Tag Archives: Alaska
A 90-tonne Liebherr RT crane arrives on the remote Aleutian Islands
In the remote Aleutian Islands, Alpha Welding and Boat Repair have taken delivery of a 90 tonne Liebherr LRT 1090-2.1 rough terrain crane. The crane will be used for multiple projects around the island including, construction, fishing vessel modification and repair, as well as lifting fishing gear and related equipment. Due to the enhanced lift capacity and reach of the new crane, docked ships can be worked on without the need for turning them in both directions. “This crane is by far the newest and most advanced piece of machinery to come to the island in decades,” said Ian Bagley, President of Alpha Welding and Boat Repair. The Aleutian Islands are a chain of 14 main, and 55 smaller, islands off the coast of Alaska. Alpha Welding and Boat Repair was founded in 1990 as a small welding shop. The company has since grown into one of the largest locally owned fabrication shops in Western Alaska, supporting Dutch Harbor, the largest grossing fishing port by tonnage in the United States. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:30
Charles Grant Henderson of Anchorage Alaska has passed away
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Charles Grant Henderson, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend. He left this world on May 20, 2025 at the age of 67 due to complications from Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. His professional journey was diverse: he began commercial fishing at age 13 on the F/V Puffin with his Uncle Sam, later skippering his own boats-the F/V Pursuit, F/V Rafferty, and the F/V Janie Lou. During the off-season, he worked as a manufacturer’s representative for Red Wing Shoes and Wigwam Socks before finding his niche in the oil industry, contributing his skills to BP Alaska on the North Slope in Prudhoe Bay. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:44
Fishermen rescued in multiple close calls across Bristol Bay
There were a series of close calls and rescues in Bristol Bay last week. On June 28, Alaska Wildlife Wildlife Troopers responded to a report of an overturned commercial fishing boat in the Ugashik district, near Pilot Point. All three of the people onboard were rescued,,, That same week, deckhands fell overboard in the Naknek River and in the Egegik district. They were both rescued by nearby crews. Rob Foster operates a commercial salmon tender, the Captain Alaska, out of Kodiak with his son Jay. Foster says he’s been fishing for 60 years, and in his decades in the industry, dozens of friends and family members have died on the ocean. On June 29, Foster was working on the Naknek River. After delivering fish to Silver Bay Seafoods, Foster says he was trying to fix the Captain Alaska’s anchor, when his son Jay hit the general alarm – he had spotted a man overboard coming down the river. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:52
Three commercial fishermen rescued after vessel overturns in the Ugashik District
The fishing vessel F/V Happy Hooker overturned in the Ugashik District over the weekend. Alaska Wildlife troopers rescued the three fishermen on board and no injuries were reported. According to an Alaska Wildlife Troopers dispatch, troopers were notified at 2:54 p.m. Saturday (6/28) that Happy Hooker was stranded in the river’s shallows near Pilot Point. On board was Terry Ostling, a sixth-generation Bristol Bay fisherman from Cathlamet, Washington, and his crew members Joe Mackey and Brandon Cox, also from Cathlamet. Ostling’s sister, Tracy Ostling-Tomlinson, says high winds and heavy surf contributed to the accident. She says the boat had a full load of fish when the net came out of its reel and fell over the side of the boat as a wave hit. Links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:51
Demand for fresh Copper River reds remains strong
Demand for fresh fillets of Copper River red salmon remains strong in retail markets, with prices in the Anchorage area ranging from $16.99 to $56.95 a pound, as other Alaska wild salmon fisheries start to compete in the marketplace. The season is still in the early stages, with less than 1% of the projected annual harvest of 214.6 million fish caught through June 14. And in Prince William Sound, the harvest of sockeye and Chinook salmon are down 48% and 63% from year-to-date 2024 respectively, said Sam Friedman, a fisheries economist with McKinley Research, which compiles in-season salmon marketing reports for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:37
NOAA firings, cuts will reduce services used to manage Alaska fisheries, officials say
Trump administration job cuts in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will result in less scientific information that is needed to set and oversee Alaska seafood harvests, agency officials have warned fishery managers. Since January, the Alaska regional office of NOAA Fisheries, also called the National Marine Fisheries Service, has lost 28 employees, about a quarter of its workforce, said Jon Kurland, the agency’s Alaska director. “This, of course, reduces our capacity in a pretty dramatic fashion, including core fishery management functions such as regulatory analysis and development, fishery permitting and quota management, information technology, and operations to support sustainable fisheries,” Kurland told the North Pacific Fishery Management Council on Thursday. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:26
Murkowski, King Reintroduce Legislation to Help Coastal Workforce, Fisheries, and Infrastructure
Friday, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Angus King (I-ME) reintroduced the Working Waterfronts Act, legislation which includes more than a dozen provisions aimed at boosting the workforce, energy and shoreside infrastructure, food security, and economies of coastal communities in Alaska and across the country. The bill will also support efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change on coastal communities and strengthen federal conservation research projects. “Maine’s coastal communities are changing. From a warming climate to an evolving economy, the Gulf of Maine faces both historic opportunities and challenges that will define our state’s success for generations,” said Senator King. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:12
Seafood industry raises alarms about foreign subsidies
On Wednesday, Russia was accused of subsidizing their seafood industry and exporting farm-raised, mislabeled salmon – an accusation levied by other seafood producers against countries such as India, Vietnam, and China. The accusation came at Wednesday’s meeting of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries. The meeting was held in response to an executive order issued in April by President Donald Trump titled Restoring America’s Seafood Competitiveness. “In the case of Russia, for instance, not only are they flooding global markets with hatchery-produced salmon, but it is also often mislabeled,” Jamie O’Connor, deputy executive director of the Alaska Marine Conservation Council, told the committee. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:43
Homer ‘Blessing of the Fleet’ remembers, honors sacrifices of local mariners
Boats of all sizes and occupations on Tuesday gathered offshore the Spit, in the choppy, early evening sea breeze, at the annual Blessing of the Fleet. Two rows of chairs, a quiet nod to the mariners no longer with us, sat empty in front of the Seafarers Memorial as community members quietly gathered in somber reflection of lives lost to the sea over the past year. Pastor Jamie McBride of Glory View Church began the ceremony on Tuesday by saying that the blessing was a way to “tell our fishing community that we are here with you, that we are standing with you, praying with you, and believing that God is going to bless and protect what you guys go out and do every day.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:32
Kodiak fisherman sentenced to prison for directing illegal transport of crab from Alaska
A Kodiak fisherman was sentenced today to one year in prison and will serve two years on supervised release for leading a plan to illegally transport crab from Alaska to Washington on two crab catcher vessels, in violation of the Lacey Act. In February and March 2024, Corey Potter, 64, owned and operated two crab catcher vessels and harvested Tanner and golden king crab in the waters of Southeast Alaska on those vessels. The vessels were captained and operated by co-defendants, Kyle Potter, 30, and Justin Welch, 34. Corey Potter directed Kyle Potter and Welch to transport their harvest of live crab to Seattle, where they intended to sell it for a higher price than they would receive in Alaska. Before leaving Alaska, neither vessel landed their harvest at a port nor reported the harvest on a fish ticket, which all three defendants knew was a requirement under state law. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:26
Sullivan Presses Commerce Nominee on NOAA Surveys Needed for Alaska Fishermen
U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, today pressed the nominee to serve as deputy secretary of the Department of Commerce, Mr. Paul Dabbar, on concerns about the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) ability to complete fisheries stock surveys in Alaska if staffing and approved funding from the department are not prioritized. Sen. Sullivan noted in the committee hearing that conducting surveys is one of the Commerce Department’s core responsibilities with regard to fisheries, and surveys are needed in order for Alaskans to harvest in various fisheries across the state. Sen. Sullivan also demanded that Dabbar and Commerce officials work promptly with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to sign the pending maintenance contract for the Kodiak, Alaska-based NOAA research vessel, Oscar Dyson, which conducts these critically important surveys. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:36
Fishermen hold the key to solving Kenai setnet fishermen crisis
Last summer, a quiet revolution unfolded on the shores of the Kenai Peninsula. A group of setnet fishermen — barred and facing economic ruin from their traditional fishery to protect dwindling king salmon — stepped into a new role: scientific collaborators. Testing set-beach seines as an alternative to gillnets, they proved something remarkable. Not only did they catch abundant sockeye; but, without exception, every king salmon encountered swam away unharmed. This wasn’t just conservation — it was partnership. These fishermen didn’t just follow protocols; they refined them in real time, applying generations of knowledge about tides, fish behavior, and gear mechanics. The results? A resounding proof of concept that protecting kings and harvesting sockeye need not be mutually exclusive. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:17
Bills aimed at rescuing ailing Alaska seafood industry face tough budget challenges
Alaska’s seafood industry, squeezed by depressed fish prices and increased costs, is in a crisis. Also in a crisis is the Alaska state budget, with both investment income and oil revenues in sharp decline. That presents a dilemma for lawmakers trying to find ways to help the beleaguered seafood industry. What can they do to boost the industry’s fortunes at a time when they are staring down a big budget deficit? Some bills are pending in the Legislature that aim to aid fishers, the industry and the communities that depend on seafood harvests. Those include bills responding directly to recommendations made by a legislative task force that worked for several months prior to the session’s start. As to which bills are likely to pass this year and which might have to wait until 2026, one task force member had a succinct answer. “The ones that don’t cost money,” Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka,,, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:52
Bill seeks to exempt Alaska commercial fishers’ insurance pools from tighter regulation
To avoid high insurance costs, some groups of commercial fishers in Alaska have formed cooperatives to collectively pay liability and damage claims themselves. A bill passed April 25 by the Alaska House of Representatives would exempt these cooperatives from regulation under the state’s insurance laws. The House voted 37-0 to pass House Bill 116, which now goes to the Senate for consideration. The bill was carried on the House floor by Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, but came from the ideas of a legislative task force assigned to study the commercial fishing industry, she told the House. Links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:21
Bay Weld’s Ambitious Seiner: A New Boat for a New Season
In late April, the Bay Welding Services boatyard in Homer celebrated the launch of F/V Freeberd, its most ambitious build yet. The 58-foot seiner represents a new level in design, capability, and craftsmanship for the company, marking its transition from a small welding shop to a major builder of commercial and recreational vessels. The design was made in close collaboration with the new owner, Routli Meadow LLC, operated by the Girdwood-based commercial fishing Durtschi family. Reiker Durtschi says he is very happy with the results after a shakedown cruise. “Oh, it’s awesome,” says Durtschi. “We’re super pleased with the finished product. It checked all the boxes we wanted.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:21
Alaska’s fishing industry sounds alarm over proposed NOAA cuts
The commercial fishing industry relies on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for everything from marine weather forecasts to fisheries data. But NOAA, which lost hundreds of employees in February when the Trump administration fired probationary staff, is in the administration’s crosshairs again, according to a preliminary budget proposal from the White House Office of Management and Budget. The budget calls for slashing NOAA’s funding by more than 27% for fiscal year 2026. It also restructures the agency’s fisheries division, shifting key responsibilities to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Frank Kelty, a fisheries consultant and former Unalaska mayor, said big changes like these could have major consequences for commercial fishing in Alaska. “What are we going to do if we don’t have weather information?” he asked. “People are going to go out and get sunk.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:36
Federal cuts endanger ‘critical’ safety program for Alaska’s commercial fishermen
Recent cuts to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services could end programs that are “critical” for commercial fishing safety in Alaska, according to the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association, which receives funding from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The federal institute, known by the acronym NIOSH, is responsible for counting the number of commercial fishermen accidents and fatalities and providing funding for commercial fishing safety training. The director of the Alaska Marine Safety Association, also known as AMSEA, said that the funding for those safety programs saves millions of dollars every year by reducing the need for costly Coast Guard search and rescue operations. Teaching fishermen safety skills does not completely eliminate fatalities in what is still a dangerous profession – but it has reduced them by roughly 80% since NIOSH first introduced its commercial safety fishing programs in 1985, according to AMSEA director Leann Cyr. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:53
Fields family faces charges in Alaska fishery fraud case involving illegal permits
A high-profile fishery fraud case has surfaced in Kodiak. After a lengthy investigation, the Alaska Wildlife Troopers have filed criminal charges against four members of the Fields family and their company, Fields & Sons Inc. Charged are 69-year-old Duncan Fields, 64-year-old Wallace Fields, 66-year-old Beth Fields, and 67-year-old Leslie Fields, all residents of Kodiak. The charges stem from alleged violations of Alaska fishing laws and regulations committed between 2020 and 2024. According to the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, the Fields family illegally transferred commercial salmon setnet permits by falsely gifting them to crewmembers, only to reclaim them later—actions strictly prohibited under state law. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:30
Fisherman reported missing, found dead in Alaska was an Escanaba native
A 28-year-old Escanaba native has been found dead at the scene of the fishing boat he worked on in Alaska. The man, Jacob Riley Veeser, was originally reported missing on the afternoon Friday, April 4, by crewmates of the ship, F/V Lady Alaska, which was featured on the popular show “Deadliest Catch.” They were docked on Unalaska Island, just one of the Fox Islands in the Aleutian Islands chain in southern Alaska. The crew said Veeser was last seen walking down the G1 “dolphin” dock at Unisea Inc. in Unalaska around midnight. The day before that, Thursday, April 3, local news stations warned about a winter storm coming in. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:57
Body of missing fisherman recovered along Captains Bay shoreline
The Unalaska Fire and Police Departments, along with members of the U.S. Coast Guard and Alaska State Troopers recovered the body of missing fisherman Jacob Riley Veeser Saturday morning. 28-year-old Veeser was reported missing Friday afternoon. City officials said in a press release that evening that he was last seen at midnight on April 4 walking down the GI “dolphin” dock at the UniSea Inc. processing plant. Veeser, a crewmember aboard the F/V Lady Alaska, was discovered in the water along Captains Bay Rd. around 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:31
City of Unalaska in search of missing fisherman
A 28-year-old fisherman was reported missing Friday in Unalaska. The City of Unalaska said in a press release that Jacob Riley Veeser was last seen at midnight on April 4 walking down the GI “dolphin” dock at the UniSea Inc. processing plant. Local police, fire and ports departments began a shoreline search for Veeser shortly before 7 p.m. Friday evening. The search was suspended around 10:30 last night and will pick back up again Saturday morning. The search team plans to use remotely operated vehicles to survey underwater. Veeser is described as a 6-foot, 200-pound white male with brown hair, brown eyes and a full beard and mustache. He is a crewmember on the F/V Lady Alaska. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:08
Chinook harvest limit down nearly 40 percent from last year
The harvest allocation for king salmon in Southeast Alaska is lower than the region’s commercial trollers expected. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced Tuesday (4-1-25) that 130,800 treaty Chinook salmon will be available this year for all Southeast fisheries, down almost 40% from last year’s allocation. From that total, trollers are allowed to catch 92,700 king salmon. The balance of treaty salmon goes primarily to sport anglers. Sitkan Matt Donohoe is the vice chair of the Alaska Trollers Association. “We heard that it’s going to be lower than last year, but we didn’t know how much,” “It’s a devastating number. It’s the worst ever. I mean, what industry can afford a 40% reduction?” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:11
Alaskan Communities Use Flexibility in Snow Crab Fishery Alaskan Communities for Economic Relief
The Alaska Bering Sea snow crab fishery is open for the first time in 2 years after a sharp decline in the crab population caused fishery closures. Participants have banded together with NOAA Fisheries to use regulatory flexibilities to help the fishery operate smoothly. While the species shows signs of recovery, it is still in low abundance. There are continued challenges for harvesters, processors, and small coastal communities who depend on the fishery for their income and way of life. We estimate that more than 10 billion snow crabs disappeared from the Bering Sea from 2018 to 2021 due to a marine heatwave and ecological shifts in the region. The snow crab fishery is an important economic driver in Alaska, generating an average of $150 million annually from 2012 to 2021. Disaster relief funding from the Department of Commerce in 2022–2023 provided some assistance to fishing communities. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:47
Russia’s ongoing war on Alaska fishermen
These are tough times for Alaska’s fishermen, and Russia is a primary cause. During his recent confirmation hearing, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick joked with Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan about the need to counter “communist fish.” In reality, the future of our entire industry could hinge on whether Secretary Lutnick succeeds. For more than a decade, the Kremlin has been implementing policies that take direct aim at Alaska’s fishing sector. In 2014, Russia banned U.S. seafood imports, choking off a $60 million market for Alaska fishermen, with pink salmon roe hit especially hard. In direct response, ex-vessel prices for pink salmon declined from $0.42 per pound to $0.23 per pound in 2015. By Matt Alward. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:18
Fishermen want to go green but say DOGE cuts prevent that
Commercial fishermen and seafood processors and distributors looking to switch to new, lower-carbon emission systems say the federal funding they relied on for this work is either frozen or unavailable due to significant budget cuts promoted by President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency. The changes are designed to replace old diesel-burning engines and outdated at-sea cooling systems and are touted by environmentalists as a way to reduce seafood’s carbon footprint. Salmon harvesters in Washington state, scallop distributors in Maine and halibut fishermen in Alaska are among those who told The Associated Press their federal commitments for projects like new boat engines and refrigeration systems have been rescinded or are under review. Photos, video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:51
As Alaska’s crab industry struggles, herring fishermen are losing their market
Captain Dan Veerhusen and Jan, his wife, run the F/V Taurus, one of the few remaining boats that still fish herring in the Bering Sea. Last summer, in Sand Point, the couple were preparing the 58-foot seiner for what would be Veerhusen’s 30th-or-so season. He’s been fishing herring since 1988, when Unalaska’s Port of Dutch Harbor was at the center of a multimillion-dollar crab boom. “I love herring fishing. It’s real fishing.” he said. “It was a regular, competitive fishery back then. But these days, there’s ourselves, another boat, maybe three boats out there.” The herring fishery in the Bering Sea boomed in the early 20th century but struggled after World War II as Americans lost their appetite for the fish. Demand increased again in the 1970s when the Bering Sea crab industry took off, creating a demand for herring as baitfish. links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:50
Commercial fisherman sentenced to 6 months in prison for falsifying fishing records and taking an endangered sperm whale
A Southeast Alaska commercial fisherman was sentenced today to six months in prison for falsifying fishing records in violation of the Lacey Act and illegally taking a sperm whale in violation of the Endangered Species Act. According to court documents, between October and November 2020, Dugan Paul Daniels, 55, of Coffman Cove, knowingly submitted false records about his commercial fishing activities to make it appear that he lawfully caught sablefish, aka “black cod,” in federal waters on two separate occasions. An investigation revealed he harvested the fish illegally in State of Alaska waters, specifically, in Chatham Strait and Clarence Strait, respectively. The total market value of the illegally harvested fish was $127,528. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:10
Poopdeck: Nearly a century of adventure — Part 6
Clarence Hiram “Poopdeck” Platt said he didn’t quit commercial fishing because he was too old or couldn’t handle the workload anymore. He quit because he didn’t feel like doing it anymore. In a 1992 interview with KBBI public radio in Homer, he explained his actions: “I (had) really enjoyed fishing, but all of a sudden, for some reason or other, it quit being fun. I wasn’t enjoying it. I wasn’t looking forward to it. I was dreading it … and I said that’s enough. So, I sold out to my grandson (Erik Huebsch, in 1984) my boat, permit, gear and the whole works…. I haven’t regretted quitting at all.” Despite the diminishment of joy Poopdeck felt as he entered retirement, he loved his long tenure as a fisherman. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:40
Gov. Dunleavy requests five new fishery disasters including Kodiak’s 2024 pink salmon season
On Jan. 30 Governor Mike Dunleavy submitted five new requests for federal fisheries disaster assistance for last summer’s salmon season. That includes commercial salmon fisheries on the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak, Chignik, Lower Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound. The state accounts for roughly half, 26 out of 53, of the fishery disasters declared around the country since 2020, which include a variety of species like salmon, crab and Pacific cod. In Kodiak, fishermen harvested 7.6 million pinks last summer, which was less than 40% percent of the ten-year average of 20.4 million fish. That meant last summer was one of the lowest valued commercial pink salmon seasons on record for Kodiak Island. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:57
Guest writers: Bellingham’s SE Alaska salmon fleet threatened by lawsuits, misinformation
We appreciated Ed Johnston’s opinion editorial on Feb. 19, calling for cooperation in how we manage our salmon fisheries under the Pacific Salmon Treaty. As Washingtonians and Alaskans, we know that our shared Pacific salmon fisheries must be managed in a manner that considers how interceptions of salmon bound for distant watersheds may impact ecosystems, salmon populations and communities coastwide. That is why Washington sits alongside Alaska — as well as Canada — at the negotiating table under the Pacific Salmon Treaty. In order for our salmon and people to thrive, interceptions of salmon between the two countries must be managed using sound science and a cooperative approach. Our commitment to cooperative management and working collaboratively under the Pacific Salmon Treaty is as strong as our commitment to sustainable fishing livelihoods. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:24
