fisheries
With little movement on salmon bycatch, Alaska advocates look to feds for action
This article was previously published by the Alaska Beacon. Amid catastrophic shortfalls in salmon harvests in some of Alaska’s rural, Indigenous communities, advocates have pleaded for a crackdown on unintentional catch of those same salmon by the trawl vessels that harvest billions of pounds of whitefish in the Bering Sea. But the politically appointed regional […]
Struggling Oregon salmon fishermen getting federal help, but it may be too late
The federal government will dole out disaster relief to commercial Chinook salmon fishermen who have weathered a string of poor seasons on the Oregon Coast. But some fishermen say the help won’t be enough to rescue the fast-shrinking industry. Earlier this month, two years after a request by Oregon’s governor, the U.S. Department of Commerce […]
A parched summer is posing difficulties for Washington farmers and fish
The record-warm May that burned off a sizable chunk of the state’s snowpack has left flows in many of Washington’s rivers and streams depleted heading into late summer. It’s not the driest year the state has seen. But it’s still bad news for fish that depend on cool water and ample streamflows for survival and […]
Alaska salmon fishers fume over low prices, but processors say they’re hurting too
A few times this summer, Jared Danielson, who fishes for salmon on the Alaska Peninsula, found himself fighting back tears in his bunk. Aboard the F/V Five Star, his boat, Danielson and his deckhand put away as many pounds of fish as they could. They had no breakdowns. But his seafood processor is paying him […]
Disaster aid has arrived, but Western Alaska’s salmon and crab problems continue
As $216 million in federal aid is flowing to help Alaskans cope with salmon and crab collapses over the past three years, conditions that caused some of the harvest failures persist. The Alaska congressional delegation announced on Friday that the U.S. Commerce Department released the disaster aid. The money is to go to harvesters, processors […]