News – Fishermens News

Annual Wild Alaska Pollock Meeting Slated for Sept. 26 in Seattle

4Sep

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Annual Wild Alaska Pollock Meeting Slated for Sept. 26 in Seattle

Global seafood market issues including roe and surimi will be up for discussion when the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) holds its sixth annual meeting at the W Hotel Seattle in Seattle on Sept. 26. Speakers from major global surimi manufacturers, as well as food and menu innovation professionals, are on the agenda to discuss the state of global markets for wild Alaska pollock surimi and roe, to challenge attendees to think differently about the future for these products. “It’s no secret that the surimi and roe markets have been challenged in recent years,” GAPP Chief Executive Officer Craig Morris said. With conditions continuing to evolve globally and this year’s meeting theme centered around harvesting opportunity, Morris said this is the time to brin...

Alaska’s Coho Salmon Harvest Could Be a Record Low: Industry Observer

4Sep

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Alaska’s Coho Salmon Harvest Could Be a Record Low: Industry Observer

An international seafood market observer is forecasting that Alaska could face a record low this year in coho salmon landings, compared to strong coho salmon landings in Russia. The observer, Robert Reierson, president and CEO of Tradex Foods, a supplier of premium quality frozen seafood, said this is despite the fact that Russian-origin salmon is banned in the U.S. and the European Union is considering expanding its sanctions to include a wider range of Russian seafood imports. Alaska and Russia are the largest producers of wild Pacific coho salmon, contributing to last year’s global production of about 21,200 metric tons (nearly 47 million pounds) from about 7.45 million fish. Coho landings in Alaska first register in July and are one of the last two species to peak during t...

U.S. House Fisheries Debate Slated for Oct. in Kodiak

4Sep

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U.S. House Fisheries Debate Slated for Oct. in Kodiak

The deadline to submit topics and questions is right around the corner for an Alaska fisheries debate that’s on tap for Oct. 8 at Kodiak High School for U.S. House candidates in the Nov. 5 general election, sponsored by the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce. For over 30 years, fisheries issues have been the focus for congressional candidate debates held in Kodiak. Alaska’s seafood industry plays a critical role in the state economy, with direct employment of over 48,000 workers annually. The seafood industry also contributes $6 billion to the state economy, data from multiple sources show. This year’s U.S. House fisheries debate is slated to be broadcast live on KMXT 100.1 FM, streamed at kmxt.org and made available statewide on public radio stations through Alaska Public Media and l...

4Sep

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BOEM Finalizes New Protections for Marine Archaeological Resources

New regulations finalized by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Aug. 30 intend to better protect shipwrecks and other cultural resources on the seabed from adverse impacts of offshore oil and gas activities. Under the final rule, which is effective Oct. 3, lessees and operators are required to submit an archaeological report along with any exploration or development plan for proposed activities on the U.S. Continental Shelf (OCS). The report must detail procedures for reporting discovery of possible archaeological resources and how operations would avoid or minimize harm if archaeological resources are present. BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein said that improving reporting requirements increases BOEM’s ability to proactively identify marine archaeological resources and decr...

ASMI Report Indicates Increasing Interest in Seafood Consumption

4Sep

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ASMI Report Indicates Increasing Interest in Seafood Consumption

A new domestic marketing report featuring food industry research by industry insights provider Technomic indicates increasing interest in seafood consumption by consumers dining out. The report, released Aug. 30 by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, states that according to Technomic, Alaska is the most appealing source for seafood at foodservice and is widely preferred over any other seafood. Technomic, with offices globally, has for the past five decades provided foodservice clients around the world with research and strategic consulting support used to enhance their business strategies and decisions. The online 2024 study drew from 1,000 nationally representative consumers, all of whom were required to eat at foodservice facilities at least once a week and eat fish or ...

Alaska Commercial Salmon Harvest Reaches Nearly 92 Million Fish

28Aug

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Alaska Commercial Salmon Harvest Reaches Nearly 92 Million Fish

Fishermen from the Alaska Peninsula to Southeast Alaska delivered more wild salmon to commercial fishing tenders during the past week, bringing the preliminary statewide commercial salmon catch to nearly 92 million fish. That included some 41 million sockeye, 35 million pink, 14.8 million chum, 745,000 coho and 217,000 Chinook salmon. Earlier this year, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game had forecast a potential harvest of 135.7 million fish, including 39.5 million sockeye, 69 million pink, 24.3 million chum and 2.6 million coho salmon. In the westward region, deliveries to Kodiak of 8.6 million fish included nearly 7 million pink, 1.2 million sockeye, 482,000 chum, 42,000 coho and 1,000 kings, while from the Alaska Peninsula the catch reached a new total of 4.8 million fi...

Bristol Bay 2025 Advisory Forecast Projects a 49.6M Salmon Run

28Aug

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Bristol Bay 2025 Advisory Forecast Projects a 49.6M Salmon Run

A preliminary preseason forecast for the 2025 Bristol Bay sockeye salmon fishery projects a run of 49.6 million fish returning to the bay, with a projected harvest of 32.4 million reds, based on data from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The forecast from fisheries biologists with the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, released on Aug. 15, came prior to finalized in-season data for the 2024 run and the formal run reconstruction process. Study authors said it should be considered strictly advisory rather than a formal forecast, given its lower accuracy and aggregated summary across stocks. The very early forecast was prompted by the Bristol Bay fisheries community expressing interest in a preliminary p...

ABSC’s Goen Appointed to Fishery Management Council

28Aug

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ABSC’s Goen Appointed to Fishery Management Council

Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers Executive Director Jamie Goen has been appointed to a Washington State seat on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to serve the remaining two-year term vacated by the May 5 death of Kenny Down, who had been a voting member of the council since 2015. The appointment was announced Aug. 21 by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The crab sector of the commercial fisheries industry heralded Goen’s appointment as a positive step for the crab fishery. While employed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for 15 years, she focused on fishing quote programs, including implementation of the Trawl Rationalization Program. Before going to work for ABSC, Goen worked with the International Pacific Halibut Commission, overseeing the commission...

Wespac Set to Take Final Action on Deep 7 Bottomfish for 2024-27

28Aug

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Wespac Set to Take Final Action on Deep 7 Bottomfish for 2024-27

Final action on an alternative for the Main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 Bottomfish fishery for 2024 through 2027 is on the agenda for the 200th meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (Wespac) from Sept. 23-25 in Honolulu. Specific information on joining the meeting, instructions for connecting to Webex and providing oral public comments during the meeting will be posted on the council website at https://www.wpcouncil.org/event/200th-council-meeting. Remote participation is to be available via web conferencing. A benchmark stock assessment received by the council in March found that the fishery was not overfished and not experiencing overfishing. For now, the council’s preferred alternative is for an annual catch limit of 493,000 pounds, based on the ris...

NOAA Grant to Fund Tribal Salmon Recovery Effort

28Aug

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NOAA Grant to Fund Tribal Salmon Recovery Effort

A recently announced $794,000 federal grant to the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) is expected to help support the organization’s salmon recovery work and strengthen communities impacted by climate issues in the Columbia River Estuary. “By continuing to support tribal-driven solutions that restore salmon populations and safeguard the unique landscape of the Columbia River Basin from climate chaos, the entire region will benefit from CRITFC's work to build a healthier ecological future,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who announced the grant on Aug. 23 with Sen. Ron Wyden, also D-Ore. CRITFC s expected to use the funds to model the impacts of habitat conservation and restoration, identify climate change threats, and produce actionable science to guide future ...