April 29, 2026 — Officials in the U.S. state of Alaska are again asking for better protections for salmon in the state’s transboundary rivers.
Data compiled by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) shows that salmon traveling from Canada into Southeast Alaska yield harvests of millions of salmon, valued at over USD 225 million (EUR 192.6 million) and making up roughly one-third of all North Pacific salmon runs.
April 23, 2026 — Commercial fisheries legislation targeting illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing harvests from entering U.S. markets is moving closer to being signed into law by President Trump.
The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday, April 21, passed the Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvest (FISH) Act out of committee. It next goes to the full House floor.
The Senate has already unanimously passed its version of the FISH Act, authored by Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.
The legislation was introduced in the House by Reps. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, and Seth Magaziner, D-R.I.
April 16, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Wednesday the creation of its new Office of Seafood, a first-of-its-kind office designed to give commercial fishermen, aquaculture producers, and seafood processors a clearer path to accessing federal programs and resources.
The announcement was made by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins alongside Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R.-Alaska, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
The new office will primarily serve as a coordinating body, working across USDA agencies to better integrate fishermen into existing programs while also partnering with the Department of Commerce and other federal agencies. A central piece of its mission will be helping develop the America First Seafood Strategy, an initiative aimed at boosting domestic production, marketing, export, and processing capacity for U.S. seafood.
April 1, 2026 — A federal effort to crack down on illegal fishing is moving forward again on Capitol Hill, with Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan’s, R-Alaska, Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvest (FISH) Act advancing out of the U.S. Senate.
According to reporting from KUCB, the Senate passed the bill on March 22, sending it to the U.S. House for consideration. The legislation targets vessels engaged in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing by blocking them from accessing U.S. ports and waters.
Under the proposal, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would be responsible for creating a blacklist of offending vessels, with enforcement carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard, KUCB reported.
Sullivan pointed directly to foreign fleets as a growing concern for U.S. fishermen.
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.
January 12, 2026 — Alaska’s Congressional delegation has proposed new legislation designed to reduce salmon bycatch in commercial fisheries and protect seafloor habitats from trawling operations.
“In recent years, Alaskans have witnessed unprecedented declines among some fish and crab species in parts of the state while, in other parts, runs have been strong and historic,” U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said in a release. “We need to get to the bottom of all potential causes of this increased variability, including concerns about bycatch and trawl gear habitat impacts, to strengthen the sustainability of our fisheries.”
January 8, 2026 — Alaska’s Congressional delegation has proposed new legislation designed to reduce salmon bycatch in commercial fisheries and protect seafloor habitats from trawling operations.
“In recent years, Alaskans have witnessed unprecedented declines among some fish and crab species in parts of the state while, in other parts, runs have been strong and historic,” U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said in a release. “We need to get to the bottom of all potential causes of this increased variability, including concerns about bycatch and trawl gear habitat impacts, to strengthen the sustainability of our fisheries.”
December 10, 2025 — The U.S. Senate has passed legislation reauthorizing marine debris cleanup programs originally passed in the 2020 Save Our Seas 2.0 Act for another five years.
“Alaska has more coastline than the Lower 48 states combined, which means our state feels a disproportionate impact of the global marine debris crisis,” U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan said in a release. “These programs, last authorized by our Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, have helped our coastal communities clean up the debris that washes up onto our vast shoreline, provided access to clean drinking water, and supported the health and livelihoods of Alaskans, including our fishermen.
September 17, 2025 — The U.S. Senate has passed legislation reauthorizing and strengthening the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (HABHRCA), a law designed to coordinate a government response to harmful algal blooms (HABs).
“Unchecked HABs can threaten our marine life and coastal ecosystems, the livelihoods of our commercial fisheries and coastal communities, and the health and well-being of Alaskans,” U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said in a release. “Alaska is our country’s leading seafood producer and home to more coastline than the contiguous lower 48 states combined, making our response to HABs critically important. I want to thank all of my Senate colleagues for unanimously approving this important legislation, which will develop and coordinate effective responses to harmful algal blooms and improve the monitoring of the health of our oceans for the sake of coastal communities, especially those that rely on subsistence.”
June 18, 2025 — U.S. senators used a subcommittee hearing to heavily criticize illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing practices – an activity they claimed reduces revenue for America’s seafood sector and poses a direct national security threat to the country.
“It is estimated that IUU fishing accounts for up to 20 percent of the global catch, which translates to global losses between USD 10 billion and USD 50 billion [EUR 8.7 billion to EUR 43.4 billion] annually for fishing fleets that actually fish legally like ours in America,” U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said in the recent Senate Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries hearing.