for thousands of years,” said Jill Weitz, government affairs liaison for the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.

“It’s such a magical place that to even think about activity like that, for those of us downstream, it’s kind of mind boggling,” she said.

The Taku River, as well as the Stikine and Unuk rivers, flow from northwestern B.C. to southeastern Alaska.

The rivers are home to all five species of wild Alaska salmon, brown bears, moose and other wildlife and fish species.

Read the full article at Yahoo! News

Environmentalist group sues to gain information about Alaska trawler toll on marine mammals

December 20, 2024 — The federal government has failed to give adequate information on deaths of killer whales and other marine mammals that become entangled in commercial trawling gear in Alaska waters, claims a lawsuit filed on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Anchorage.

The lawsuit, filed by the environmental group Oceana, targets the National Marine Fisheries Service, an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The whales and other marine mammals killed in fishing gear are subjects of what is known as bycatch, the unintended, incidental catch of species that are not the harvest target.

Read the full article at the Alaska Beacon

ALASKA: Bycatch debate heats up in Prince William Sound pollock fishery

December 19, 2024 — A long-running debate over bycatch in the pollock fishery has moved closer to urban Alaska with a new set of proposals aimed at regulating the annual harvest in Prince William Sound. This week, the state Board of Fisheries is considering four proposals that could place sharp restrictions on or even close down the small pollock trawl fishery in the waters east of Anchorage.

Supporters of the proposals point to state data showing that approximately 15 boats, mostly from Kodiak Island, unintentionally catch about 900 king salmon and 900 rockfish each year in their wide-mouth trawl nets. They argue that these fish are crucial to subsistence harvests for local communities, especially the village of Chenega. Boyd Selanoff, a member of the Chenega tribal council, expressed concern about the impact on their way of life.

“The language is disappearing. The culture is disappearing, the subsistence traditions and education are disappearing,” Selanoff reported by the Anchorage Daily News and Nathaniel Hertz. “One of the main sources of life in Prince William Sound — for all of us, not just Chenega — is a healthy fish stock.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

ALASKA: Alaska Pollock Fishery Alliance applauds unified effort to support Prince William Sound fisheries

December 17, 2024 — The following was released by Alaska Pollock Fishery Alliance:
At last week’s Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting, an unprecedented display of unity emerged as members of diverse fishery sectors – from salmon fishermen to processors and local fishing families – came together to oppose a proposed ban on trawling in Prince William Sound (PWS). The Alaska Pollock Fishery Alliance (APFA) welcomes this collaborative victory for science-based fisheries management, sustainable fishing practices, and Alaska’s coastal communities.
 
The rejection of the proposals targeting trawling reflects not only a win for sound data and science but also a profound moment of solidarity for sustainable fisheries among stakeholders who sometimes compete for resources. The realization that, during challenging economic times, the survival of the Alaska seafood industry requires collective effort, has set a precedent for cooperation that all Alaskans can take pride in.
 
“This wasn’t a victory only for the trawl fishery,” said Julie Bonney, executive director of the Alaska Groundfish Data Bank. “It was a victory for every fishing family, crew member, and processor who depends on sustainable Alaska fisheries to keep our coastal communities alive. When Alaskans stick together, we are stronger – and this meeting proved that.”
 
Community members, salmon fishermen, and processors joined forces in vocal opposition to the proposals, recognizing the significant role the PWS trawl fishery plays in supporting Alaska livelihoods. Beyond the economic contributions, testimony highlighted that many small businesses, processing workers, and fishing families rely on trawl landings for their survival.
 
“Fishermen understand that we are all connected,” said Bonney. “From salmon to pollock, our fisheries must work together. The success of pink salmon in Prince William Sound relies in part on pollock harvests, and the local fishing community understands that more than anyone.”
While a well-known advocacy group pushed misleading information online and at the meeting in attempts to sway the Board, the Board of Fisheries and public alike saw through these efforts. Testimony underscored that well-designed conservation management measures – not blanket bans – are the appropriate response to fishery challenges.
 
Contrary to the opposition’s claims, the PWS trawl fishery is a clean fishery with minimal rockfish bycatch, when compared with incidental catch in other fisheries. Additionally, testimony revealed that rockfish conservation proposals aimed at addressing real conservation issues saw no interest from the same advocacy group calling for the ban, calling their real motivations into question.
 
Particularly impactful were hallway conversations and testimonies from Kodiak fishermen, who delivered firsthand accounts of how trawl fishing works, the economic and cultural importance of maintaining the trawl fishery in Prince William Sound. Trawl fishermen also explained their co-dependance on the PWS salmon fishery to local Cordovan fishermen since many of these same trawl vessels tender salmon for the local salmon fleet. Their words resonated across gear types, sparking conversations and building understanding among fishermen.
“It was heartening to see salmon and trawl fishermen stand shoulder-to-shoulder on this issue,” said Paddy O’Donnell, board president of the Alaska Whitefish Trawlers Association and skipper of the Kodiak-based F/V Caravelle. “We don’t always agree, but we recognize now is the time to support each other. When fishermen join forces and speak the truth, others listen.”
 
The Alaska Pollock Fishery Alliance believes this outcome underscores the importance of science, data, and collaboration in fisheries management. More importantly, it highlights the resilience of Alaska’s fishing communities, who understand that a thriving fishery benefits all.
“We hope this spirit of unity continues,” O’Donnell concluded. “When times are tough and the survival of our way of life is on the line, we speak with one voice for the benefit of all.”