New Atlas Identifies Potential Opportunities for Aquaculture in the Gulf of Alaska

Last week, NOAA published the Atlas for Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs), identifying 77 locations that have potential for shellfish and seaweed aquaculture operations in the Gulf of Alaska.  

This atlas is the third released in recent months. The other two are focused on the Gulf of America (previously known as the Gulf of Mexico) and off the state of California.  

Identifying Aquaculture Opportunity Areas fulfills President Trump’s 2020 Executive Order “Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth” and supports the 2025 Executive Order “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness...

Weather-Related Delays Impact Opening and Closing of Southeast Alaska’s Tanner Crab Fishery

A severe winter storm delayed the opening of the 2025/2026 Southeast Alaska commercial Tanner and golden king crab fishery for 24 hours last week, and yesterday, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) delayed the closure in certain areas for tanner crab for a further twelve hours due to weather.

Wild Alaskan Company Acquires Kasilof Buying Station, Moves to Improve Alaska’s Working Waterfronts

Wild Alaskan Company, an industry leader in direct-to-consumer sales, announced its acquisition of the Kasilof Buying Station yesterday, noting that it gives vessels a direct offload point during the summer salmon season.  

Located just upriver from the mouth of the Kasilof River, the station is on Alaska’s road system, enabling seamless integration into Wild Alaskan Company’s national DTC supply chain and improving speed, coordination, and market connectivity. The investment reflects the company’s long-term commitment to improving Alaska’s working waterfronts and seafood infrastructure...

The Curse and the Blessing of Diverse Fisheries For Communities that Rim Alaska’s Bering Sea

In Anchorage this week and next, the federal, state, and local fisheries managers, industry stakeholders, and scientists are addressing ways to reduce chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea trawl fishery. Hundreds of miles away in communities that rim the Bering Sea from Bethel to Nome, and along the two river systems that feed the Bering Sea, the Yukon and Kuskokwim, residents are also grappling with chum bycatch off their shores, and how much it may be impacting the disappearance of chum from the rivers...

ADF&G Predicts Strong Prince William Sound Pink Run, Average Copper River Sockeye

Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) issued its 2026 forecast for the returning salmon runs in Prince William Sound and nearby Copper River last week, with positive news for pink salmon harvesters this summer and less positive for the wild sockeye salmon caught by the Copper River drift fleet, whose season opens in mid-May for Alaska’s first-of-the-year Chinook and sockeye salmon.

Returns to the Copper River this year are predicted to be “average” for sockeye salmon at 1.455 million fish...

IPHC Lowers Pacific Halibut Quota in Canada, Maintains Low Levels in US for 2026 

At its annual meeting last week, the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) announced 2026 harvest quotas that maintained the status quo in all US areas and a 7.2% cut for British Columbia. That puts the total catch for 2026 at 29.33 million pounds, with the US portion at the same as last year (24.27 million pounds) and British Columbia at 5.06 million pounds (mlbs). The new total is 1.3% below the 2025 coastwide quota.  

The six-member panel also set this year's season dates, with an...

F/V Arctic Sea Leaking Fuel, Cleanup Hindered by Persistent Storm and Freezing Temps 

The 134’ crabber Arctic Sea that ran aground on the shore of Saint George Island a week ago has now started spilling oil. The storm that caused the grounding has not let up and is keeping response crews from the area. The Department of Environmental Conservation said it is not yet clear how much oil has been spilled to date.

“The visually observed sheening extended approximately 6-8 miles long and 200 yards offshore as seen on January 7, 2026. The quantity released is unknown...

Coast Guard Rescues Nine Crew of Crab Vessel Arctic Sea Near St. George Island, Alaska

Early in the morning of Monday, January 5, the 134-foot crab vessel Arctic Sea lost power and began drifting toward the shallow north shore of St. George Island, part of the Pribilof Islands in the central Bering Sea.  

At 4:11 a.m., watchstanders at the Coast Guard Arctic District Command Center in Juneau received a call that the vessel was taking on water and had run aground with nine people aboard.  

At the same time, Eric Deakin, CEO of Coastal Villages Region Fund...

2026 Will Be Another Strong Year for Sitka Herring

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) announced last week that the guideline harvest level (GHL) for the 2026 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery is 35,015 tons with a forecasted weight of 156 grams, averaged across all age classes.  

The forecast is based on an estimated biomass of 233,433 tons of mature herring, a slight (6%) decrease from the year-ago forecast of 247,081 tons. 

Two new management changes were made at the Board of Fisheries meeting in late January and early February 2025 that impacted the GHL...

Record Prices, Record Imports, Record Shifts — 2025 Crab Trade Turns Upside Down

The holiday period remains the most active stretch of the year for global king and snow crab, and this season is no different. Alaska red king crab has entered December holiday channels, while harvesters have now shifted to the largest Bairdi (Tanner) snow crab harvest seen in more than a decade. Prices for red and golden king crab remain at record highs and have shown little elasticity throughout the year despite broader economic uncertainty.

Attention across the industry has sharpened around the US...

Pacific Halibut Stock Assessment at End of 2025 Shows Continued Trend of Low Productivity

The annual stock assessment of Pacific halibut, the world’s largest flatfish, reveals little change in the biomass of the stock that ranges from Alaska’s northern Bering Sea to California's Monterey Bay.  

Commercial landings in 2025 as of December 1 were 16.7 million lbs., down 16% from that time last year. This year, that reflected only about 80% of the catch limit allowed in 2025. Total mortality was 28.8 mlbs, down 12% from last year, and marks the lowest in 100 years...

Alaska Pollock Biomass Drops 30%, But Federal Shutdown Delays Stock Assessment Process

A summer survey of the eastern Bering Sea (EBS) showed a 30% drop in the biomass of Walleye pollock in the area compared to a 2024 survey. 

Results of the 2025 Eastern and Northern Bering Sea Bottom Trawl Survey, which were released to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s groundfish plan team in September, showed a drop from last year’s 5.5 million metric tons to a current 3.8 million metric tons of pollock in the area. 

Other species also showed drops in biomass: Pacific cod dropped...

2026 Bristol Bay Sockeye Run Forecast of 45.32 Million, 12 Percent Below 2025’s Forecast

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) released its forecast for the 2026 Bristol Bay salmon season yesterday, predicting a run of 45.32 million and a catch of 32.26 million sockeye. This is 26% smaller than the most recent 10-year average of 61.0 million fish and 21% greater than the long-term average of 37.40 million fish (1963–2025). 

Yesterday’s forecast compared to last year’s final forecast, also released in November, for a 2025 run of 51.3 million and a forecasted...

Alaska’s 2025 Season Nets 88 Percent More Salmon, Increasing YOY Value by 78 Percent

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) has published preliminary catch and value data for this year’s salmon season, noting year-on-year increases for both volume and value. 

Total catch reached 194.8 million salmon, an 88% increase from the 2024 catch of 103.5 million salmon. Total value in 2025 for all species is estimated to be at $541 million, a significant increase from $304 million in 2024. Ex-vessel average prices per pound for all salmon species improved from 2024 values...

ASMI Delivers “Powerful” ROI, Adds $464M in Value to Alaska Seafood in 2023

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) delivered a “powerful” return on investment and played a strong role in a $464 million increase in value for Alaska seafood in 2023, according to seafood economist Andy Wink’s independent analysis.

Wink showcased his findings at the recent ASMI meeting in Alaska this week.

The report quantifies ASMI’s impact over the past five years, encompassing major seafood species, domestic and international retail and foodservice promotions, and global food aid sales...

The Winding Glass: Alaska Fisheries Face Crisis due to Gov’t Shutdown

December is the most important meeting of the year for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Quotas are set for all Alaskan species under federal management, with the pollock and cod fisheries beginning the following month. Federal staff are furloughed, data work has stopped, and NMFS warns that a shutdown lasting more than two weeks could force precautionary quotas or missed deadlines for next year’s TACs. The shutdown is now approaching 30 days.

This disruption comes on top of the already severe erosion of NOAA personnel...

Frank O’Hara III Takes Helm at Wild Alaska Sole Association

The Board of the Wild Alaska Sole Association (WASA) elected Frank O’Hara III as the group’s new president, it announced on February 18.

Currently, O’Hara serves as the Executive Vice President of the fishing company O’Hara Corporation, which harvests flatfish and other groundfish species in Alaska’s Bering Sea. He will succeed Jim Johnson of North Star Fishing Company, who served as President of WASA since it was created in 2023.

“I’m looking forward to working with WASA and growing markets for our Wild Alaska Sole...

Access, Concentration, and Risk: The New Structure of Global Crab Trade

The 2026 global crab market is increasingly defined by concentration and control. Two dominant poles now shape global trade flows: the United States, which has consolidated its position as the world’s premier destination for king and snow crab, and China, which continues to absorb the majority of Russian live production at record levels. In this environment, competitive advantage is no longer driven by tonnage alone, but by secure access, disciplined inventory management, and credible supply chains.

This concentration has left secondary markets—particularly in Asia—more exposed to currency...

2025 Survey: Pollock Biomass Down by 30%, Snow Crab Up by 51% in Eastern Bering Sea

The walleye pollock biomass dropped by 30% from 2024, according to results of the annual eastern Bering Sea trawl survey, but a much smaller portion found in the northern Bering Sea rose by 50.6% YOY. 

Pollock is the largest contributor of biomass in both the eastern and northern Bering Sea. It accounts for 28% of the EBS and 23% of the NBS, making it the largest US commercial fishery.  

Even with a 30% drop in biomass, there is enough for the conservation-led...

GSMC 2026: Farmed Salmon Faces Growing China Demand as Buyers Adjust Sourcing

Buyers and producers at GSMC 2026 painted a picture of a salmon market in flux: wild runs are tight and commanding premiums, while farmed volumes and shifting trade flows, notably surging demand from China and other Asian markets, will largely determine where product lands in 2026. Panelists warned US buyers to expect constrained farmed supply, price pressure and the need for proactive sourcing decisions as Chilean and Norwegian harvests flatten after strong 2025 performances.

The conversation, moderated by Richard Barry of the National Fisheries Institute...

In Denying to Hear the Case, the Supreme Court Hands Alaska Natives a Win on the Kuskokwim

The Supreme Court yesterday rejected the state of Alaska’s petition to review a ruling affirming Alaska Native fishing rights in a case tied to a broader legal battle over subsistence fishing that began more than 40 years ago. 

In an article published in Courthouse News, Lloyd Miller, attorney for the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, described the petition as the fourth time a court has ruled against Alaska’s attempt to “wipe out the subsistence fishing and hunting rights that rural Alaskans...

AK Delegation Introduce Bycatch Reduction Act to Address "Unprecedented Challenges"

As promised, Alaska’s Congressional Delegation has followed up on 2022’s Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act with a broader approach to benefit other commercial species caught in Alaska. 

Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Representative Nick Begich introduced the bill earlier this week in both houses of Congress. 

“In recent years, Alaskans have witnessed unprecedented declines among some fish and crab species in parts of the state while, in other parts, runs have been strong and historic,” said Sullivan...

Golden King and Tanner Crab Seasons Open in SE AK Mid-Feb. 2026, GHLs Slightly Less than 2025

The six-week season of golden king crab and tanner crab in Southeast Alaska will open on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, with a slightly lower guideline harvest limit for golden king crab and a lower biomass recorded for mature tanners.    

Last summer and fall’s crab survey data produced a biomass estimate of 3.05 million lbs. of mature male Tanner crab, about 250,000 lbs. lower than the 2024 estimate of 3.30 million lbs. This puts the biomass in a conservative position...

Snow Crab Collapse Linked to Energetic Limits Amid Marine Heatwave, NOAA Study Finds

NOAA Fisheries, also known as the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), highlighted a recent study focused on the massive collapse of the snow crab population in the eastern Bering Sea. Led by NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center biologist Erin Fedewa, the research sought to understand the causes of the 2018-2019 mortality event and the species’ potential for recovery.

A key aspect of the study was measuring snow crab energy reserves during and after the marine heatwave. Using biochemical assays of lipids and proteins in muscle and...

2026 Pollock TAC Steady for Bering Sea, Aleutians, Bogoslof with Revised Regional Allocations

The 2026 total annual catch (TAC) for pollock has been set at the same level as last year — 1.394 million metric tons (mmt) in the Bering Sea (BS)/Aleutian Islands (AI) and Bogoslof area. The difference is how the TAC is allocated this year, with the biggest change in the AI, although at a much smaller scale than the Bering Sea's pollock TAC. 

In the Bering Sea, the 2026 TAC dropped from 1.389 mmt last year to 1.375 mmt in 2026...

Japan: Imports of Frozen Alaskan Salmon Roe Doubled to 3,184 Tons, Russian Roe Minimal

According to the Minato Shimbun report, imported frozen salmon roe is selling at unusually high prices this season. The domestic sales price for Russian pink and chum salmon roe has exceeded 10,000 yen/kg ($64.34/kg). This is even higher than last season's steep price hike, and there have been almost no imports up to September. Imports from the United States are on the rise. 

The domestic sales price for frozen Russian roe from the latest season in November was...

ADF&G Forecasts “Average” Pink Salmon Harvest for Southeast Alaska — 19M Pinks in 2026

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) issued its latest salmon forecast for next year last Monday: a lackluster “average” run of pink salmon to rivers in the state’s panhandle, with a predicted harvest of 19 million fish. 

“Juvenile pink salmon abundance measured in northern inside waters during summer 2025 was near the middle of the long-term range, which suggests a moderate number of adults returning in 2026,” the agency’s forecast said. 

While salmon returns can vary due to changing ocean conditions...

OBBBA’s 2nd Oil Lease Sale this March for Alaska’s Cook Inlet, 1st Sale Next Month for Gulf States

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today announced two major oil and gas lease sales last Friday, as promised in President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

BOEM, part of the Department of the Interior, released the Final Notice of Sale for Lease Sale Big Beautiful Gulf 1 (BBG1), the first of 30 Gulf of America lease sales. The Gulf of Mexico was renamed by Trump to the Gulf of America...

Les Hodges: Frozen Crab to the US, Live to China - Everything Else is Just Noise

As the industry enters the final weeks of 2025, one reality is unmistakable: global king and snow crab movement is now shaped almost entirely by the United States and China. The US has become the dominant outlet for frozen snow crab, absorbing record volumes from Canada and Norway, while China controls the live crab market and continues to pull the majority of Russian king and snow crab. Japan remains Asia's largest frozen crab buyer, but demand has fallen sharply under a weak yen and declining consumer...

FISH Act Passes in Senate, Will Strengthen US Policy Against Illegal Foreign Seafood Harvests

Last Tuesday, Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) saw their legislation against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing pass the full Senate as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) introduced last July.

The Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvest (FISH) Act, co-sponsored by Sens. Murkowski (R-AK), Wicker (R-MS), Graham (R-SC), Merkley (D-OR), Blunt (D-DE), Coons (D-DE), and Kennedy (R-LA), would combat foreign illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing...