Commercial Fisheries

Federal fishery council to vote on Alaska's 2027 groundfish catch limits in December

Federal fishery managers vote on Alaska's 2027 groundfish catch limits Dec. 4-9, this time with new stock assessments after last year's shutdown.

by Maggie AlaskaNews17h ago2 min read

State cuts next spring's Sitka Sound herring limit 17% as its forecast drops

Fish and Game cut the 2027 Sitka Sound herring harvest limit to 28,980 tons, 17% below 2026's. The agency admits its 2026 forecast overshot actual herring numbers by 14%.

by Walter AlaskaNews17h ago2 min read

Fish board opens comment on Cook Inlet drift gillnet rules it adopted in March

The Board of Fisheries wants comments on Cook Inlet drift fleet limits it passed in March, which never took effect. A second vote is likely in January.

by Bill AlaskaNews22h ago2 min read

State cuts Craig and Klawock herring harvest limit 28% as forecast drops

Fish and Game cut the Craig and Klawock herring harvest limit 28% this season, to 5,135 tons, after forecasting fewer spawning herring than last year.

by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min read

Kodiak's salmon catch fell a third below average, but the season paid more than usual

Kodiak's salmon fleet caught a third fewer fish than usual this summer but was paid more than average. Westside king runs missed their goals again.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

Federal managers shift Bering Sea cod away from trawl boats for third time in a month

Bering Sea trawl boats won't catch all their cod this year, so federal managers keep handing it to other fleets. That's 1,025 metric tons in about a month.

by Bill AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

USDA expects to buy Alaska pollock and pink salmon for food banks

USDA expects to buy Alaska pollock fillets, fish sticks and canned pink salmon for food banks this year. Some of it could end up on Alaska pantry shelves.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read

State seeks a shipyard to build a 96-foot wildlife trooper vessel for Southeast

The state wants a shipyard to build a 96-foot wildlife trooper vessel for Southeast. It says the last one was made with "dramatically inferior materials."

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read

Federal council adds a December look at proposed 2027 Cook Inlet salmon limits

The federal council gets a first look at 2027 Cook Inlet salmon limits in December. This year, the drift fleet caught more than twice its coho limit.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3d ago3 min read

North Stephens Passage king crab fishing closes Monday, eight days into a rare season

Southeast's rare king crab season is already closing in North Stephens Passage, eight days in. The state expects boats to hit the area's target Monday.

by Bill AlaskaNews4d ago2 min read

Tanner crab fishing stays closed around Kodiak, Chignik and South Peninsula in 2027

No Tanner crab season off Kodiak, Chignik or the South Peninsula this winter, the second in a row. Surveys found crab, just not enough to make a fishery.

by Bill AlaskaNews3d ago2 min readFrom Nov 2

Prince William Sound salmon value falls 45% below average as pink harvest hits a 1970s low

Prince William Sound's salmon were worth just over half the usual this year. Seiners averaged $74,100, down from $223,000 last year, as pinks hit a 1970s low.

by Bill AlaskaNews4d ago2 min read

Fish and Game forecasts a strong 49 million sockeye run in Bristol Bay next summer

Fish and Game forecasts 49.3 million Bristol Bay sockeye for 2027, a "strong" run after this year's dip below 50 million. Its forecasts have run low on average.

by Bill AlaskaNews4d ago2 min read

Scientists call for lower Bering Sea cod limit after survey finds fewest cod since 1989

The Bering Sea cod survey pointed to the fewest fish since 1989, and federal scientists want next year's catch ceiling cut 12.5%. The council votes in December.

by Bill AlaskaNews5d ago3 min read

Unharvested shrimp rolls into winter limit in a lightly fished Southeast trawl fishery

Shrimp trawlers near Wrangell and Petersburg can catch up to 250,000 pounds this winter. So few boats are fishing that their catch is confidential.

by Walter AlaskaNews6d ago2 min read

Fish and Game closes Uganik and Uyak herring districts in the Kodiak Area

Fish and Game closed Uganik and Uyak to commercial herring fishing Friday, leaving six Kodiak districts open. The notice does not say why the two closed or how much herring was caught.

by Bill AlaskaNews6d ago2 min read

NOAA updates export rules for fishmeal and fish oil made from seafood leftovers

NOAA changed how exporters get papers to ship fishmeal and fish oil, what Alaska plants make from fish heads and guts. Most countries' requests now go online.

by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

Fish and Game closes West Behm Canal to sea cucumber divers for the rest of the season

Fish and Game shut West Behm Canal to sea cucumber divers for the season after they hit the harvest cap. It's the third Southeast area closed this season.

by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

Feds open comment on letting Alaska sablefish boats release small fish

Alaska sablefish boats may finally get to toss back small fish instead of keeping every one. The feds opened comment Friday and hope to allow it in 2027.

by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago3 min read

Gulf pollock fleet neared its king salmon limit before pollock fishing closed

Gulf pollock boats caught nearly 16,000 king salmon, 87% of their cap, before hitting their pollock limit. Kings caught per ton nearly doubled.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago3 min readFrom Oct 29

Aleut Corporation seeks partner for 2027 Aleutian Islands pollock allocation

Aleut Corp. wants a partner to catch its 2027 Aleutian pollock. Feds moved all of this year's share to the Bering Sea, saying it likely wouldn't be caught.

by Melinda Communities.News1w ago2 min read

Gambier Bay king crab fishery planned for 28 hours is now scheduled for 124

Gambier Bay's king crab fishery was supposed to last 28 hours. After a reopening and an extension, it's now scheduled for 124, with no word on the catch.

by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

Southeast Alaska pink salmon harvest forecast at 67 million fish, most since 2013

Biologists forecast a 2027 Southeast Alaska pink salmon harvest of 67 million, the most since 2013. They also sped up the net behind the forecast.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago3 min readFrom Oct 28

NOAA seeks comment on renewing logbook paperwork for Cook Inlet's federal salmon fishery

Cook Inlet drifters fishing federal waters log their sets, catch and GPS spots for NOAA. The agency wants to renew that paperwork and is asking for comment.

by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

No Kuskokwim River commercial fishery this year: a full look at the 2026 salmon season

The state offered no commercial salmon fishing on the Kuskokwim River this year, a first since at least 1998, while subsistence harvests came up short.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago4 min read

FDA drafts guidance on voluntary "U.S.-Caught" and "U.S. Farm-Raised" seafood labels

The FDA says "U.S.-Caught" and "U.S. Farm-Raised" seafood labels would pass muster under draft guidance. It's taking comments through Dec. 28.

by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

Homer advisory committee to weigh proposals pushing commercial fishing back from the Spit

Homer's fish and game committee meets Tuesday on proposals to push commercial nets back from the Spit over boater safety. The Board of Fisheries decides in Seward Dec. 1-4.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

Follows: Board of Fisheries to weigh pushing commercial nets back from the Homer Spit

Geoduck divers near Ketchikan get two more days, with a 400-pound limit each

Divers get two more days to dig geoducks near Ketchikan, but only 400 pounds each of a clam that can live past 100. Up to four can share a boat.

by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

USDA seeks small-business bids for Alaska pollock and catfish for food aid

USDA wants to buy about 1.7 million pounds of Alaska pollock, plus some catfish, for federal food assistance programs. Bids are due Nov. 12.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read

Alaska fishing jobs grew in 2025 after five straight years of losses

Alaska's fishing jobs grew in 2025 after five straight years of losses, up about 216. That's a sliver of the 2,300 lost since 2019, but salmon helped.

by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read

Halibut survey's bait price jumps 70% as scientists try again to reach Adak

No boat bid to survey halibut near Adak this year. Commission staff want to try again in 2027, even with bait up 70% and the survey losing money.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

State estimates more legal-size king crab in Southeast, but the catch limit barely moved

The state says Southeast has 25% more keeper-size red king crab this year. The catch limit barely budged and still just clears the bar for a season.

by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readFrom Sep 11

NOAA clarifies more of Europe's new seafood export paperwork

NOAA updated its guidance on Europe's seafood export paperwork Friday, from shellfish to shipments to Norway. The EU is Alaska seafood's top direct buyer.

by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

Kodiak sea cucumber divers get a 13-day opening after forecasts show no gale warnings

No gale warnings in the forecast, so Kodiak's sea cucumber divers get 13 days. Fifty divers fished it in 1993; eight permits did in the 2023/24 season.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read

Southeast charter fleet tops its halibut share for a sixth straight year

Southeast's charter halibut fleet has topped its catch share six years running as size limits tightened. Fishery managers take up 2027 limits in December.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

White House seafood plan promises 'U.S. Caught' label and a review of boat rules

The White House's seafood plan promises a "U.S. Caught" label and proposed rules on replacing old boats. It names no U.S. state, not even Alaska.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago3 min read

Bristol Bay red king crab move farther west in warmer years, satellite study finds

NOAA satellite tags show Bristol Bay red king crab shift farther west in warmer years. That could reshape how fixed trawl closure zones protecting the crab are managed.

by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

Fish board plans a second vote on Cook Inlet drift limits that never took effect

The fish board voted in March to rein in Cook Inlet's drift fleet. The rules never took effect, and now it'll vote on them again, likely in January.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago3 min read

Conservation group plans to sue over Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak salmon fisheries

A Washington conservation group plans to sue, saying Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak salmon fisheries catch protected Northwest kings. The state will defend them.

by Bill AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read

State biologists recommend a 26% cut to Norton Sound red king crab limit for 2027

Norton Sound crabbers caught over their limit this summer, and the crab were record-big. State biologists want next year's ceiling cut by about a quarter.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read