The U.S. Coast Guard District 17 headquarters announced that the next of kin of the five individuals missing after the sinking of the F/V WIND WALKER have been notified. The agency also released the names of the missing crew members. GoFundMe accounts have been established for all five grieving families:…
Alaska’s commercial salmon fishery experienced significant setbacks in 2024, with double-digit declines in both catch numbers and market value. According to preliminary figures released by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), just over 101 million salmon were harvested across the state. This represents a 56% decrease compared to…
The icy waters off Alaska proved unforgiving early Monday morning as a tragic chapter unfolded. The F/V WIND WALKER, a 50-foot commercial vessel, capsized near Point Couverden, southwest of Juneau, leaving five crew members unaccounted for and a community dealing with grief and unanswered questions. The U.S. Coast Guard first…
The Pacific Marine Expo has been held in Seattle for more than 50 years, and the 2024 Expo (which ran from November 20th to the 22nd at Lumen Field Event Center) did not disappoint. One of the featured sessions focused on King Cove, Alaska, and the history surrounding this beautiful…
Crab season will begin later this year, as the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) announced a coastwide delay for the state’s commercial Dungeness crab season. Originally set to open on December 1, 2024, the season has been postponed until at least December 16, 2024. The decision comes after…
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing harms both consumers and fishermen by undermining the seafood industry’s integrity. For fishermen, IUU fishing causes economic losses by flooding markets with illegal seafood, depletes fish stocks through overfishing, and creates unfair competition as illicit operators bypass regulations and compliance costs. Tackling IUU fishing…
A recent legal battle between the Groundfish Forum, representing the interests of Alaska’s flatfish fishing sector, and the U.S. government over new halibut bycatch regulations ended in favor of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). In a ruling delivered by U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason, the court upheld Amendment 123,…
The European green crab, a small but vicious predator, has been making its presence known on the West Coast of North America and wreaking havoc on native ecosystems. Native to the coastlines of Europe and northern Africa, the green crab has spread to coastlines around the world, from Australia to…
Kodiak’s fishing community is preparing for the 2025 Tanner crab season, a staple of Alaska’s crab fisheries. In a press release, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) has set the start date for the Tanner crab fishing season in the Kodiak District and South Peninsula for January 15,…
The recent bycatch incident involving the Alaskan pollock trawl fishery has cast a spotlight on the challenges of balancing economic survival for fishermen and coastal communities with environmental sustainability. Following a significant bycatch of Chinook salmon, the pollock fishing season was closed early, leading to economic hardships that have prompted debate…