Saving Seafood

Alaska Salmon Research Task Force report calls for ‘immediate action’ to understand declines

July 16, 2024 — The group tasked by Congress with outlining research priorities to address challenges facing Alaska salmon has released its final report.

The Alaska Salmon Research Task Force report says that the need for action is urgent when it comes to understanding shifts in salmon productivity, particularly in the hardest-hit Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim (AYK) region.

The report summarizes the factors believed to be impacting salmon productivity, from warming oceans, to marine food limitations and bycatch.

In the case of chinook and chum salmon bycatch, the report says that improved stock identification methods need to be a research priority. It says that the impacts of commercial fishing on Western Alaska salmon are currently unclear due to the way stock groupings cover large geographical areas.

Read the full article at KYUK

ALASKA: Much of Juneau’s king salmon fishery will close this summer, because of a 2020 landslide

June 24, 2024 — Sport fishermen in Juneau may be disappointed come Monday, because king salmon will largely be off limits this summer. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has announced an emergency closure for most near-shore fishing areas around Juneau.

Douglas Island Pink and Chum, or DIPAC’s executive director Katie Harms said hatchery returns are expected to be quite low this year. That’s because most of the chinook that were supposed to come back were killed when a landslide severed the hatchery’s supply of freshwater from Salmon Creek during an atmospheric river in December 2020 that caused flooding and mudslides across the city.

“We had to prematurely release all those chinook salmon that were in raceways at the time,” Harms said. “They entered saltwater before they were biologically able to process saltwater and likely, mostly died.”

Read the full article at KTOO

ALASKA: A petition to put king salmon on the endangered species list is raising alarm across Alaska

June 12, 2024 — The federal government is considering a request that would grant Gulf of Alaska king salmon Endangered Species Act protections. The National Marine Fisheries Service recently found that the petition by the Washington-based conservation group Wild Fish Conservancy, which said that the species are under threat, warrants further scientific review. It’s just the first major step in a longer regulatory process, but many say it could have far-reaching implications.

Mark Roberts is docked in Petersburg, getting his fishing boat ready for the July 1 king salmon opener. He’s painting the exterior of the Cape Cross, his 46 foot long wooden troll boat that was built in 1948.

Roberts took a break from fishing for several months, because he just had one of his heart valves replaced. But he said he’s pushing through the pain this summer, because it would be financially impossible for him to sit out a whole season.

“Because of my heart situation… Well, I paid for it. I got to do twice the work this year. But, you know, I’m putting it back together. I just need sunshine!” Roberts said, gesturing towards the rainy sky over Petersburg.

Roberts has fished in the Gulf of Alaska for about 30 years. But he came very close to skipping the whole summer season last year, when the Wild Fish Conservancy sued the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to halt commercial trolling for kings in Southeast Alaska. The conservation group, which is based in Washington State, argued that a closure would protect a declining population of killer whales near Seattle. The Ninth Circuit Federal Appeals Court issued a stay on the lawsuit, keeping the fishery open.

Read the full article at KFSK

NOAA finds Alaska Chinook salmon may need to be ESA-listed

June 10, 2024 — A preliminary review by NOAA Fisheries found that Alaska Chinook salmon may need to be listed as threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).

“This is an encouraging first step in what we hope will be a listing of Southeast Alaska Chinook under the Endangered Species Act,” Wild Fish Conservancy Senior Ecologist Nick Gayeski said. “Listing should provide the many at-risk Chinook populations in this region stronger protection from harm in the near term and initiate the development of scientifically credible recovery plans.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

ALASKA: Fisheries managers announce first 5 openers of 2024 Kuskokwim salmon season

May 28, 2024 — With another heavily restricted salmon fishing season just around the corner on the Kuskokwim River, federal managers have announced the first round of June gillnet opportunities for federally-qualified subsistence users.

All chinook, chum, and coho salmon caught may be retained during the following Kuskokwim River mainstem openers:

Set gillnet:

• Monday, June 3, from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

• Thursday, June 6, from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

• Monday, June 10, from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Read the full article at KYUK

ALASKA: As Alaska salmon season opens, Silver Bay’s CEO assesses grim times

May 16, 2024 — The opening of the famed Copper River fishery – it starts this year on May 16 – traditionally marks the beginning of a new commercial salmon season in Alaska.

Rather than excitement, however, much of the industry feels apprehension, anxiety, and even anger. Since last year, we’ve seen a procession of negative and worrying developments, leading some to question the future of the salmon business.

Alaska’s seafood industry is floundering due to factors including glutted markets, unfavorable currency exchange rates, post-pandemic consumer shifts, food inflation, and weakness in other important fisheries such as pollock.

Based on preliminary data, prices paid in 2023 to both fishermen and processors were historically low for salmon and pollock, according to a recent analysis prepared for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI).

In recent months, we’ve seen extraordinary events, including the implosion of legacy processor Peter Pan Seafood and a selloff of Alaska plants by industry titan Trident Seafoods. Other processors have cut back operations. Some Alaska fishermen are wondering if they’ll have a market this year.

Could this be another season of discontent?

Certain forces suggest relief might be on the way. For one thing, the Alaska salmon harvest is expected to be much smaller this year at 136 million fish compared to 232 million in 2023. The catch of sockeye, the most valuable species, is projected at 39 million fish, well below last year’s 52 million. A smaller harvest could help clear salmon inventory and bolster ex-vessel and wholesale prices.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is buying huge volumes of Alaska salmon and pollock, supporting the struggling seafood industry.

The Alaska Legislature is putting together a special task force to address the industry’s problems – problems that could hurt Alaska coastal communities. And legislators are weighing an infusion of up to $10 million in additional support for ASMI. The marketing agency is pursuing new initiatives involving retail heavyweights such as Costco and Walmart, and in Japan, is supporting industry efforts to develop ready-to-eat convenience store products utilizing off-grade or No. 3 salmon.

Coming into this season, processors, in particular, face tremendous financial pressure – and high expectations.

Today, we offer the first of three conversations with top Alaska processing company CEOs.

Read the full article at The National Fisherman

Pacific Fishery Management Council approved three options for ocean salmon season

May 16, 2024 — The Pacific Fishery Management Council has approved three options for ocean salmon seasons starting May 16, 2024.

“The level of fish that the council that measures all the fish that are out in the ocean and in the river system, so those numbers didn’t add up to the level that’s needed to have a healthy sustainable fishery,” said California Department of Fish and Wildlife Public Information Officer, Steve Gonzalez.

Read the full article at KRCR

ALASKA: Scientists point to disease, warming waters to explain Chinook decline in Yukon River

May 15, 2024 — Research on declining populations of chinook salmon on the Yukon River have led scientists to a theory that combines the stress of warm water and the damage of disease.

As salmon runs on the Yukon River continue to decline, most notably that of chinook salmon, those that rely on the fish have faced “hardship [and] lots of cultural loss,” said Keith Herron, a masters student in the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS) at UAF.

While these fish have historically been a staple of the Yukon diet, run sizes have decreased in return from the ocean but researchers have also “seen a difference between estimates when they’re counted when they enter the river and when they go into Canada,” explained Herron. “Those estimates do not match and there’s like 40,000 fish potentially missing and there’s been no harvest.”

Herron and others in the field have already noticed the impact of warming waters on species across Alaskan waters. Notably this includes crabs and other salmon species. Some have seen population crashes, while some simply declined and others might be moving north towards cooler water.

Read the full article at Newscenter Fairbanks

ALASKA: Southeast Alaska not ready for a hatchery-only king fishery, study finds

May 13, 2024 — Should Southeast Alaska have a hatchery-only king salmon sports fishery? Researchers recently tried to answer that question as a possible solution to a declining number of wild kings.

Chinook or king salmon are the largest and most valuable salmon species. They’re sought-after by sport, commercial, and subsistence fishermen alike. But in recent decades, their harvest has become more restricted as populations plummet. A recent study considered if a new Southeast fishery could help – one that allows sport fishermen to keep only hatchery king salmon and release wild ones.

“And an important question there is could this actually be done within the current management context? And is this something that is desirable for folks in Alaska?” asked Anne Beaudreau, who led the study, which took about a year.

Beaudreau is an associate professor with the University of Washington’s School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. The study was initiated and funded by the Alaska delegation of the Pacific Salmon Commission. Members asked the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to explore the possibility of a hatchery-based sports fishery, and the state then contracted with the university.

As part of the study, Beaudreau helped run several public meetings throughout Southeast. Dozens of people participated.

“We heard a lot of concern brought up at these meetings,” she said.

Read the full article at CoastAlaska

$7 million to be distributed for Oregon salmon disaster relief

May 6, 2024 — The Oregon Spend Plan will designate over $7 million in disaster funding for commercial fishermen, processors, and others in the fishing community after the salmon fishery’s value declined by millions between 2017 and 2020. The relief is now ready for public review. The disaster funds are in response to the 2021 disaster declaration for the fishery for 2018, 2019, and 2020.

In Oct. 2021, Oregon’s then-Governor Brown submitted a meticulous request to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce for a catastrophic regional fishery disaster declaration under section 315 of the Magnuson-Stevens Management Act. The request was based on a comprehensive analysis of the poor performance of Oregon’s Ocean commercial salmon fisheries south of Cape Falcon, which resulted from reduced allowable catches of Klamath and Sacramento fall Chinook, anomalous ocean conditions, and spatial shifts in ocean distribution of these migratory species.

Finally, on Oct. 10, 2023, the Secretary of Commerce decided on eligibility for the 2018-2020 Oregon ocean chinook salmon fishery. The funds were appropriated through the 2023 Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. The funds are intended to be used for activities that restore the fishery or prevent a similar failure in the future and assist fishing communities affected by such failure.

Read the full story at National Fisherman