The COVID-19 relief bill signed into law this week includes $300 million for fishery assistance nationwide.
Fisheries
Bristol Bay sockeye a high point in the state’s unpredictable salmon season
Bristol Bay’s run exceeded 50 million fish for the sixth year in a row — 46% above the 20-year average — but many other parts of the state were far below their forecasts.
US Congress sets aside $3.6 million for transboundary watersheds
The U.S. Congress has appropriated more than $3.6 million to monitor transboundary watersheds and for diplomatic efforts in cross-border negotiations with Canada.
Alaska fishermen cheer passage of the Young Fishermen’s Development Act through Congress
It would be the first program of its kind for fishermen. The U.S. government already sponsors comparable professional development programs for young ranchers and farmers.
Scientists look for invasive crab ‘fingerprint’ in Alaska waters
On the east coast, these hardy crustaceans are known as aggressive eaters and have meant millions of dollars lost in fisheries for clams, mussels and scallops. The crab are destructive to eelgrass beds, which are important to young fish. They’re also known to eat juvenile salmon and could compete with native Dungeness crab.
Worry for commercial fishermen and Kenai Peninsula communities after Cook Inlet fishery closure
Federal managers voted to close a huge swath of Upper Cook Inlet to commercial salmon fishing, capping a two-year fight over the fate of the fishery and its 500 permit-holders.
During final trip of the season, nearly entire fishing boat crew tests positive for COVID-19
All crew members remain on board, with the one negative individual segregated from the remaining crew.
Juneau salmon hatchery forced to destroy fish because of landslide damage
Debris from landslides caused by heavy rain is making it difficult to repair the damaged pipeline.
Relief and disappointment as Bristol Bay reacts to Army Corps’ Pebble permit denial
For opponents of the project, the Army Corps’ decision released a wave of relief. For those who backed the project, the decision comes as a harsh blow.
No 2021 rebound projected for Taku and Stikine kings
Low predicted king salmon runs in the Taku and Stikine river systems mean Southeast’s troll and gillnet fleets can expect restrictions for sockeye and king salmon harvests in areas around Juneau and Wrangell.