NOAA Helps Two Alaskan Communities Solve Snow Crab Delivery Problem in Bering Sea

The Alaskan cities of Saint Paul and Unalaska, with an assist from the agency that manages federal fisheries in the national Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), may now process 1.5 million pounds of snow crab caught north of Saint Paul Island, at Unalaska, with tax benefits going to Saint Paul. 

Unalaska, near Dutch Harbor, is located on the Aleutian Chain. Two hundred miles northwest are the Pribilof Islands, the largest of which is Saint Paul, home of Trident Seafood’s large crab processing plant. That plant has been closed... 

Alaska Seafood Industry, Lawmakers, and Media Urge US to Cool Down Trade War and DOGE Cuts

Two of Alaska’s leading seafood trade associations and the State House of Representatives issued plain-spoken opposition to President Trump’s trade policies this month, while Alaska Public Media President Ed Ulman testified to the importance of public news and broadcasting in a US House hearing on Tuesday.

A March 11 letter from Matt Tinning, CEO of the At-Sea Processors Association and Julie Decker, President of the Pacific Seafood Processors Association, was sent to Catherine Gibson, Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Monitoring and...

Alaska's 2024 Salmon Season Sees Many Lows, with Five Fishery Disasters; 2025 Looks Better

Alaska’s 2024 salmon fishery was not only the third lowest in total fish harvested for the past 38 years (1985-2023); it was also the lowest on record for total pounds harvested.

The fishery includes both wild runs and hatchery returns, as well as the consistently abundant Bristol Bay wild salmon return and the disastrously low returns in other major river systems.

In the 2024 Alaska Salmon Fisheries Enhancement Annual Report, which was released earlier this week, the hatchery portion of the 2024 salmon season was...

Pacific Halibut Fishery Opens March 20 to Reduced Catches

The 2025 Pacific halibut fishery kicks off on March 20 in regions spanning from the West Coast and British Columbia to the far reaches of Alaska’s Bering Sea. And once again, all users – commercial fishermen, sport charters, anglers and subsistence – will get smaller takes of the prized fish as the Pacific stock continues to flounder.

The coastwide “total removals” of halibut allowed for 2025 is 29.72 million pounds, a drop of 15.76% from 2024. For commercial fishermen, a catch limit of 19.7 million pounds is a decrease of 18.02%...

Alaska Fisherman Sentenced to Prison for Ordering Crew to Kill Endangered Whale, Illegal Catches

A Southeast Alaska fisherman was sentenced to six months in prison for falsifying fishing records and ordering his crew to kill an endangered whale.

Dugan Paul Daniels, 55, of Coffman Cove, tried to take the endangered sperm whale by having a crewman shoot the whale and attempting to ram the whale with his fishing vessel in March 2020.

Daniels documented the encounter in writing and through text messages sent from a GPS communication device. Some of the messages stated he wished...

NMFS Uses Early Genetic Detection Methods for Bitter Crab Disease Amid Low Bering Sea Crab Stocks

Amid unprecedented low abundance levels for Tanner crab and snow crab in the Bering Sea, scientists from the National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS, or NOAA Fisheries) have been utilizing sensitive genetic detection methods to establish earlier detection of bitter crab disease.

The ailment, which has recently impacted the Bering Sea’s historically large Tanner crab and snow crab fisheries, is caused by microscopic parasites that infect crabs, leading to increased crab mortality rates. Infected crabs are known to taste bitter, hence the name of the disease.

NOAA scientists were able to use these...

North Council Sets Options for Reducing Chum Salmon Bycatch in the Bering Sea

IPHC Cuts Pacific Halibut Catch Limits By More than 15% Coastwide for 2025

The International Pacific Halibut Commission adopted the lowest catch limits on record for the 2025 season. Total removals allowed will be 29.72 million pounds. That compares with last year’s total removals of 35.28 million pounds. 

Of that, total fishery removals (commercial, sports, subsistence, and accidental discharges) will be 23.79 mlbs and commercial fishery limits will be 19.71 mlbs coastwide. That does not include recreational take of 3.49 in four areas: the U.S. West Coast, British Columbia, Southeast Alaska, and Southcentral Alaska. 

The 2025 season will open ...

ADF&G 2025 Forecast for Copper River Harvest is Mostly “Excellent” — 1.92M Sockeye Expected

Yesterday the Alaska Department of Fish. & Game released its forecast for returning salmon into the Copper River and Prince William Sound areas, noting “excellent” or “strong” returns for everything except Chinook salmon in the Copper River.

Chinook or king salmon, largest in body size and longest lived of Alaska’s five species of salmon, has been in decline across the state for many years. In the Copper River, Chinook returns exceeded forecasts in 2017, 2018, and 2019 with total runs of 55,000-65,000 each year. In 2020  ...

Hodges: US Crab Sales are Strong with Limited Inventories

The year ended as it began, with strong retail support for snow crab. According to Urner Barry, April prices when the 2024 Canadian snow crab season began rose by 19% compared to the remarkable levels of 2023. Despite the higher prices, the trade perceived snow crab as being a strong value, leading to 78 million pounds being imported in the first three months of the season. Favorable import prices persisted throughout the summer and into fall.

Canada dominates the U.S. snow crab market, accounting for 91% of total snow crab imports through...

Circle Seafoods Launches Wild Alaska Salmon Filets in H-E-B and Sprouts Markets

Circle Seafoods, a new processor in the wild Alaska salmon scene, announced that its frozen Wild Alaska Salmon filets have debuted in H-E-B stores across Texas and Sprouts Farmers Market stores across the country.

The company’s 12-ounce frozen salmon filets are now available in 23 states.

“Why is this a big deal? Because we’re not just slingin' salmon—we’re shaping the future of wild salmon,” the company said on LinkedIn. “Think fresher fish, less waste/ more taste, and a...

NORAD Intercepts Four Russian Warplanes in International Airspace off Alaska 

On Tuesday, December 17, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected and tracked another quartet of Russian military aircraft as they transited through international airspace off the northwestern coast of Alaska. The area is known as the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), where aircraft are expected to identify themselves, according to NORAD. The U.S. government has said they did not see these flights as a threat...

Photo of a TU-95m and two F-16 Falcons courtesy of NORAD.

So Far ADF&G Sees “Excellent” Pink Salmon Run in Kodiak, AK Peninsula But “Average” in SE Alaska

Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game is busy this time of year getting forecasts out for 2025 salmon seasons across the state.

They have predicted another big year for sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay — 51.31 million sockeyes, which is nearly 3 million less than the University of Washington-Fisheries Research Institute’s (UW-FRI) forecast of 54.1 million sockeye there, and big runs for pinks in Kodiak and the Alaska Peninsula’s South Region, but only an average run of pinks in Southeast Alaska...

Size Matters When it Comes to Chinook Spawning Success in Alaska’s Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers

In a new study titled “Body size and early marine conditions drive changes in Chinook salmon productivity across northern latitude ecosystems” scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks found that the size of a Chinook salmon, which has been steadily decreasing in recent years, impacts their ability to reach adulthood, successfully spawn, and produce young that are as capable of surviving their first few years in fresh water and subsequent years in the ocean. 

Scientists looked at 26 Chinook salmon populations in Alaska’s two biggest ...

Alaskan Seafood Processor PSF, Inc. Pays $750K Penalty for Clean Water Act Violations

On December 5, 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that PSF, Inc. (formerly known as Peter Pan Seafoods, Inc.) paid a $750,000 penalty for permit violations to state and federal requirements under the Clean Water Act (CWA).

The violations occurred at the company’s seafood processing facilities in Valdez and King Cove, Alaska.

At the Valdez facility, PSF was found to be discharging seafood processing waste from beyond the one-acre “zone of deposit” allowed under the permit...

NOAA Makes $99 million Available for Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund

Yesterday the Department of Commerce and NOAA Fisheries announced the availability of up to $99 million in funding through the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) for state and tribal projects conserving and restoring salmon in Alaska and along the West Coast.

The funding, which will focus on Pacific salmon and steelhead, will support projects that advance population and habitat restoration and increase environmental and economic resilience in surrounding communities.

Of the total funding available, $34.4 million was provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)...

New Study Shows Wild Alaska Sole’s “Impressive Levels” of Omega-3s and Other Key Nutrients

New findings from a recent study by ISO-certified lab Exact Scientific revealed higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids for all species of Wild Alaska sole (also known as flounder) than previously thought.

According to the study, two 4- to 5-oz servings of Wild Alaska sole provide up to 1,885 mg of omega-3 fatty acids, satisfying the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendation of 1,705 mg of omega-3s per week for a healthy diet. Unlike many other fish that are also...

Final 2025 Alaska Groundfish TACs Show Drop in Greenland Turbot, Slight Increase in Pollock

The total catch limits have been finalized for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI), with the biggest year-over-year (YOY) decline in Greenland turbot and yellowfin sole.

In all, BSAI total allocable catches (TACs) for 2025 remain at two million metric tons for over 20 species, from the perennially abundant Alaska pollock to the smallest volume-landed shortraker rockfish.

In 2025, the pollock limit increased by 75,000 metric tons (mt) over 2024’s TAC to 1.375 million mt in the Bering Sea. For the...

Silver Bay Partners with BBEDC to Purchase Former Icicle Stake in OBI Seafoods

Silver Bay Seafoods is set to acquire a stake in Alaska seafood processor OBI Seafoods, purchasing the share previously owned by Icicle Seafoods, a subsidiary of Canadian seafood giant Cooke.

The deal involves a partnership between Silver Bay and the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation (BBEDC), which acquired a 50% stake in OBI (previously Ocean Beauty Seafoods) in 2007. Silver Bay will also garner more processing power within the wild Alaska salmon sector.

BBEDC and Silver Bay said that the partnership...

Alaska House Leaders Oppose Governor’s Plan to Allow Fish Farms, Dunleavy Responds in Video

The debate over whether to lift a 35-year ban on fish farms in Alaska continued yesterday. On Friday, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy proposed HB111, which would keep the ban on salmon farming but allow Alaskans to raise other finfish, in closed water systems, potentially for sale. 

Yesterday, Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, and House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, issued a written statement after reading the bill.

“Alaska’s commercial fishing industry, our coastal communities, and fishing families across the state are suffering through historically...

Dunleavy Proposes New Legislation to Allow Finfish Farming in Alaska

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy introduced legislation that, if passed, would allow finfish farming in inland, closed-system bodies of water. The move would end, at least in part, the state's 35-year ban on fish farming.

The bill, HB 111, doesn’t allow salmon farming and prohibits the cultivation of pink, chum, sockeye, coho, chinook, and Atlantic salmon. It also requires that all finfish be sterilized so they wouldn’t be able to reproduce if an escape occurred.

Furthermore, the legislation requires any potential farm to be enclosed within a natural...

A Major Paradigm Shift in King Crab and Shellfish Sector

As we enter the second month of 2025 we are witnessing a paradigm shift where king crab is taking over premium lobster tails as the "luxury" shellfish. Despite record-breaking prices, demand remains strong with consumers willing to support the continued price growth.

The record-high prices of 2024 have carried into 2025, with red and golden king crab reaching all-time highs. Total supply ----combining Alaska production and imports from Norway and Argentina ---declined again by over 7% from the prior year to just 7.7 million pounds...

Tanner Crab Fishing Continues in Kodiak and Southern Alaska Peninsula

Tanner crab fishing continues in Kodiak but only in the federal waters of the Southeast District, which has a Guideline Harvest Limit (GHL) of 405,000 lbs. For the Eastside District, where the GHL was 155,000 lbs, it was another near-record short season—closing on Thursday, January 17, at 3 p.m., just over two days from when it opened at noon on January 15.

As of January 28, Kodiak’s federal waters of the Southeastern District (GHL: 405,000 lbs) will remain open 24 hours a day rather than the previous ...

Judges Confirm No Overtime Pay for Alaska General Seafoods Employees During Pandemic

A US appellate court ruled that Kanaway Seafoods, doing business as Alaska General Seafoods (AGS), did not have to pay its employees overtime for those who remained on-site during COVID-19 lockdowns.

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit's ruling, which was issued on January 10, confirmed that the district court's ruling that AGS did not have to pay overtime to its employees was correct.

“First, the court correctly concluded that Plaintiffs were not entitled to compensation for their on-call time. Although Plaintiffs...

USDA to Purchase $50 Million in Wild Alaska Pollock

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an upcoming purchase of up to $50 million of Wild Alaska pollock. The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) highlighted that the purchase will support fishermen, companies and communities involved in the industry that are battling low pollock prices amid a dip in demand and increased competition from Russia.

“We all appreciate the quick response by USDA to address the needs of the seafood industry and, at the same time, food insecure Americans by committing to purchase what may be...

Genome Sequencing in Red King Crab Stocks May Mean Better Odds to Survive Climate Change

A new research paper released December 31, 2024 by the Alaska Science Center showed a higher level of diversity over different regions in Alaska than previously known, suggesting the stocks may be more resilient to climate change and changing ocean conditions.

Lead author Carl St. John, a post-doctoral assistant at Cornell University, Laura E. Timm and Wesley Larson of NOAA Fisheries, and Kristen M. Gruenthal of ADF&G,  looked at the Aleutian Islands, eastern Bering Sea, northern Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, and Southeast Alaska ...

Maersk Withdraws Transpacific Shipping Services from Alaska

Global shipping company Maersk recently announced its withdrawal of transpacific shipping services from Alaska.

Effective 2025, Maersk will suspend its Alaska market coverage within North America, removing terminals in Dutch Harbor and Kodiak from its transpacific network.

According to the Fisheries of the United States 2022 report, which was published by NOAA Fisheries in October 2024, Dutch Harbor was among the U.S.’s top ports in 2022 for volume and value, with a 20-year trend of large Alaska pollock landings...   

Pacific Seafoods and Trident Close Kodiak Deal, Expect Smooth Transition to 2025 Season

Pacific Seafood Group and Trident Seafoods announced yesterday that the purchase of Trident’s processing operations in Kodiak by Pacific Seafood is now complete. The deal was first announced in mid-October, the last of a series of moves Trident made responding to persistent marketing and global financial conditions.

Oregon-based Pacific Seafoods has processed salmon, crab, and groundfish at it’s own plant in Kodiak for years. This acquisition will increase their production significantly.

The acquisition includes three well-established processing plants--Star of Kodiak, Alkod, and Kodiak ...

2025 TACs Up on Alaska Pollock and Mackerel, Down on Cod, Yellowfin Sole, POP in Bering Sea
Dec. 11, 2024: Gulf of Alaska TACs added; units corrected to thousands of metric tons (kmt) for all species except BS pollock.

Alaska Pollock stocks are strong enough to merit a 6% increase for the total allowable catch (TAC) in the Bering Sea, from 1.3 million metric tons in 2024 to 1.375 mmt in 2025. In the Gulf of Alaska, the 2025 TAC is 53,000 mt less at 133,075 mt compared to this year’s quota of 186,000 mt.

The North Pacific Fishery Management ...

US Crab Prices Soar Amid Diminished Supply

The 2024 Canadian snow crab season began with prices in April up 19% compared to the already remarkable levels of 2023, according to Urner Barry by Expana. Despite the increase, these prices remained manageable for retail and food service sectors, holding steady throughout the summer and into September. However, as inventories dwindled, prices surged further, with Canadian snow crab now up over 40% compared to the same time period last year.

More than 90% of U.S. imports of Canadian snow crab occurred early in the season when prices were lower, which benefited retailers and...