Copper River Season Opens with 39,000 Sockeye Catch, Elevated Early-Season Prices

Cold temperatures, wind and rain greeted the fleet that made it out to the Copper River fishing grounds for the 12-hour season opener last Friday. A total of 39,000 sockeye salmon and 967 Chinook salmon were caught, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G).

Expana market reporter Joshua Bickert reports that both sockeye and kings are seeing elevated wholesale prices, though levels remain typical for early-season product. Market participants largely believe that prices should fall rapidly...

Premier Dixon and Governor Dunleavy Sign Renewed Alaska-Yukon Intergovernmental Accord

Alaska and the Yukon reaffirmed their commitment to several shared issues, including deeper collaboration on research and the ongoing rebuilding of salmon populations in the Yukon River.  

Premier Currie Dixon and Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy met during the fifth annual Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference, where they discussed shared northern energy priorities and the Arctic’s growing strategic importance.

Both Dixon and Dunleavy emphasized the close, longstanding relationship between Alaska and the Yukon, including cross-border family and friendship connections, ties among Indigenous communities and a shared commitment to...

Circle Seafoods Sets 2026 Alaska Seine Prices, Holds Pink Base at $0.61

Circle Seafoods announced its 2026 Southeast Alaska seine season base prices, setting pink salmon at $0.61 per pound, chum at $1.07 per pound, and sockeye at $2.50 per pound, with payments processed within weeks rather than months.

The company is maintaining its 2025 final pink price of $0.61 as the 2026 base, citing retail demand built through its Ultra Low Temp Pink Salmon Fillets, now available in 4,000 US stores, including Publix, Whole Foods, H-E-B, and Sprouts Farmers Market...

The Compression Phase: Alaska Reclaims Strength as Global Crab Markets Diverge

The global crab market is entering a more compressed and strategically uneven phase in 2026, where timing, access, and inventory positioning are becoming more important than production alone. Alaska has re-emerged as a major force in the premium frozen market following a third consecutive year of higher quotas, while Norway’s sharp reduction in king crab supply has materially tightened global availability of premium product. At the same time, Russia continues to consolidate its dominance in the live trade into Asia...

Alaska Halibut Fisherman Receives Fishing Ban, $15,000 Fine for Lacey Act Violations

Southeast Alaska halibut fisherman Vincent Jacobson, 52, was sentenced on Wednesday to five years’ probation, a $15,000 fine and a worldwide fishing and hunting ban during his probation for his part in a conspiracy to illegally harvest halibut with another commercial fisherman. That conspiracy violated the Lacey Act. 

Timothy Ross, 58, of Washington, pleaded guilty to one count of Lacey Act conspiracy on Sept. 8, 2025, and was sentenced to five years’ probation and a $15,000 fine on Dec. 10, 2025... 

Special BOF Meeting Addresses Gear Switch in Cook Inlet, Traditional Knowledge Reg Language

A Special Meeting of Alaska’s Board of Fisheries will be held today, online only, to address four proposals, one adding regulatory language for the use of Traditional Knowledge (TK) in Fish and Game processes, and three regarding salmon fisheries in Western Alaska and Upper Cook Inlet.  

The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. Alaska Standard Time (AST) and will not include public testimony. However, written testimony can be submitted until 5 p.m. AST today. Comments can be submitted submitted online at https://boardoffisheries.adfg.alaska.gov/...

Alaska Delegation Secures $115.4 Million in Federal Port Infrastructure Funding

US Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan and Congressman Nick Begich (R-AK) secured over $115.4 million in federal funding for ports across Alaska, the delegation announced on April 22.

The funding will go to seven projects selected through the US Department of Transportation's Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP), a competitive grant initiative administered by the DOT's Maritime Administration that funds projects to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of goods moving through US ports.

Alaska has more ocean coastline than all other US states combined, making port infrastructure...

Alaska's 2026 Salmon Forecast Falls 36% on Lower Pink Salmon Returns

The most recent forecast from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game was released April 21 with a total predicted harvest of 125.5 million salmon, a 36 percent drop from last year’s harvest of 197.4 million fish.

ADF&G’s final report for the coming season, “Run Forecasts and Harvest Projects for 2026 Alaska Salmon Fisheries and Review of the 2025 Season,” provides context for how fisheries managers develop forecasts, including a comparison of actual returns and harvests against forecasts over several years...

Governor Appoints Three to Alaska Board of Fish While State Legislators Express Escalating Concern

For most of his two terms, Alaska’s Governor Mike Dunleavy has issued a press release in late March or early April on appointments to the state’s Board of Fisheries, which, along with the Board of Game, oversees the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. 

Not this year. Almost a month ago, Dunleavy penned an identical letter to two new appointees and one incumbent, thanking them for accepting the appointment to the seven-member board. 

The two new appointments, Josh Hayes and Blair Hickson, are replacing...

Alaska to Homeport First Two Arctic Security Cutters, USCG Scales Back Seattle’s Expansion

Although the announcement was made yesterday, the U.S. Coast Guard decided on March 11 that the first two Arctic Security Cutters will be homeported in the State of Alaska. Delivery is expected by the end of 2028, and the USCG is planning for the necessary infrastructure and support to receive the two icebreakers.

“Ensuring these vessels are supported by trained and ready crews, and ready homeport facilities including housing, will be essential to delivering full, enduring operational capability required to meet emerging Arctic security challenges...

NOAA Wants Public Comment on Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in Alaska State Waters

Section 7 (Aquaculture Opportunity Areas or AOA) of President Trump’s Executive Order 13921 titled “Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth” from May 2020 is in its final stages with a 45-day public comment period that started yesterday and will close on May 28, 2026. 

The Notice of Intent asks for feedback on the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), the document that assesses impacts that AOAs may bring to Alaska state waters and the communities nearby. 

The action has nothing to do with permitting sites...

Center for Biological Diversity Sues NOAA Over Northern Fur Seal Protection, Targets Pollock Fleet

In late 2024, NOAA Fisheries finalized the Conservation Plan for the Eastern Pacific Stock of Northern Fur Seal in an effort to conserve and restore the stock to its optimum sustainable population. The Eastern Pacific (formerly Pribilof) stock of northern fur seals was designated as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act on June 17, 1988, because the population had declined by over 50 percent from the highest population levels of the 1950s. NMFS first published a Conservation Plan in 1993, followed by a revised version...

American Seafoods Refutes Federal Seizure of Pollock Roe, Calling it a Paperwork Discrepancy

American Seafoods is taking issue with the US Coast Guard and the Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) of the NOAA Fisheries Service within the Department of Commerce. In response to a USCG press release last Monday, the Seattle-based owner of seven vessels, some of which harvest and process pollock in the Bering Sea, issued a press release the next day saying the investigation of, as the Coast Guard press release said “major discrepancies between the vessel’s production reports and electronic logbook” is nothing more...

Coast Guard Rescues Crew From Grounded Fishing Vessel Near Unalaska Island in Bering Sea

Last Thursday afternoon, a US Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter from Kodiak Island hoisted a crew of five from the 58-foot F/V Ocean Bay, which was taking on water after grounding near Umnak Island’s north shore, just southwest of Unalaska Island. 

The incident began at 4:45 that day, when the Ocean Bay called for help after running aground and taking on water. 

The Coast Guard sent an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew and an HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Kodiak’s air station...

Southeast Alaska Troll Chinook Limit Jumps 57% to 146,000 Fish for 2026

Yesterday, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced that the annual all-gear allowable catch limit for Southeast Alaska/Yakutat (SEAK) is 207,400 treaty Chinook salmon, or non-Alaska hatchery-produced Chinook salmon.  

This year’s all-gear catch limit includes a 1% reduction that will serve as a buffer to avoid exceeding the all-gear limit and payback provisions within the treaty.  

The resulting preseason troll treaty harvest allocation for 2026 is 146,000 Chinook salmon, which is 53,200 fish above the preseason limit available in 2025...

AK, WA Governors Tap Two for NPFMC While NOAA Head Urges More Industry Members on Councils

Amid comments from NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Eugenio Piñeiro Soler for “better council members” at the regional fisheries management councils, both Governors Mike Dunleavy of Alaska and Bob Ferguson of Washington submitted their preferred nominations for two seats on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC).  

That council oversees 26 federally-managed species caught in Alaskan waters, including the nation’s largest fishery, Alaska pollock. Taken together, about 30% of the nation’s total seafood production is managed by the 11-member NPFMC...

Alaska's Attorney General Voids 5 Board of Fish Regulations on Area M, Due to Ethics Violation 

Alaska's highest law enforcement authority sent a letter to Alaska's Lieutenant Governor, Nancy Dahlstrom, yesterday, “disapproving” of the Alaska Board of Fisheries' actions on five proposals that were adopted into regulation at its February 18 – 24, 2026, meeting.

The regulations, all affecting Area M salmon fisheries, would have taken effect on June 1, 2026. 

Acting Attorney General Cori Mills, a 14-year veteran of the AG's office, acted under the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act as a matter of state government accountability, independently...

Kodiak’s Early Season Salmon Fishing Curtailed to Protect Expected Low Return of Reds and Kings

Projected extremely low returns of both sockeye (red) and king (Chinook) salmon to the Karluk River on Kodiak Island’s west side are expected to keep the area closed from June 1 to July 5, 2026.  

“The Karluk River early-run sockeye salmon forecast is estimated to be 115,000 fish, which falls significantly below the established Biological Escapement Goal (BEG) of 150,000 to 250,000 fish,” noted the May 6 announcement by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G).

“Additionally, Karluk River Chinook salmon escapements...

Navy Will Commission New USS Ted Stevens Destroyer in Whittier but Homeport in Norfolk

The U.S. Navy will hold a commissioning ceremony for the future Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Ted Stevens in Whittier, Alaska. Considered the “backbone of the Navy’s surface fleet”, there are 24 new Arleigh Burke-class destroyers under order, with three launched: 

–USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG-127), launched on July 27, 2024, with an expected commissioning sometime in the spring of 2026. 

-USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128), launched on August 15, 2023. 

-USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129), launched on March 26, 2025...

Alaska Rep. Begich Offers Bill to Add Four Seats to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council

Alaska’s sole representative in the U.S. House introduced a bill last Thursday to expand the number of voting seats on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) from 11 to potentially 15. The bill, titled the North Pacific Fishery Management Council Representation Enhancement Act of 2026, calls for “balanced representation” that includes “at least one representative each from recreational, small-scale commercial, rural subsistence, and urban subsistence user groups.” 

The bill was immediately referred to the House Natural Resources Committee, with the full text...

Lutnick Pledges Maine Lobster Coordination, Disaster Relief Reform Under Bicoastal Senate Pressure

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick faced intense scrutiny from senators representing both coasts during his April 22, 2026, Senate Appropriations Committee testimony, addressing mounting concerns over federal fisheries management from Maine's lobster industry to Alaska's disaster-stricken crab fleet.

Senator Susan Collins secured multiple commitments from Lutnick regarding Maine's lobster industry as the sector approaches a critical regulatory transition. With Congress's 2022 moratorium on new NOAA regulations affecting the American Lobster Fishery set to expire in 2028, Collins pressed for comprehensive industry coordination...

Japan's Black Cod Imports up 4% in 2025, Price Increased by 13%

According to a report by Minato Shimbun, Japan's imports of frozen black cod in 2025 increased by 4% year-on-year to 11,188 tons. The import price rose 13% from 1,133 yen/kg ($7.10/kg) the previous year to 1,280 yen/kg ($8.03/kg). The total import value reached a record high of 14.3 billion yen ($89.65 million). This year, due to the global surge in prices for fatty fish species in general, fatigue from low prices in the main producing region, the United States...

Coast Guard Removes Press Release on American Seafoods Pollock Roe Seizure

The US Coast Guard removed a press release from its website detailing the seizure of $65,000 worth of Alaska pollock roe from American Seafoods' catcher-processor Northern Eagle.

The Coast Guard told Alaska's NBC-2 KTUU that it removed the posts to prevent "unintended consequences, distractions from NOAA's ongoing investigation, or confusion about the compliance record within the Alaska pollock fishery."

The USCG said it pushed back on the case's conclusions, noting the issue shouldn't be viewed as evidence of illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing in one...

Alaska Seafood Industry Seeks Extension of EU CATCH Deadline Amid Trade Disruption Concerns

A coalition of US and European seafood trade groups is urging the European Union to extend the July 10, 2026, deadline for compliance with updated EU CATCH certification requirements, warning that current traceability demands could effectively ban Alaska seafood from EU markets.

The coalition includes Seafood Europe, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), At-Sea Processors Association (APA), National Fisheries Institute (NFI), and Pacific Seafood Processors Association (PSPA).

The groups cite a "core challenge" in requirements that each imported shipment provide traceability of each harvest vessel's...

Alaska Yellowfin Sole Gets the Spotlight in French Campaign With Herve and Cite Marine

Alaska yellowfin sole’s versatility and flavor became the focus of an advertising campaign in France led by well-known French influencer Hervé and the largest trader of Alaska Yellowfin Sole in France, Cité Marine. 

Hervé has over one million followers on YouTube and nearly a million followers on Instagram.  

He launched one of France’s first cooking channels in 2007 and is known for his social media presence and YouTube Channel. His recipes are easy, fast, and accessible, ranging from traditional French cuisine to international dishes...

Access Determines Price: The Global Crab Market Tightens in 2026

Global crab trade expanded in 2025, but 2026 is developing into a more difficult operating environment defined by tighter positioning and more contested negotiations.

The structure of the market continues to narrow. Supply remains concentrated, and access to key destinations is increasingly controlled. The central issue is no longer how much crab is produced, but who can place product into the markets that set the price.

Most major producing regions enter the year with workable quotas. Russia increased total crab quotas by 2% to 109,485 metric tons and continues to...

Alaska’s Gubernatorial Candidates Focus on Trawl Behavior While Trawl Allies Fire Back in Radio Ads

The governor’s race in Alaska to replace termed-out Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy now includes 18 candidates, many of whom have found a common criticism against the mostly Seattle-based fleet of groundfish trawlers and their bycatch of salmon, crab, and other non-targeted species. 

Despite the primacy of the seafood industry in Alaska's economy, most political candidates have been less than up to date on the intricacies of fisheries management or policies. Mary Peltola’s campaign for Don Young’s House seat changed all that when...

Alaska Peninsula Communities File Suit to Void Conflicted Fisheries Regulations 

Coast Guard Seizes $65K in Unreported Pollock Roe from American Seafoods Vessel

In a collaboration between the US Coast Guard and NOAA Fisheries office of Law Enforcement (OLE), federal officers seized 5.4 metric tons of unreported pollock roe, valued at over $65,000, from the catcher-processor Northern Eagle, owned by American Seafoods, in late March. 

The Northern Eagle was approximately 15 nautical miles north of Dutch Harbor, AK on Thursday, March 26, when the crew of the US Coast Guard Cutter Waesche boarded the trawler/processor. 

In a statement yesterday, the Coast Guard described the boarding as being...

Alaska Board of Fish Is Silent on Mid-Water Bottom Contact But Proposes Joint Protocol With NPFMC

Four proposals addressing pelagic (mid-water) trawls brought before the Alaska Board of Fisheries were unanimously voted to “take no action.” 

Proposal 11, submitted by Linda Kozak, F/V Alaska Trojan, called for a closure of state waters west of 170 degrees West longitude for non-pelagic (bottom) trawls and pelagic (mid-water ) trawls. Proposals 163, 164, and 165 were submitted by the Alaska Healthy Habitat Alliance (AHHA), and called for a redefinition of pelagic trawls; new requirements for sensors...