OPINION: State of AK, NPFMC Oppose Revisions to Fishing Laws

“Fishing is the beating heart of Alaska…We must do all we can to sustain our great fisheries and ensure that our resources are managed to benefit Alaskans first and foremost,” Governor Mike Dunleavy said in January 2022, when amid much hope and hoopla, he accepted recommendations of the Alaska Bycatch Review Task Force that he created by Administrative Order in 2021. The hardworking group met 45 times over the course of a full year and produced a comprehensive product.

That was followed in 2023 by a...

OpEd: Update to Federal Fisheries Management Could Provide Voice on Trawl Bycatch, Fisheries Access

JUNEAU, ALASKA—Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Bering Sea Fishermen's Association, SalmonState, Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association (ALFA), The Boat Company, and DeepStrike Sportfishing applaud the start of a federal process that gives Alaskans an opportunity to weigh in on potential new guidelines for federal fisheries management — including trawl bycatch, support for community-based fisheries, and much-needed consideration of climate change in management decisions. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Fisheries on Monday announced a process to update three key conservation and...

“A Devastating Decision” says BC Salmon Farmers as DFO Ignores First Nations Rights and Title, and Science  

The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard (DFO), Joyce Murray, announced earlier today her commitment to the closure of all farms in the core territories of the Laich-kwil-tach and Klahoose First Nations – a region DFO calls the Discovery Islands.

We know that anti-salmon farming campaigners were given an early signal that a decision would be given today, before impacted First Nations or industry.

"The Federal government continues to demonstrate a lack of care for rural...

OPINION: Trawlers Get a Pass in Bering Sea Snow Crab Rebuilding Plan

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) must decide this month on a 10 year rebuilding plan for Bering Sea snow crab to comply with federal fisheries laws. They have no time to waste: the plan must be in place prior to the start of the 2023/2024 fishing season.

According to the initial environmental assessment of the Rebuilding Plan for Eastern Bering Sea Snow Crab released on November 10, “The main driver in speed of rebuilding for this stock is not fishing mortality, rather...

Seafood Industry Australia: ‘Sustainable Fisheries Targeted in Baseless Ocean-Grab’

Austral Fisheries (Austral) and Australian Longline Fishing (ALF), along with Seafood Industry Australia (SIA), the national peak body representing Australia’s commercial seafood industry, and the Commonwealth Fisheries Association, the peak-body representing commercial fisheries in Australia’s Commonwealth waters, have condemned the Albanese Government’s announced restructure of the Macquarie Island Marine Park, labelling the tabled plans an ocean-grab funded by international activists with no basis in science, designed to tarnish the sustainably managed Toothfish Fishery.

“Tragically, Minister for the Environment Tanya Plibersek has chosen to...

The Winding Glass: Kodiak Crab Strike Has Ended, But It Is A Sign Of Disputes To Come This Spring

The Kodiak crab strike ended on Saturday when the 130 vessels remaining tied up in the district voted to go fishing for a price of $3.25 per lb.

The season opened two weeks ago, but harvesters were dissatisfied with the pres-eason price offers and refused to fish. The pre-season offers reported by KMXT were $2.50 per lb. Some processors offered $3.25, but that was not initially acceptable.

Kodiak crabbers were hoping for $4.00 to...