Alaska’s High-Stakes Salmon Crisis: Industrial Trawling Under Fire

POLICY WIRE — Bering Sea, Alaska — As nets emerge from the turbulent Bering Sea, they are often packed with Alaska pollock so dense that the fish heads protrude through the mesh. Alongside the target catch, however, the haul frequently includes unintended marine life, such as jellyfish, crabs, and salmon—the latter of which has become the focal point of a heated cultural and political dispute regarding industrial trawling practices.

Maverick Blake, captain of the F/V Progress, acknowledges the tension surrounding his industry. While he maintains that large-scale harvesting is necessary to supply global seafood demand, he admits that catching non-target species is a persistent challenge that draws significant public criticism.

Alaska pollock represents the second-largest fishery on the planet, serving as a primary ingredient for products like McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwiches and imitation crab. Although the industry employs measures to mitigate environmental damage, bycatch—marine life caught accidentally—accounts for 2% of the total harvest. Given the billions of pounds of pollock caught annually, this equates to hundreds of thousands of salmon, with records showing an average of 18,000 Chinook and 288,000 other salmon, primarily chum, caught by Bering Sea trawlers each year over the last decade.

The controversy has intensified as salmon runs in western Alaska have plummeted, devastating Native communities that have relied on the fish for generations. The crisis has prompted Alaska and Canada to implement a seven-year moratorium on Chinook fishing along the Yukon River to allow populations to recover. Critics argue that bycatch is a controllable factor in fish mortality and that even minor losses are devastating when stocks are already depleted.

University of Alaska Fairbanks fisheries professor Andrew Seitz emphasized that every individual fish is vital to the survival of Yukon River communities. He noted that those living along the river feel they are disproportionately bearing the weight of current conservation efforts.

During a four-day observation period, the F/V Progress caught approximately 210 chum salmon. Captain Blake noted that avoiding salmon is a priority, though the search for cleaner waters required burning nearly 3,000 gallons of fuel. Industry representatives, including Matt Tinning of the At-Sea Processors Association, argue that the fishery is among the best-managed in the world, utilizing salmon excluders and real-time data sharing to minimize impact.

For residents of villages like Rampart, the reality is starkly different. Brooke Woods, a Koyukon Alaska Native and commissioner for the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, described a profound void in her community. With salmon runs failing, younger generations are losing the opportunity to learn traditional fishing practices from their elders.

Genetic testing by the Bristol Bay Science and Research Institute indicates that while not all salmon caught as bycatch originate from western Alaska, the numbers remain significant. In 2021, for instance, 9% of chum bycatch—over 51,000 fish—traced back to western Alaska. In February, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council recommended a cap of 45,000 western Alaska chum bycatch, a limit that many critics still view as excessively high.

The debate has transcended fisheries management, becoming a central issue in Alaska’s political landscape. Candidates for governor and the U.S. Senate have faced pressure to address the industry, with some calling for stricter regulations on factory trawlers and the protection of the seafloor from gear damage. As the political and environmental debate continues, families like the Woods remain unable to fish, while the industrial fleet continues its operations in the Bering Sea.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)