Saving Seafood

Connecting the next generation of fishermen

October 19, 2026 — Breaking into the commercial fishing industry can be tough for those not from a fishing town or family. To address this, the National Future Fishermen Coalition is working to bring the next generation of deckhands and captains to the fleets from Alaska to the Gulf Coast and up to New England. The coalition is comprised of regional fishing organizations from around the United States, most of whom had already initiated deckhand training programs, but saw the necessity of joining forces, sharing knowledge, and collaborating for a unified national effort.

“The idea came together in an email chain in 2023 where people from around the U.S. realized they were all working independently to address the same problem — the greying of the fleet,” says Maité Duquela Sánchez, coordinator of the National Future Fishermen Coalition. “We officially launched in 2025 as a platform for fishermen of the next generation.”

These efforts will be presented at the first National Future Fishermen Summit on Nov. 20 at Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle. The daylong event will feature a variety of panel discussions, talks, and a chance for young fishermen from around the country to network with each other and build connections for the future.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

ALASKA: Bering Sea crabbers buoyed by increased catch limits this season

October 13, 2026 — The Alaska Department of Fish and Game recently released catch limits for the upcoming Bering Sea crab seasons. The seasons for Bristol Bay red king crab, Bering Sea snow crab and Tanner crab open on Thursday.

The Bristol Bay red king crab total allowable catch is up over half a million pounds from last year, set at 3.4 million pounds this season.

The Tanner, or Bairdi crab, limit increased significantly to 32.1 million pounds, with most of that — 27.2 million pounds — in the western Bering Sea.

Read the full article at Alaska Public Media

ALASKA: Alaska trawler group leader says pollock fishing isn’t to blame for salmon decline

October 13, 2026 — Alaska’s pollock trawlers are under fire for accidentally catching salmon while salmon returns in the fall, and the head of the group that represents the boats says banning them would not solve the problem.

The boats target pollock, which ends up in fish sticks, fast food fish sandwiches and imitation crab sold worldwide. Their nets also pull in salmon, a practice known as bycatch. Critics say that hurts local fishermen and threatens a way of life for some Alaskan communities. Janet Woods, a local resident, put it this way: “The industry is taking away again part of our life, part of our culture, because it’s all about money.”

Read the full article at News-Nation

The fish behind America’s fish sticks is fueling a fight over trawling in Alaska

October 9, 2026 — The net rose from the heaving Bering Sea swells, packed so tightly with Alaska pollock that their heads squeezed through the webbing.

As the catch spilled onto the deck, other dead marine life came with it: a skate, crabs, jellyfish and, among the most consequential, salmon — the fish at the center of a growing political and cultural fight over industrial trawling in Alaska.

“This is a wild capture fishery so you do run into your nontarget species, and a lot of people have a problem with that,” said Maverick Blake, the boat’s captain. “But this is what it takes to put seafood on the table.”

Blake redirected the boat toward another fishing ground where he hoped to encounter fewer salmon.

Read the full article at The Associated Press

NOAA invests $45.7 million to improve ocean observing systems

October 9, 2026 — NOAA’s U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) Office announced today 11 new five-year cooperative agreements to support regional and national ocean observing. These agreements will enable U.S. IOOS regional associations to operate regional coastal observing systems (RCOSs) throughout U.S. waters, and will provide $45.7 million in funding for the first year.

Data collected from ocean observations:

  • Supports anglers, aquaculturists, shipping and logistics managers, and coastal communities in making sound economic and safety decisions;
  • Supports management and mitigation of coastal hazards, such as flooding and harmful algal blooms; and
  • Provides essential information for weather forecasting and national defense.

The regional associations are a fundamental part of the national observing system, and help ensure that the system is both effective and efficient. They are federally certified to collect and manage high-quality observing data, forming robust partnerships with local stakeholders and coastal communities. As the regional component of the nationwide U.S. IOOS network, regional associations meet local needs by using stakeholder feedback to guide the development of RCOSs while also integrating national priorities and requirements.

These cooperative agreements are awarded every five years through a competitive process and support the continued operation and modernization of our nation’s coastal, ocean and Great Lakes observing capabilities. Total awards include additional funding from other NOAA offices in the National Ocean Service, National Weather Service, NOAA Fisheries, NOAA Satellites and NOAA Research.

Read the full article at NOAA Ocean Services

ALASKA: New Alaska sea sponge species fuel debate over fishery practices

October 9, 2026 — The vast and largely unexplored seafloor off Alaska’s coastline produces occasional startling discoveries.

The latest concerns the sponges that line the bottom of the ocean and contribute to an ecosystem that supports some of the nation’s biggest seafood harvests.

Scientists have now identified nine previously unknown species of sea sponges that dwell there, including one that represents an entire genus that was previously unknown.

The discoveries are the product of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration program to better understand Alaska’s sponge and coral gardens, underwater zones about which knowledge is in only the early stages.

Read the full article at Alaska Beacon

ALASKA: Alaska announces total allowable catch for red king, Tanner, and snow crab for 2026-27 season

October 9, 2026 — The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) released total allowable catch (TAC) numbers for Alaskan red king crab, Tanner crab, and snow crab ahead of the 15 October season opening.

“These TACs reflect the continued careful, science-based management of Alaska’s crab stocks,” Mark Pedersen, CEO of crab processor and wholesaler Keyport, said in a release. “Harvest levels remain measured, and at the same time, the cost of fishing, processing, and getting crab to market continues to climb.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

ALASKA: Fishing groups concerned over proposed Cook Inlet data center

October 8, 2026 — Alaska commercial fishing and conservation center in Cook Inlet warns that the project could affect salmon migration, fishing operations, and marine habitat.

East Coast company DeepGreen Cook Inlet is proposing a 100-megawatt subsea data center that could include as many as 350 underwater turbines and 66 “hives” housing artificial intelligence servers. The system would use Cook Inlet water for power and cooling.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission accepted DeepGreen’s preliminary permit application on Sept. 1, opening a two-month public comment period. The preliminary permit would not authorize construction but, if approved, would give the company priority to apply for a license while studying the site.

The Alaska Commercial Fisheries Conservation Alliance, Center for Biological Diversity, and Kenai Peninsula Borough have filed motions to intervene in the federal proceedings, citing concerns ranging from commercial fishing and salmon migration to Cook Inlet’s endangered beluga whale population.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

ALASKA: 2026-27 catch limits set for red king, snow, and Bairdi crab

October 8, 2026 — Alaska crab fishermen will head into the 2026-27 season with total allowable catches set for Bristol Bay red king crab, Bering Sea snow crab, and Bairdi Tanner crab, with all three fisheries scheduled to open Oct. 15.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) set the Bristol Bay red king crab TAC at 3.41 million pounds, while the Bering Sea snow crab, or opilio, TAC was set at 5.1 million pounds, according to an Oct. 6 release from seafood supplier Keyport LLC.

Bairdi Tanner crab will account for the largest harvest, with a combined 32.1 million pounds available across the eastern and western Bering Sea. The western Bering Sea TAC is set at 27.2 million pounds, while the eastern Bering Sea TAC is 4.9 million pounds.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

ALASKA: Pollock industry, Senate race and culture collide in a fight over fish

October 7, 2026 — Evon Waska’s fish camp was too quiet this summer.

“Well, this is my smokehouse,” he said, opening the door to the plywood structure at the water’s edge in Bethel, where he says his parents settled when they gave up their nomadic ways.

It’s next to empty salmon-drying racks and fish-cutting tables that have seen too few fish for many years running.

A few smoked king fillets still hang. Waska caught about 40 at the start of summer. That was a relief. Some years subsistence fishermen on the Kuskokwim River weren’t allowed to harvest any, and it’s worse on the Yukon. But Waska said he got only half of what his household needs.

His fish racks should be filled with silver salmon now. But the silver return was too weak to fish. So instead of getting more salmon in late August, his family was already dipping into what they put up for winter.

Waska, like a lot of people along the Kuskokwim River, say the problem is in the Bering Sea, with the trawl fleet. The trawlers are after pollock, but they are allowed to waste thousands of king and chum salmon, some bound for Western Alaska rivers like the Kuskokwim.

“They don’t close the trawlers,” Waska said. “They close me and my people first.”

Waska is up against a giant. Trawlers in the federal waters of the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska catch nearly 3 billion pounds of Alaska pollock, the nation’s largest fishery by volume. They can tow nets as wide at the mouth as a football field and a quarter-mile in length.

It’s not just subsistence fishermen who are upset about bycatch — the other species those nets scoop up. Sport, charter and commercial fishermen are also boiling mad and demanding change. In Alaska’s tight U.S. Senate race, bycatch has become a flashpoint, and the race may turn on which candidate — Sen. Dan Sullivan or challenger Mary Peltola — is perceived as the most willing and able to rein in the the trawlers.

Read the full article at Alaska Public Media