Alaska Salmon Landings Now at 84 Percent of Forecast, Due to Lower Pink and Chum Harvests

In an odd but true moment, the only species of Alaska salmon that is currently exceeding pre-season predictions is the extremely scarce Alaska Chinook salmon. As of earlier this week, Chinook landings statewide were nearly 15% above forecasts of 165,000 fish.  

Total landings as of September 2 were 180 million fish, compared to a pre-season estimate of 214 million. 

Actual landings include 52.06 million pounds of sockeye, less than .9 million pounds of the 52.9 million predicted...

SE Alaska Red King Crab Season Opens November 1, Thanks to New Board of Fish Policy

Crab fishermen in Southeast Alaska will have an opportunity to begin harvesting highly sought-after red king crab this fall due to a significant policy shift in management approved by the state last February.  

The change allows a fishery to open under new management rules even if surveys show that the available biomass is less than the long-standing minimum threshold of 200,000 lbs.

The announcement from Alaska's Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is for a regionwide guideline harvest level (GHL)...

Trump Announces Alaska Summit With Putin on August 15 to Discuss Ukraine War

Last Friday, President Trump announced that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska to discuss first steps towards a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. The meeting will be held on Friday, August 15.  

Only days before the announcement, President Trump expressed frustration over Putin's continued bombardment of Ukrainian cities and threatened to ratchet up sanctions on Russia. But Trump told reporters Friday that the Kremlin proposal involved "some swapping of territories to the betterment of both" countries...

Five Commercial Fishermen Indicted in Illegal Alaska Halibut Harvesting Scheme

Five southeast Alaska commercial fishermen were charged by a federal grand jury for conspiring to illegally harvest halibut, in violation of the Lacey Act.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) cited court documents which alleged that commercial fishermen Jonathan Pavlik, 43, of Yakutat, Vincent Jacobson, 51, of Yakutat, Kyle Dierick, 36, of Yakutat, Michael Babic, 42, of Cordova, and Timothy Ross, 58, of Washington conspired to harvest halibut on multiple occasions between 2019 and 2023.

Documents alleged that Pavlik separately conspired with Jacobson, Dierick, Babic, and Ross...

Kodiak Skipper Convicted of Lacey Act Violations Now Facing $1.2M Fine Over Clean Water Act

Repeat offender Corey Potter, found guilty last May of illegally transporting live crab from Alaska to Washington, has now been hit with a civil penalty, on separate charges of violating the Clean Water Act, of $1.18 million.

US District Court Judge Sharon Gleason found Potter and three companies he managed — F/V Knot EZ LLC, Aleutian Tendering LLC, and Alaska Tendering Company LLC — guilty of illegally discharging oily bilge waste and imposed a civil penalty of $1,182,265 for the violations...

Alaska Salmon Harvests Enter Pivotal Week For Remainder of the Season

Having exceeded the Bristol Bay forecast for sockeye harvest, production in other regions of Alaska for sockeye has fallen far short. In the Copper River, only 41% of the pre-season forecast of sockeye has been harvested, with that run nearly over. But this week, statistical week 31 in salmon management parlance, is a pivotal week historically for pink salmon. Statewide, it is the week that starts the upward trajectory for higher production from seine-caught pink salmon. 

In Alaska, salmon harvests and runs...

US Coast Guard Responds to and Photographs Chinese Research Vessel off Alaska

Last Friday the US Coast Guard’s 17th District, now called the Arctic District, detected and responded to a China-flagged research ship Xuelong-2 (Snow Dragon 2) about 334 miles north of Utqiagvik, Alaska’s northern most community on the Beaufort Sea. Utqiagvik was formerly known as Barrow. 

A Coast Guard C-130J Hercules, a long-range surveillance aircraft from Air Station Kodiak, flew over the Chinese icebreaker, noting its position as 150 miles inside the Extended Continental Shelf (ECS).  

“The U.S. Coast Guard, alongside partners and other agencies...

ASMI Partners with Whole Foods for Trip to Bristol Bay 

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), in collaboration with Whole Foods, and the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association (BBRSDA), recently hosted a trip to Bristol Bay, Alaska.   

Both seafood and marketing leaders with Whole Foods attended the five-day trip, which offered a look into the harvesting and processing sides of wild Alaska sockeye salmon. They toured drift gillnet and set net fishing sites, visited processing facilities, spoke with local fishermen and biologists, observed a salmon counting tower, and explored Katmai National Park.  

“From seeing millions...

Bristol Bay Landings are Now Just 3.5M Sockeye Short of Forecasted 35M Catch

It is another endurance test in Bristol Bay for fishermen and processors to keep up with the annual phenomenon of 50 million sockeye salmon returning to five rivers within about 100 square miles, or one third the size of New York City. And the majority of the run comes in over the course of just two weeks. 

Deliveries of July 9 are just coming in at press time, but as of July 8, a total of 2.6 million sockeye salmon, also called...

Bristol Bay Salmon Run Timing And Size Currently Mimics That of Two Years Ago

The world’s largest wild salmon run, which began June 1 and will peak in the next week or two, has now landed 10 million sockeye salmon and is following closely in timing and landings with its near-record 2023 annual catch of 38 million sockeyes. That year, the state’s forecasted harvest was only 37 million sockeye.  

This year, the forecasted harvest total is 34.84 million sockeye from the five-river systems of Bristol Bay.  

As of June 29, landings in Egegik District have reached 1.8 million...

Rodger May, Former Peter Pan Seafoods Chief, Wins Final Court Battle For Assets 

After a highly contested receivers’ auction outcome earlier this year for the remaining assets of bankrupt Peter Pan Seafoods, a final courtroom decision was handed down last Friday confirming that all of the iconic processors’ intellectual property, including the names and logo, will go to former CEO Rodger May. 

May made headlines when he bought Peter Pan from long-time owner Maruha-Nichiro in December 2021. The new operation did well for a few years, but by 2024 was in receivership. Silver Bay Seafoods had...

Bristol Bay Sees First Landings of Forecasted 35 Million Sockeye Salmon This Season

The first landings of the year from Bristol Bay, Alaska's phenomenally rich sockeye salmon fishery, showed up on ADF&G’s leaderboard, otherwise known as the Bluesheet, last weekend with 392,000 sockeye. That, along with additional landings from the Copper River and Aleutian Peninsula, brings the total sockeye catch to date to nearly 1.2 million fish. 

Those empty cells of the Bluesheet will not be empty for long. Another 393,000 salmon were recorded as catch from the Nushagak District yesterday.  

Bristol Bay’s five river systems each have differently...

North Pacific Council Delays Action on Bering Sea Chum Salmon Bycatch Due to Funding Uncertainty 

At the end of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s June meeting, the panel issued a two-paragraph statement titled “Budget Concerns and Effects on Future Council Meetings,” that described their critical funding situation. 

“To date, the Council has received only 46% of its operating grant funding from NOAA for 2025, which is not typical,” the June 9th statement read. “Although the Council anticipates receiving another installment of its grant in the coming weeks, that amount is uncertain and it may not be...

Council Adopts “Housekeeping” Version of Pelagic Trawl Definition for Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska 

By a unanimous vote held yesterday, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council adopted changes to the definition of pelagic gear that skirted the issue of its use on the sea floor. Pelagic trawls are used by the pollock fleet in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. In recent years, frequency of those nets touching the sea floor, particularly in the Bering Sea, have been found to be as much as 85% according to scientific reports commissioned by the Council.  

That has concerned...

Secretary Lutnick Commits to Meeting with Alaska Seafood Industry Leaders 

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick says he will join U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in sitting down with leaders of the Alaska seafood industry to discuss trade issues with Russia and ways that the Trump Administration can help chart a path forward. 

Speaking at a hearing this week held by the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, Murkowski highlighted the importance of fair-trade practices for Alaska’s fishermen. In response, Secretary Lutnick reinforced the administration’s trade policy of protecting fishermen, who he...

ASMI Releases 2024 Annual Report Highlighting Global Impacts and Market Challenges 

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) has released its 2024 Annual Report, reflecting on partnerships, investments and challenges within the Alaska seafood industry. 

Throughout 2024, ASMI worked to promote Alaska seafood in 36,000 retail stores and 18,000 restaurants across the U.S. – but not without its challenges.  

A Difficult 2024 

According to the August 2024 NOAA Fisheries Alaska Seafood Snapshot Report, the Alaska seafood industry spent much of last year in recovery mode, after suffering a $1.8 billion economic loss from...

On Eve Of US-Russia Summit, Five Chinese Research Ships at Work in US Arctic Waters 

An unprecedented five scientific research vessels from the People’s Republic of China, including one Chinese icebreaker, are being monitored by the U.S. Coast Guard on the eve of an historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage tomorrow. 

Arctic research is not on the agenda for the high-level meeting, now set to take place at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, just north of Anchorage’s downtown area...

USCG Rescues Four Crew From Sinking Vessel in Gulf of Alaska

Last Tuesday, US Coast Guard rescued four crewmen from a 110-foot vessel described as a “tug” about 130 miles south of Cordova, AK. The four crew, brought by helicopter to Cordova’s medical facilities, sustained no injuries.  

The Coast Guard’s first radio communication was received at around 10:17 a.m. on August 5 that the 110-foot “tug” Sea Ranger was taking on water. Rescue teams were dispatched immediately and reached the vessel by early afternoon. The crew initially reported no immediate danger, and a pump was delivered...

Two Days Into a Special Session, Dunleavy Issues Sweeping Reforms to Alaska State Government

On Monday, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy issued two Administrative Orders intended to improve state budget efficiencies and reform regulatory procedures. 

Administrative Order #359 begins a “statewide annual Government Efficiency Review”  of all agencies within the executive branch to identify, evaluate, and implement opportunities for greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness. 

“State revenues are contingent on the price of oil,” Dunleavy explained in the Order. This year oil revenues are falling “due to global events such as OPEC’s December 2024 decision to increase output...

ALFA Gets NFWF Grant to Test Using AI to Read Electronic Monitoring Data for AK's Fixed Gear Fishers

Sitka-based Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association will partner with the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) and Victoria, B.C.-based Archipelago Marine Research to see how well artificial intelligence (AI) will enhance electronic monitoring (EM) of fixed gear fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska. 

ALFA was awarded a $485,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to implement artificial Intelligence in electronic monitoring review for Alaska fixed gear fishermen. The project will partner with Archipelago’s FishVue AI tool...

Young Male Humpback Whale Found Dead in Gastineau Channel Near Juneau, AK

Last Saturday, a small humpback whale carcass was spotted drifting past Sandy Beach in Douglas, Alaska, just across Gastineau Channel from the state capital of Juneau. 

The Alaska Region Marine Mammal Stranding Network of NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard was notified to secure the calf’s carcass and tow it to a place where experts could perform a necropsy. The necropsy was conducted on Sunday, but lab results will not be known for several days, since many of the tissue samples were sent...

Alaska Sea Grant Funds New Workforce Programs for Seafood Industry

New funding to support five new and continuing workforce development programs for seafood harvesters and processors was announced recently, as part of the state’s Technical and Vocational Education Program (TVEP). 

The projects include three Alaska Seafood School programs focused on food and processing regulations and safety, automated processing and refrigeration equipment, and processing plant management. 

Two TVEP-funded projects support commercial seafood harvesters. The Skipper Apprentice program in Bristol Bay provides training and mentorship for new crew, while an innovative “Scaled Seafood” project provides fisheries business training...

GAPP Opens Registration for 2025 Wild Alaska Pollock Meeting 

The Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) has opened registration for the seventh annual Wild Alaska Pollock Meeting, scheduled for September 18, 2025, at the W Hotel in Seattle.  

This year’s theme, “Wild Alaska Pollock: Stronger, Together,” emphasizes industry collaboration, with a focus on sustainability and fishery management. 

“What began as a check-in has evolved into a pivotal gathering of minds and momentum. It’s where our industry aligns, learns, and commits to a future built on shared purpose and proven sustainability,” said...

Federal Judge Dismisses UCIDA's Claim that NMFS Violated Laws While Managing Cook Inlet Salmon 

The United Cook Inlet Driftnetters Association lost its latest legal effort to correct management issues impacting sockeye salmon in the Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) with a decision on Monday to dismiss all charges with prejudice.  

That decision does not mean that UCIDA cannot appeal Federal Judge Sharon Gleason’s 32-page ruling.  

The Cook Inlet salmon fishery is managed as a mixed stock fishery. In this case, sustainable stocks of returning sockeye, bound for their spawning grounds in the Kenai and Kasilov Rivers, are...

Pacific Seafood Going Big on Alaska

Pacific Seafood Group is expanding its reach beyond the West Coast to Alaska through acquisitions and memberships.  

In 2024, Pacific purchased Kodiak processing facilities from Trident Seafoods, including the Star of Kodiak, a converted war-time ship that processes a number of species like pollock, salmon, halibut, crab, groundfish and Pacific cod. The purchases contribute to the company’s Mission 31, a strategic initiative aimed at doubling the size of its business by 2031. 

Now, Pacific has joined the Pacific Seafood Processors Association, a seafood processing trade group founded in 1914...

Container Ship Afflame and Drifting for Weeks Off Aleutians Sinks with Thousands of Cars Onboard

After three weeks aflame and adrift in the North Pacific, the Morning Midas, a 600-foot Liberian-flagged cargo ship carrying 3,048 vehicles, sank on Monday in 16,400 feet-deep waters about 450 miles southwest of Adak, Alaska.

The trouble began June 3 when smoke was seen at the ship's stern coming from the deck loaded with electric vehicles. The 22-person crew deployed the CO-2 fixed firefighting system, but the fire grew in intensity, and the shipmaster made the decision to abandon ship...

Cook Inlet Sockeye Salmon Season Begins, Feds Set Limit 60% Higher Than Last Year

This week saw an increase in sockeye landings on the Copper River and an early jump in chum salmon landings in Prince William Sound. On Monday, the statewide tally of wild salmon landings clicked over to above one million. The most recent total of 1.3 million includes 535,000 sockeye and 667,000 chum salmon.  

Yesterday, the Cook Inlet EEZ salmon season began with a total allowable catch (TAC) of 800,126 sockeyes.  

That total breaks down into a TAC for the Kenai River...

Alaska’s Pre-Bristol Bay Salmon Landings Modest Compared to Pre-Season Forecasts 

As of last Saturday, landings of sockeye salmon in the Copper River District totaled 274,400 fish, delivered during the first seven fishing periods since the season opened May 22, 2025. That number is significantly less than the Alaska Department of Fish & Game’s anticipated harvest of 969,000 fish for that period. 

The trajectory of the fishing periods trace the path of a roller coaster. The first period’s harvest was 28,000 sockeye. The second period, which started May 26, netted 52,400 sockeye. Five days after that, the third...

Alaska’s Murkowski and Maine’s King Reintroduce the Working Waterfronts Act 

Last Friday, Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Angus King (I-ME), reintroduced the Working Waterfronts Act, 16 months after it was introduced in the last Congress.  

The bill includes more than a dozen provisions aimed at boosting the workforce, shoreside infrastructure, energy availability, food security, and overall economies of coastal communities in Alaska and across the country. The bill will also support efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change on coastal communities and strengthen federal conservation research projects. 

Two and a half years ago Senator Murkowski...

NOAA Fisheries Reports a 24% Drop in Staff From Six Divisions Across the Alaska Region 

Tomorrow the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council will hear the report from the Alaska Region (AKR) NOAA fisheries that 28 our to 115 federal employees have left the region since the Council’s April meeting, resulting in a total of 30 staff removals since President Trump’s inauguration. 

The staff losses come from the Sustainable Fisheries, Protected Resources, Restricted Access Management, Information Services, Operations Management, Habitat Conservation Divisions and from NOAA General Council Alaska Section. 

Three long-time and highly visible NOAA workers...