Commercial Fisheries
RSSCommercial fishing industry: Bristol Bay sockeye, BSAI pollock and crab, halibut and sablefish IFQ, Board of Fisheries rulings, NPFMC allocation
Alaska seafood exporters get EU paperwork reprieve through 2026
Alaska's seafood-to-Europe shipments dodge a July 10 paperwork cliff — NOAA bought exporters 18 more months before the new EU catch forms bite.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Bristol Bay's sockeye run is coming in stronger than forecast
Scientists raised Bristol Bay's sockeye forecast 16% to 48.2 million — a strong run pouring in as the fleet swells, though still below the bay's recent record years.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Deshka king run collapse forces Cook Inlet closures amid allocation fight
The Deshka king run is projected to come in at under half its minimum goal, and ADF&G is closing fisheries to save what's left.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Bristol Bay Eastside salmon fishery under rapid-sequence emergency orders
ADF&G is issuing rapid emergency orders for Bristol Bay Eastside salmon fisheries. The shifting schedule forces fishers to react to real-time sockeye run data.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Southeast Alaska pink and chum test fisheries run below average ahead of peak season
Southeast Alaska test fisheries show pink and chum salmon running below average, signaling a weaker return ahead of peak season in Frederick Sound and lower Stephens Passage.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska Wildlife Troopers issue 13 citations across Bristol Bay in 10-day enforcement push
Alaska Wildlife Troopers issued 13 citations to commercial fishers in Bristol Bay's Egegik and Nushagak districts between June 26 and July 1 for closed-period and closed-waters violations.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
ADF&G extends Districts 6 and 8 drift gillnet fishery 48 hours with mesh and area limits
ADF&G extended the Petersburg-area drift gillnet fishery 48 hours through Saturday noon with a 6-inch mesh cap and subarea closures in District 8 to protect Chinook salmon escapement.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Kuskokwim subsistence households face empty freezers as salmon closures hold
Federal salmon closures on the Kuskokwim through July 31 are leaving subsistence households with few chances to harvest fish for winter, forcing families to buy more groceries as prices rise.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Egegik and Kvichak stocks rise at Bristol Bay's Port Moller intercept
Egegik and Kvichak sockeye stocks are now dominating the catch at Bristol Bay's Port Moller intercept station, shifting the mix managers use to decide commercial fishing openings in early July.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Nushagak king salmon run on pace for near-record low season
Nushagak king salmon run is on pace for one of its weakest seasons since 1980, triggering a subsistence closure and forcing commercial fishermen to sell or donate all kings starting July 12.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Yukon River District 4 opens for summer chum; Chinook closures hold
Yukon River District 4 opens summer chum harvest July 2 through late July, but all Chinook must be released alive under a rebuilding agreement that closes Chinook fisheries through 2030.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read
Pollock fleet's groundfish bycatch fell below 1% in 2025, but salmon bycatch rose as warm water pushed fish onto the shelf
Pollock fleet's groundfish bycatch hit a 25-year low in 2025, but salmon catches rose as warm water pushed fish onto the shelf, alarming tribal subsistence advocates.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
NPFMC directs NOAA to update pollock roe rules after seizure highlighted regulatory gap
North Pacific Fishery Management Council directed NOAA to update pollock roe rules after a seizure exposed gaps between 1990s regulations and how the fishing industry actually operates today.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Begich bill targets illegal foreign fishing that undercuts Alaska fleets
Rep. Nick Begich introduced a bill June 29 to combat illegal foreign fishing that undercuts Alaska's seafood industry, which supplies 60 percent of U.S. domestic catch.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Sablefish fleet faces compliance gap as approved release rule sits in federal limbo until 2028
A federal rule allowing Alaska sablefish vessels to release undersized fish won't take effect until 2028, leaving crews facing fines for a nearly unavoidable practice.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Council sends Kodiak Tanner crab closure to second initial review with preliminary preferred alternative
North Pacific Fishery Management Council advanced Tanner crab protection measures to a second review, selecting non-pelagic trawl restrictions while keeping closure options open for further analysis.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago4 min read
Pollock fleet builds empirical database of trawl seafloor contact as Congress weighs gear restrictions
A pollock fleet research project has documented nearly 300 trawls to show how gear actually contacts the seafloor, aiming to replace guesswork in federal fishing rules with real data by early 2027.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
North Pacific council moves toward enforceable pelagic trawl gear standards
North Pacific Fishery Management Council ordered staff to draft enforceable standards for pelagic trawl gear bottom contact, moving past years of conflict between pollock trawlers and crab harvesters.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago3 min read
Pollock fleet asked to repeat voluntary crab closures in 2027 after proof-of-concept season
Alaska's pollock fleet will continue voluntary crab closures in 2027 after a 2026 test season showed the program works, with minimal bycatch when closures were active.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Council votes 8-3 to study halibut bycatch rules for Golden Fleece replacement vessel
Council voted to study stripping a replacement vessel of halibut bycatch exemptions granted to the Golden Fleece in 2007, citing historic lows in Gulf of Alaska halibut stocks.
by Alaska Newsadded 2mo ago2 min read
North Pacific council directs Ecosystem Committee to revise 2004 groundfish policy goals
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is updating 2004 groundfish goals. Tribal groups want stronger protections for salmon.
by Alaska Newsadded 2mo ago3 min read
A fisherman feared lost, as Bristol Bay's run shows strain
A crew member is feared dead after going overboard near Egegik Bay, as record-low sockeye counts force fishery closures and troopers cite fishermen across Bristol Bay.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A Ketchikan-area geoduck farm wins a 20-year lease renewal
Geoducks are giant, long-necked clams that can live past 100 and sell for a fortune. A Ketchikan-area farm that grows them just locked in 20 more years.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Cordova's fishermen are getting a new dock — and losing "the slowest crane in harbor"
Cordova cleared the way for a new offloading dock at Camtu's Alaska Wild Seafoods — retiring what one council member called "the slowest crane in harbor."
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Wildlife Troopers cited a Bellingham fisherman for allegedly fishing in Bristol Bay
A Washington fisherman was cited for allegedly fishing across a closed boundary in Bristol Bay — the invisible lines that keep the world's biggest sockeye run from being overfished.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
The West Coast halibut fleet left most of its quota for the July 7 opener
The West Coast halibut fleet caught just 27% of its quota in the first opener, so about 191,000 pounds are still up for grabs when boats head back out July 7.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Policing the world's biggest salmon rush
Amid Bristol Bay's 44-million-fish sockeye run, troopers cited five commercial fishermen for closed-period, gear-spacing, and grounding violations — the rules that keep a frenzy fair.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Bristol Bay's sockeye season opens as Nushagak kings raise concern
Bristol Bay's sockeye season is open and the fish are pouring in — a roughly 45-million run. The shadow: depleted Nushagak kings swim the same waters as the nets.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A fin whale's death near Seward reopens Alaska's vessel-speed debate
A pregnant fin whale that died of a vessel strike was found on a Royal Caribbean ship's bow near Seward. Investigators haven't said which vessel struck it.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
ADF&G opens comment on three federal fishery disaster spend plans
Alaska Fish and Game is taking public comment on how to spend three federal fishery disaster grants, but hasn't yet posted listening session dates or details on the total money involved.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
NSRAA shuts Southeast Cove, Crawfish Inlet to common-property chum all season
NSRAA closed Southeast Cove and Crawfish Inlet to common-property chum fishing all season, cutting purse seine access at two northern Southeast harvest areas.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
North Pacific Fisheries Management Council limit golden king crab catch limits
We're you planning on eating all that crab on your plate? No no, I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be pushy or anything, I was just curious.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Sullivan and Peltola, fighting over the same salmon
Sullivan introduced a bycatch bill he calls the most sweeping ever; Peltola, who's owned the salmon issue for years, counters with a tougher plan. The science is contested.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Aleutian Islands golden king crab quota rises 13% for 2026/27
One crab goes up, the other crab goes down.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
NPFMC sets Alaska weathervane scallop harvest limits for 2026
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council set 2026 catch limits for Alaska's weathervane scallop fishery, a four-boat operation where each vessel's annual revenue hinges on the council's decision.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Kodiak seiners back Kreiss-Tomkins for governor
A Kodiak seiners' group endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins for governor on a fisheries platform — though "restore balance to the Board of Fish" means very different things to different fishermen.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Sullivan's Bycatch Bill Wades Into Alaska's Hardest Fish Fight
Sullivan's sweeping bycatch bill targets trawl salmon catch — a real and raw grievance, even as federal science pins Alaska's river collapses mostly on a warming ocean.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
New EU rules could jam up Alaska fish headed to Europe this summer
July 10: the EU stops taking the old, easy catch certificate. Alaska fish bound for Europe needs the detailed new one — and NOAA says the deadline isn't budging.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Pebble Mine's challenge to EPA reaches an Anchorage court Thursday.
Pebble vs. EPA hits Anchorage federal court Thursday. The salmon, the State of Alaska, and a major mineral deposit all want a say.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
NOAA says dead fin whale brought to Seward showed trauma consistent with vessel strike
A pregnant fin whale found dead on a cruise ship's bow in Seward showed injuries consistent with a vessel strike, NOAA said, though the responsible ship remains unclear.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
