Alaska’s 2021 Salmon Catch Now Eighth Largest in Recent History

The latest data from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game show 210.4 million salmon caught so far this year, ranking 2021 as the 8th highest since 1975. There are only nine years where Alaska’s fishing industry brought in more than 200 million salmon. This year, so far, ranks just below 2007’s 212.62 million and well above 2019’s 204.4 million salmon caught. 

This year’s total includes 144.3 million pink salmon, 53.93 million sockeye, 10.1 million chum, 1.8 million coho, and 224,000 Chinook landings. On a poundage basis, however, this year’s ...

Alaska Ocean Observing System Wants Feedback from Mariners, Coastal Communities

The Alaska Ocean Observing System is the real time “eye on Alaska’s coasts and oceans” and it wants feedback from mariners and communities.

The AOOS is one of 11 national federally funded systems designed to fill data gaps on ocean observations to enhance decision-making. Molly McCammon is senior adviser:

“AOOS runs the largest collection of ocean and coastal data in the state. Largely, a lot of it is real time data. And then a lot of historical data, a lot of that is biological data, because it's not collected...

Peter Pan Seafood Unveils New Policy on COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement For Employees

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — “Company leaders now believe more than ever in the importance of its staff being vaccinated,” Peter Pan Seafood said in a statement released yesterday. The company has implemented a tier-based policy requiring workers be vaccinated against COVID-19.

“Our team often works in close quarters and in remote communities with limited access to health care resources,” said Rodger May, president and chief growth officer at Peter Pan. 

“Requiring employees to be vaccinated is the new gold standard. This is the best way I know ...

Crisis in Alaska: Steepest Epi Curve and Crowded Hospitals Mean More Deaths Ahead

After 1,151 new Covid-19 cases last weekend and all ICU beds in Anchorage full, the state reported another 634 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, 601 of them residents. Driven almost entirely by the highly contagious Delta variant, Alaska’s epidemiological curve is steeper than ever, with a prediction that cases will double in 26 days. But before that, cases will surpass the state’s highest peak since the pandemic started, which was 728 cases on November 28, 2020. That is predicted to happen tomorrow, with a  ...

Crisis in Alaska: Epi Curve Highest Ever, Hospitalizations Now Tied with Highest Level Ever

Hospitals in Alaska are stretched to the point that setting up field facilities is now part of the discussion, reported the Anchorage Daily News yesterday. Anchorage hospitals are in their second day of having no ICU beds available, due to a surge in hospitalizations that hit last weekend. There are now 151 Covid-19 patients hospitalized in Alaska, the same number reached only once during the height of the pandemic last December. 

The rapid transmission of the virus and its far more contagious Delta variant showing ...

Big Plankton Bloom Bodes Well for Gulf of Alaska

Results from the longest-running cruise by researchers at the University of Alaska/Fairbanks this year showed the largest concentrations of phytoplankton ever seen in nearly 25 years of sampling in the northern Gulf of Alaska. 

A massive bloom of phytoplankton, the base of marine food webs, m was spotted from May through September along the Seward Line, a transect of survey stations starting at the mouth of Resurrection Bay, continuing south to the outer edge of the continental shelf and running from the Copper River to beyond Middleton Island...

Partnership Promotes Bristol Bay Salmon and Traditions

Nutrition, Native ways and knowing where your fish comes from form the nexus of a new partnership of the Bristol Bay Native Corporation, salmon fishermen and Bambino’s Baby Food of Anchorage.

“ Zoi from Bambinos has really built up her business and her brand, and it was no secret that her sockeye product was performing really well. And BBNC and we at BBRSDA saw a huge opportunity to tell both of our stories -BBNC focusing the native families and culture of Bristol Bay and for ourselves, the marketing program, I feel very passionate...

Seafood Plants Upfront With Communities, Share Critical Data and Partner with Local Health Officials

Sitka Sound Seafoods is the latest member of Alaska’s seafood industry to provide details of an outbreak while they work with local medical authorities to address a statewide explosion of the Covid-19 Delta variant. That kind of forthright sharing of information to protect communities from further spread is not seen coming from other industries or even public entities in Alaska.

Since Monday’s report of the state's 1,110 cases over the weekend, Alaska has reported another 593 cases on Tuesday for the day before, and 13 ...

Fake Fish Makes the Menu of a Major Seafood Seller

Plant-based seafoods are on the menu of Long John Silver’s, the first major U.S. seafood chain to do so. The operator of over 700 restaurants has partnered with Good Catch to test its Breaded Fish-Free Fillet and Breaded Crab-Free Cake at restaurants in California and Georgia. The so called seafood includes a mix of peas, lentils, chickpeas, soy, numerous beans flavorings.

And Whole Foods Markets, owned by Amazon, claims that nearly half of U.S. consumers are looking for plant-based products, and fish alternatives made...

Why are Bristol Bay’s Salmon Returns so Strong While Other Regions Struggle?

Bristol Bay’s sockeye run this summer of nearly 66 million was the largest on record. But why that region maintains such salmon strength while others struggle is a mystery. Fisheries further west, for example,  are seeing the lowest salmon returns ever.

One factor in play for Bristol Bay could be water temperature.

“Climate warming seems to have actually benefited Bristol Bay sockeye — warmer temperatures, more food, more growth opportunities and they are still in the sweet spot of water temperatures that are still profitable...

Alaska Mariculture Alliance Takes Shape

Ninety Alaskans responded to the call to help shape the new Alaska Mariculture Alliance, a private non-profit successor to a five-year task force formed in 2016 by Governor Walker. Their goal is to create a sustainable industry for growing shellfish and seaweeds to benefit Alaska’s economy and communities. 

The founding members represent a diverse range of experienced growers to newcomers. It includes Native corporations, salmon hatcheries, the Central Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association and the Aleutian Pribilofs Community Development Association, to name a few...

Fishermen’s Wives Share Likes and Dislikes About the Fishing Life

A professional fisherman’s life demands a lot of coming and going. Fish Radio asked some of Kodiak’s wives’ what their likes and dislikes of  being married to a fisherman.

• I guess my likes would be, you know, it’s always nice when they leave and it’s always nice when they come home. It’s the best of both worlds.

• I also enjoy that he’s out providing for our family and he’s having fun and loves what he does...

More COVID-19 Funds for Alaska Businesses, Fishermen

Alaska fishermen and other businesses can soon apply for a new $90 million pool of Covid pandemic money that will be distributed by the state.  Money for the program comes from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

The  Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development announced last week that applications will open sometime this fall and recipients will be chosen “based on demonstrated need.” 

Eligible fishing businesses include commercial fishermen who held a limited entry permit or interim entry permit in 2019 and 2020...

Governor, Industry Send More Salmon to Yukon- Kuskokwim Villages as Food for Winter

Alaska’s Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim or AYK area had an unprecedented failure in the salmon runs this year where there wasn’t enough salmon even for subsistence use. Only pink salmon, the smallest and lowest in fat content, were landed in serious numbers, but not enough to feed families through the winter along the nearly 2,000-mile river. 

Governor Dunleavy partnered with the Tanana Chiefs Conference, Alaska seafood processors, and air cargo companies to distribute 25,000 pounds of Chinook and chum salmon to the villages on the river earlier ...

Alaska’s Vaccination Rate is Increasing, But So is Delta Variant: 863 New Cases Last Weekend

COVID-19 cases continue to surge in Alaska with a new case growth rate of 5.48% and an alarming projected number of days to double at less than 13. The statewide epidemic curve  is steeper than at any time since COVID arrived in Alaska. According to the August 3 report on the variants from the Alaska Sequencing Coalition, the delta variant is the primary virus with both alpha and beta showing declines. "During the week beginning July 11, Delta represented 96% of sequenced cases in Alaska ....

Fisherman Fined $1 Million, 6 Months in Jail for Falsifying Halibut, Sablefish Reports

James Aaron Stevens, 47, of Kodiak was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Joshua M. Kindred last Friday to six months in federal prison, a $1,000,000 fine, 126 days in a halfway house and 80 hours of community service.

Stevens, the owner and captain of the F/V Alaskan Star and F/V Southern Seas, was the subject of an investigation by NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) for four years, from  2014 to 2017. The case against Stevens culminated in charges being filed and a ...

OPINION: Modern Misinformation, Pseudo-science and the Games “Scientists” Play

“Pseudoscience.” A collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method.

Today I came across an interesting piece of pseudo-science written by a “Campaign Manager/Scientist” of a Big Enviro group (Oceana). He starts the piece by claiming to be a just “browsing the Fisheries Service database, ruminating about bycatch.” Right, the Big Enviro campaign manager was “just browsing.” The truth that is he was mining government records for data he could cherry pick to support a carefully drafted hit piece on a Big Enviro ...

Alaska Symphony of Seafood Competition Calls for Entries

The Alaska Symphony of Seafood competition is back and the call is out for entrees.

The contest has showcased new products since 1994 but was canceled last year due to the pandemic The Symphony is hosted by the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation. Julie Decker is AFDF director:

“It really does several things. It encourages value added seafood production, and then it promotes high quality products made of Alaska seafood. So through the contest we get to evaluate new products that are coming into the marketplace and determine which ones are the best...

Alaska Fish Radio: Salmon Market is Hotter Than Ever!

Alaska’s salmon catch is on its way to 205 million fish and by all reports, markets are set to buy all they can get. Here’s how global supplier Tradexof British Columbia sums it up. Spokesperson Rochelle Reierson --

“Our Recommendation is to buy everything and anything you need or will need for your inventories - now. Stocks will deplete and prices will continue to rise.  If you require Salmon, now is the time to buy and stock up or you will be left out.”  

Reierson says any sockeye on the market quickly sold...

Vital Choice Wild Seafood & Organics Celebrates 20 Years in Business

Vital Choice Wild Seafood & Organics founder Randy Hartnell explained that a woman named Helen, who “really wanted some wild salmon” helped inspire him to found the company 20 years ago.

According to Vital Choice, Hartnell, an Alaska fisherman, saw wild salmon prices collapsed after farmed salmon swooped in at a lower price point. After a show in the Midwest where him and his friend were showing off the qualities of the Alaskan salmon, Helen approached him.

This very insistent woman named Helen, comes up and says...

Four Fishermen Rescued After Vessel Ran Aground Near Dutch Harbor

Three men and a woman were rescued Wednesday night after the F/V Endurance ran aground one mile west of Egg Island near the mouth of Beaver Inlet in Akutan Pass. The four survivors were rescued as they huddled on a rock near the grounding. They left the swamped Endurance in the vessel's skiff. 

Watchstanders in the Coast Guard 17th District command center in Juneau received a transferred call via satellite phone emergency dispatch from the Endurance at 10:57 p.m. Wednesday, stating they had run aground, were severely listing ...

Alaska Nears 200 Million Salmon Landed, Final Numbers Could Put 2021 in Top Eight Historically

By the end of this week, once the numbers are tallied, the state could surpass the 200 million salmon mark for commercial landings of all five species. 

Current numbers, which do not include all of this week’s harvests yet, are 196.46 million, made up of 132.84 million pink salmon, 53.58 million sockeye, 8.5 million chum salmon, 1.5 million coho, and 202,000 Chinook. 

These levels are above pre-season forecasts for sockeye (by 7 million) and pinks (8.6 million and counting) but well below for chums ...

AK COVID-19 Cases Continue Alarming Rise, Anchorage Hospitals Near “System Collapse”

The epidemiological curve in Alaska has increased each week this month,  as Covid-19’s Delta variant infects more people in less time, and causing more severe symptoms in unvaccinated hosts. 

The case count for last weekend was 1,110 new cases and 126 current hospitalizations. The 7-day average case count now as of Monday morning was 482. On August 2 it was 263. 

Looking at the weekend case count alone this month gives a thumbnail of what the state has been facing this month. 

On August 2 ...

Call is Still Out for Applicants to Fill One Alaska Board of Fisheries Seat

The call is still out for nominees to fill one open seat on the state Board of Fisheries.

The opening stems from the Alaska Legislature’s giving a thumbs down to Governor Dunleavy’s appointment of Abe Williams, a longtime regional affairs director for the Pebble Mine.

Williams was rejected during a marathon six hour session on May 13 in what Representative Bryce Edgmon of Dillingham called a “drubbing” and added that Williams was “a polarizing figure that did not have the trust of people in the Bristol...

New MSC Recertification for Pacific Halibut and Sablefish Now Includes Inside Waters

A team effort over several months resulted in MSC’s recertification of Pacific Halibut and North Pacific sablefish fisheries to include the inside waters of the northern section of Southeast Alaska, including the waters of Chatham Strait, east of Sitka.

Last week the  expanded recertification was announced by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and that it now included for the first time the Northern Southeast Inside (NSEI) sablefish fishery. Yesterday the MSC client Eat on the Wild Side, a non-profit of the Fishing Vessel Owners Association (FVOA) and ...

Alaska’s Covid Cases Grow: More than 1,000 in Last Three Days, Very Few Seafood Related

The latest case count from the state, updated through Sunday night, was 1,063 new Covid-19 cases, but it does not include 33 people in the Dillingham Census Area who tested positive over the weekend. 

“Individuals and their households are in three villages and are in isolation,” the Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation reported yesterday. That area includes the communities of Aleknagik, Clark’s Point, Dillingham, Ekwok, Manokotak, New Stuyahok, Portage Creek, Togiak, and Twin Hills. 

“Travel continues to be a high risk activity,” the BBAHC ... 

Updated ADF&G Numbers Show Surge in Southeast Alaska Pink Salmon Landings 

Yesterday’s story reported a wide gap between current pink salmon catch and pre-season forecasts, but an update on those numbers heralded a surge of pink salmon landings in Southeast Alaska.

Current catch of Southeast Alaska pink salmon are now 19.65 million fish, or about 70% of the pre-season forecast for pinks in Southeast.

“The 2021 Southeast Alaska pink salmon harvest forecast was predicted to be average with a point estimate of 28 million fish,” regional management biologists from Southeast wrote in an updated summary of the ...

Alaska Salmon Update: Harvest for Pinks in PWS Now 144% Above Pre-Season Forecast 

This is the peak week for Alaska pink salmon harvests historically, but it’s unlikely the state will achieve the 124.2 million pinks predicted earlier this year. In Prince William Sound, where wild pink salmon have returned at higher levels than expected, fishermen have landed more than 35.7 million pinks, more than four million in less than a week. While exceeding the annual forecast and accounting for more than half of all pink salmon caught in the state as of Monday, it’s unlikely that Alaska will see ...

Today is Alaska Wild Salmon Day

It is officially Alaska Wild Salmon Day. The honor was established six years ago by former Governor Bill when he signed a bill designating every August 10^th  as a day to honor the fish that is the cultural and economic backbone of so many communities.

Fishermen shared what they would say to the salmon -

• I’ve always been pretty heartless towards salmon (laughs).
• Sorry you’ll never spawn.
• You’re just a dollar bill with fins.
• Thank you for what you’re offering...

Plastics From Fishing Gear, Marine Debris Turned Into Lumber in Cordova

Turning plastics from old fishing gear and marine debris into durable lumber is building momentum from coast to coast and one Alaska entrepreneur plans to take it on the road.

Patrick Simpson of Cordova received a $100,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a mobile plastic waste recycler. He told Liz Ruskin of Alaska Public Media that the recycler would fit into one or two 40-foot container vans for easy transport to local communities.

“The technology is not terribly difficult...