ADF&G sets 2025 Chinook limits, tightens regulations
Published onThe Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) announced a preseason all-gear catch limit of 133,500 treaty Chinook salmon for Southeast Alaska in 2025, per the Pacific Salmon Treaty provisions. ADFG has set a target of 130,850 Chinook salmon, incorporating a 2 percent reduction from the treaty catch limit to serve as a buffer against exceeding the all-gear limit and triggering payback provisions. This catch limit is determined by using the abundance index from the Pacific Salmon Commission Chinook model, a requirement under Chapter 3 of the treaty. ADFG scientists have reviewed the models inputs and outputs and are exploring alternative models for future catch limit determinations. The distribution of the 2025 South East Alaska Chinook salmon all-gear catch limit among various sectors is as follows, according to ADFG: The preseason outlook indicates improvements for the four Southeast Alaska Chinook salmon stocksthe Situk, Chilkat, Taku ...
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From milk jugs to millions: How American shad took over
Published onIn early 1871, American shad was a popular food and sport fish, and the California Fish Commission engaged Seth Green, regarded as the father of fish culture in North America, to transport more than 12,000 American Shad fry by train to California. Green filledmilk jugs with shad fry and took them onto a transcontinental train. After a seven-day journey, he arrived in California with 10,000 little fish still alive, and he released them into the Sacramento River near the town of Tehama. The project turned out to be more successful than Green could have imagined. From Sacramento, shad colonized and were introduced to rivers all along the West Coast. The Columbia River now sees shad annual runs of as many as 7 million fish, and shad are now the most abundant anadromous fish in the river. They make up over 90 percent of the recorded upstream ...
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Alaska expands commercial dipnet fishery
Published onAlaskas commercial dipnet fishery is getting more time on the water this season, following an expansion approved by the State Board of Fisheries in March. The boards decision, reported by Peninsula Clarions Jake Dye, extends fishing hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, increasing opportunities for participants while maintaining limits aimed at protecting struggling king salmon stocks. The expansion came from a proposal by Joseph Person, who initially sought to allow 12-hour openings every day of the week. The board unanimously approved the increase on March 15 but adjusted the plan to restrict operations to weekdays. The season will continue to run from June 20 through July 31, rejecting Persons request to extend it through mid-August. Additional provisions now allow dipnet fishermen to operate on City of Kenai shore leases and require them to record any released king or coho salmon on a ...
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Showa 477 gains popularity among scallopers
Published onOn a January night, the mates watch on a scallop boat on Georges Bank comes on deck ready to haul back a pair of 15-foot dredges and begin the nights workdumping the dredges, picking the pile, and shucking as fast as they can. When its 20-foot seas and cold spray coming over the rail, its vital that the crew stay warm and comfortable, and gloves are a key part of that. The hands are one of the most sensitive parts of the human body, particularly the fingertips packed with nerve endings. A good pair of scallop gloves has to be durable enough to withstand being part of a human bulldozer working through the pile, and flexible enough to handle scallops at high speed while shucking. Stauffer Glove and Safety in Red Hill, Pennsylvania, has been in business for over 100 years and makes the industry standard, the ...
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2025 Maine Lobster Boat Races are ready to rev up the coast
Published onThe Maine Lobster Boat Race Association is gearing up for another exciting season, bringing roaring engines, tight competition, and a deep-rooted maritime culture to harbors up and down the states coast. Every summer, fishermen, boatbuilders, and spectators gather to celebrate the speed and power of working lobster boats during the Maine Lobster Boat Races. These races turn into community-wide events. Whether youre racing, rafting up, or watching from the shore, theres no better way to embrace Maines fishing heritage than by experiencing the races firsthand. 2025 Maine Lobster Boat Race Schedule JUNE 14 (Saturday) Boothbay Harbor Lobster Boat Races15 (Sunday) Rockland Harbor Lobster Boat Races22 (Sunday) Bass Harbor Pier Lobster Boat Races (Tremont) JULY 5 (Saturday) Jonesport-Beals (Moosabec Reach) Lobster Boat Races13 (Sunday) Stonington Lobster Boat Races20 (Sunday) Friendship Lobster Boat Races27 (Sunday) Harpswell Lobster Boat Races AUGUST 9 (Saturday) Winter Harbor Lobster Boat Races10 (Sunday) Merritt ...
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Tracking Dungeness crabs amid changing waters
Published onIn the Pacific Northwest, Dungeness crab is a crucial fishery that supports so many fishermen. As ocean conditions shift, researchers in Washington are working to understand how these changes impact one of the regions most valuable catches. According to a recent report by King 5 News, a team of scientists from NOAA and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is closely monitoring Dungeness crab populations in Puget Sound. Using a combination of tracking technology and environmental analysis, the researchers aim to gather critical data on how factors like ocean acidification and warming waters affect the species. The study involved tagging crabs with specialized sensors to track their movements and survival rates. Researchers are also examining how fluctuations in temperature and pH levels may impact the crabs growth and ability to thrive. We want to know if the conditions are changing in a way that could ultimately affect the ...
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USDA gives $4.5 million for Alaska seafood international marketing
Published onThe Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) announced it has secured over $4.5 million in federal Market Access Program (MAP) funding to increase its international marketing efforts. Provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, MAP funds share costs of overseas marketing and promotional activities with participating groups like ASMI that match the money. These funds, like most other federal grants received by ASMI, must be used for international purposes, and are extremely welcome as the Alaska seafood industry emerges from the current global market collapse that has put incredible financial pressure on Alaska communities, fishermen, fishing families, processors, and seafood businesses, according to a statement from the institute.The timing of the new federal funds is well-aligned with the Alaska seafood industrys needs to combat numerous global economic pressures, said Nicole Alba, ASMIs international marketing director. The USDA funding comes amid continuing turbulence in the marketplace and could ...
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Commercial river herring approved for ME
Published onEfforts to restore and improve up and downstream passage for sea-run fish species on five Maine water bodies have provided several Maine towns with the opportunity to have a commercial river herring harvest. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commissions (ASMFC) American Shad and River Herring Management Board has approved commercial fishing opportunities for alewife and blueback herring, collectively known as river herring, on Sewall Pond, Wight Pond, the Pennamaquan River, Chemo pond and Pushaw Lake. Read more...
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Northline Seafoods back for 2025 Bristol Bay season
Published onNorthline Seafoods is excited to announce its return as a buyer for the 2025 Bristol Bay salmon season. In 2024, Northline Seafoods completed construction of theHannah, a fully integrated, floating seafood freezing platform designed to improve efficiency in wild salmon processing. The project was propelled by a $40 million Food Supply Chain loan backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as part of the Build Back Better initiative. The "Hannah," a fully integrated floating seafood freezing platform designed to improve wild salmon processing, will be used for the second Bristol Bay season. Photo by Caitlin Blaisdell However, the Hannahs inaugural season was disrupted by an electrical fire beneath one of its three spiral freezers just days before the peak of the Bristol Bay season. Despite this setback, Northline continued operations through the season. They remained engaged with the fleet and the fishery, completing the 2024 season as the ...
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For scallop gloves, it's all about comfort and speed
Published onOn a January night, the mates watch on a scallop boat on Gerges Bank comes on deck ready to haul back a pair of 15-foot dredges and begin the nights workdumping the dredges, picking the pile, and shucking as fast as they can. When its 20-foot seas and cold spray coming over the rail, its vital that crew stay warm and comfortable, and gloves are a key part of that. The hands are one of the most sensitive parts of the human body, particularly the fingertips, which are packed with nerve endings. A good pair of scallop gloves has to be durable enough to withstand being part of a human bulldozer working through the pile and flexible enough to handle scallops at high speed while shucking. Stauffer Glove and Safety in Red Hill, Penn., has been in business for over 100 years. It makes the industry standard ...
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Herring harvest debate heats up in British Columbia
Published onThe Pacific herring fishery in British Columbias Strait of Georgie has become a focal point of intense debate between ecological conservation and economic interests. Recent decisions by Fisheries and Ocean Canada (DFO) to increase herring harvest quotas have elicited both support and strong opposition from various stakeholders. In February 2025, DFO announced an increase in the commercial Pacific herring harvest quota for the Strait of Georgia, permitting the catch of over 10,850 metric tonnes. This decision aligns with DFOs assessment that herring stocks are at historically high levels, based on data dating back to 1950. The department maintains that the commercial fishery will leave approximately 80 percent of the estimated spawning biomass in the water, ensuring sufficient herring remains to spawn and sustain future fisheries. The British Columbia Seafood Alliance, representing a significant portion of the provinces commercial fishing industry, has endorsed the DFOs decision. Rob Morley of the ...
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Senator fights to stop tax dollars from funding foreign shrimp farms
Published onU.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, has called on Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to block U.S. taxpayer dollars from financing foreign shrimp aquaculture projects through International Financial Institutions (IFIs). Ina letter to Secretary Bessent, Cassidy urged the Treasury, in coordination with the State Department, to take all necessary actions to prevent any future funding of shrimp aquaculture development, which would exacerbate the financial crisis facing U.S. shrimpers. The Southern Shrimp Alliance, representing the U.S. shrimp industry in eight states, commends Senator Cassidys action and echoes the urgent need for action. Since 2000, private Ecuadorian shrimp producers and exporters have received at least $195 million in development funding for shrimp aquaculture, fueling a staggering 150 percent increase in Ecuadorian shrimp exports to the U.S. in four yearsadding another 264 million pounds of imported shrimp to the U.S ...
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Alaska legislators oppose Governor’s fish farming proposal
Published onTwo prominent members of the Alaska House of Representatives have announced their opposition to Governor Mike Dunleavys proposal to lift the states 35-year old ban on fish farming. Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, and House Rules Committee Chair Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, issued a joint statement on Monday, voicing their concerns that the bill would not benefit the states commercial fishing industry. Without their support, House Bill 111, which seeks to permit the farming of certain types of fish is unlikely to progress through the legislature, according to Alaska Beacon. Alaskas commercial fishing industry, our coastal communities, and fishing families across the state are suffering through historically poor market conditions, inconsistent returns, and unfair trade practices, the legislators wrote in their statement. Make no mistake, the industry will recover; however, lifting a ban on freshwater finfish farming sends the wrong signal, at the wrong time. It ...
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Applications open: NEYFA’s 2025 Deckhand to Captain Training Program
Published onFor commercial fishermen ready to take the next step toward boat ownership, the New England Young Fishermens Alliance (NEYFA) is now accepting applications for its 2025 Deckhand to Captain (DTC) Training Program. This nine-month intensive course, based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is designed to equip experienced deckhands with the skills to transition into owner-operators. Now entering its fourth year, the DTC program provides a hands-on, mentor-driven approach to business development in commercial fishing. Trainees gain critical knowledge in business planning, financing, industry regulations, vessel operations, collaborative marketing, and public speaking. The program offers one-on-one mentorship with seasoned captains, class guest speakers, and industry professionals, all guided by NEYFAs founder, Andrea Tomlinson. Tomlinson, a dedicated advocate for the future of commercial fishing, launched the program in 2022 after years of development. Her passion for supporting working waterfronts and strengthening the next generation of fishermen is ...
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Nova Scotia lobster fleet goes electric
Published onNova Scotia has been on the path towards electrification of its lobster fleet since at least 2016, when the Nova Scotia Boatbuilders Association and researchers from the University of Victoria began studying the feasibility of using hybrid electric vessels in the fishery. The team released its reportCharacterization of Canadian Marine Vessel Operational Profiles and Hybrid Electric Propulsion System Modelling Tool Improvement for GHG and Ship Noise Reductionin 2019, and more studies and research have followed. In 2022, Oceans North, a Canadian charity that supports marine conservation and climate action in partnership with Indigenous and coastal communities, began bringing together the necessary partners to design, build, and demonstrate a vessel powered by all-electric propulsion technology in the near-shore lobster fleet. Joining forces with the Halifax-based naval architecture firm Allswater, which specializes in fishing vessels, Oceans North released its own electrification assessment in 2023. "We wanted to find ...
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NTSB: Hydraulic failure caused Gulf of Maine dragger fire
Published onA failure in the fishing hydraulics system likely triggered an engine room fire that forced the crew to abandon their trawler 118 miles offshore in the Gulf of Maine last summer, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported Thursday. The 81.6 x 24 Three Girls had caught 20,000 lbs. of groundfish over two days when the fire broke out around 8:50 p.m. Aug. 11, 2024, as the crew was finishing a haul back, according to an accident report from the NTSB. The captain noticed a burning smell and saw thick, black smoke flowing out from the engine room exhaust fan in the port stack and engine room door. The captain determined the fire was too intense to fight and directed the crew to prepare to abandon ship, according to a summary from the safety board.The crew launched and entered the life raft in a quick ...
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