Saving Seafood

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

ALASKA: Study supports shore-based observers in Alaska pollock

January 28, 2026 — A recent study by NOAA Fisheries found that shore-based observers can effectively strengthen catch accounting in Alaska’s pollock fishery, offering a viable complement to electronic monitoring systems used at sea.

The Alaska pollock fishery is the largest U.S. fishery by volume and one of the largest in the world, and it sets the standard for accurate accounting and supports sustainable management and regulatory compliance. In addition to tracking pollock landings, managers must closely monitor prohibited species catch, including salmon and halibut.

Traditionally, this work has been carried out by at-sea observers collecting catch data and biological samples aboard vessels. But deploying observers at sea can be expensive and logistically challenging. In response, hybrid monitoring programs-combining electronic monitoring at sea with human observers on shore- are increasingly being explored, especially in low-discard fisheries where most catch is landed.

Researchers from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center evaluated the effectiveness of shore-based observers in the Alaska pollock trawl fishery under a voluntary exempted fishing permit. The study examined whether observers stationed at fish processing plants could meet core monitoring responsibilities, fulfill expanded sampling duties, and verify the accuracy of industry-reported catch data.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

ALASKA: U.S. Interior Department agency solicits interest in seafloor mining off Alaska

January 28, 2026 — The Trump administration is floating the idea of mining the seafloor off Alaska’s coast.

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said Tuesday it will soon release a formal “call for information” about possible sales of leases for minerals mining in federal waters off Alaska. The call for information will kick off a 30-day public comment period allowing industry to express interest in such a lease sale.

“Alaska’s offshore holds strategic potential for the minerals that drive American industry, defense and next-generation technologies,” Matt Giacona, BOEM’s acting director, said in a statement. “This 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.”

The push for offshore minerals mining “supports the Trump Administration’s focus on strengthening domestic supply chains and advancing American energy and resource leadership,” the BOEM statement said.

Read the full article at Alaska Beacon

ALASKA: Alaska salmon industry enters 2026 season heavily consolidated

January 27, 2026 — The Alaska salmon industry enters the 2026 season after a year marked by heavy industry consolidation, especially in the processing sector.

Tom Sunderland, a consultant with years of experience in the Alaskan salmon industry, said during the 2026 Global Seafood Market Conference, which took place 18 to 22 January in Hollywood, Florida, U.S.A., the state’s canning industry is now largely in the hands of Silver Bay Seafoods after it acquired a number of other Alaskan companies and facilities in recent years.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

ALASKA: Catch limits down slightly for Pacific halibut fishery

January 26, 2026 — Total halibut removals for 2026 held steady in every Alaska region; most commercial catches increased slightly. One halibut proposal for non-guided anglers was punted to the NPFMC.

The International Pacific Halibut Commission wrapped up its annual meeting today in Bellevue, Washington.

Below are the breakdowns for total halibut removals – commercial, sport, subsistence, and personal use – for 2026, thanks to Maddie Lightsey at Alaska Boats and Permits in Homer.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

ALASKA: Shore-Based Observers Strengthen Catch Accounting in Alaska’s Pollock Fishery

January 26, 2026 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is required by law to monitor fishery catches to ensure sustainable management of U.S. fisheries. The Alaska pollock fishery is the largest U.S. fishery by volume, and one of the largest in the world. Accurate accounting of pollock and other landed species—along with the catch of prohibited species such as salmon and halibut—is critical for science-based management and compliance with regulations. Traditionally, fisheries observers working on-board Alaska pollock vessels filled this role by collecting catch information and biological samples. These data contribute to stock assessments and catch accounting.

However, deploying at-sea observers can be both logistically challenging and expensive in some fisheries. As a result, hybrid monitoring programs, which combine electronic monitoring at sea with human shore-based observers, are becoming more common. They are well suited for low-discard fisheries which land all, or most of, the catch.

Researchers at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center evaluated the implementation of shore-based observers in the Alaska walleye pollock trawl fishery. The study, conducted under a voluntary exempted fishing permit, examined whether shore-based observers stationed at fish processing plants could:

  • Meet core monitoring responsibilities
  • Fulfill expanded sampling duties
  • Verify the accuracy of industry-reported catch data

ALASKA: From taxes to policy, young commercial fishermen gather in Juneau to gain industry knowledge

January 23, 2026 — Seventeen-year-old Quinn Branch was among the young fishermen socializing at the Hangar on the Wharf ballroom in downtown Juneau on Tuesday evening as part of the Alaska Young Fishermen’s Summit.

Branch traveled to the summit from Kodiak because she said her dream is to spend the rest of her life setnetting on the Island.

“So my grandpa, who I’ve been fishing for for three years now — we’re a setnet site out in Kodiak — he sent me here pretty much because I want to take over the family business one day,” she said.

Branch said she’s got the fishing part down, but wants to understand the behind-the-scenes work, including filing taxes, applying for loans and hiring staff.

Read the full article at KTOO

ALASKA: Alaska waterfronts see funding gains in 2026

January 23, 2026 — U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) says key fisheries, science, and coastal priorities for the state were protected in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriation “minibus” bill as Congress works to avoid a Jan. 30 federal funding lapse.

The package combines the Commerce, Justice, Science, Energy and Water Development, and Interior and Environment bills, completing roughly half of the FY26 appropriations process. Murkowski said the legislation safeguarding funding is critical to the state’s economy, fisheries, and coastal communities.

“While tough choices were made, we protected the priorities that matter most to Alaskans: our fisheries, public safety, energy security, Arctic research, and coastal infrastructure,” Senator Murkowski said. “This is exactly why the regular order appropriations process matters—it allows us to come together and build a product through compromise that meets the needs of our people and communities.”

Read the full article at National Fisherman

ALASKA: Newly proposed federal legislation aims to curb Alaska bycatch

January 15, 2026 — Alaska’s congressional delegation introduced legislation Wednesday that aims to reduce bycatch in parts of southwest Alaska using better marine data, technology and gear.

The Bycatch Reduction and Research Act, introduced by U.S. Sens. Dan Sullivan, Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Nick Begich, would address research gaps in environmental data and improve monitoring of fisheries in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska.

It would also establish a fund for fishermen to purchase updated technology and trawl gear to limit seafloor contact and bycatch. That’s when harvesters accidentally catch species they’re not targeting.

The proposed legislation builds on recommendations from the federal Alaska Salmon Research Task Force, which concluded in 2024 and aimed to better understand how humans cause declines in fish and crab species, including through factors like bycatch.

Read the full article at Alaska Public Media

U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear case that could have upended Alaska subsistence fishing

January 15, 2026 — The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the state of Alaska’s latest attempt to alter Alaska’s decades-old system of subsistence fishing management.

In a one-sentence order Monday, the court said it will not review a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled in August that Alaska cannot manage fishing on a stretch of the Kuskokwim River that flows through the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge.

If the Supreme Court had taken up the case, it could have redefined Alaska’s unique system of hunting and fishing management, which allows the federal government to restrict subsistence hunting and fishing on federal land to rural Alaskans. The state is forbidden by the Alaska Constitution from offering the same preference.

Alaska Native organizations, including the Alaska Federation of Natives, praised the court’s decision, but the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said by email that it would continue to work with the federal government on the issue.

Read the full article at Alaska Public Media