Aleutians East newsletter flags fisheries as defining issue in 2026 Alaska races

The Aleutians East Borough spent the first half of 2026 fighting the state over its fishing grounds, and won. Now it is pointing its voters toward where candidates stand on fisheries.

In an election newsletter published Wednesday, the borough directs residents to candidate positions already on record, including surveys the Alaska Marine Community Coalition sent to everyone running for governor, U.S. Senate, and Alaska's lone House seat. All three offices are on the ballot this year.

The borough is not a neutral party in that subject. Its economy runs on commercial fishing, and in February the Board of Fisheries voted 4-3 to adopt five regulations restricting the Area M salmon fishery — measures Yukon-Kuskokwim tribal organizations had pushed for years to protect collapsing chum and chinook runs, and that Area M communities said would gut their season. The borough, the Native Village of Unga, and two fishing groups filed an ethics complaint, then sued, arguing board members with undisclosed conflicts had cast the deciding votes.

They won outright. On May 20 the acting attorney general disapproved all five regulations under the state's Executive Branch Ethics Act, and the plaintiffs dropped their suit. The rules cannot take effect unless the board readopts them from scratch.

The newsletter also lays out the mechanics for borough voters: the primary is Aug. 18, registration closes Sept. 6, and municipal elections for mayor, two Assembly seats, and two School Board seats are Oct. 6. Three statewide measures are on the 2026 ballot, covering campaign finance, a repeal of ranked-choice voting, and proof of citizenship to vote.