Tag Archives: Alaskan fishermen

More uncertainty for Alaskan fishermen, ‘Devastating,’ meager chum salmon returns worry the fishing industry

“I have 35 years of experience and I’ve never seen a year this poor since 1988,” said Lars Strangeland, a gillnetter based in Juneau. “The market is extremely poor. We were looking at terrible prices wherever it goes.” The shutdown of restaurants and changes in international markets, all complicated by the coronavirus pandemic, is leading to less demand for chum salmon and roe. Strangeland is on the Board of Directors of United Southeast Alaska Gillnetters, and he said chum returns this year have been, “devastating.” “It’s unprecedented and staggeringly poor as well,” he said. >click to read< 13:07

As Alaskan Waters Warm, Market Squid Extend Their Reach Northward

Market squid could represent an economic lifeline here, and it’s one that Alaskan fishermen are eager to begin experimenting with.,,, Though scientists haven’t yet nailed down the cause, populations of valuable species like king salmon and Pacific grey cod, Schramek says, have fallen to as little as one-tenth of even their 2015 levels. With those populations at historic lows, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game now bans their catch during parts of their historical fishing season. The bright spot, however, is a small, color-changing squid.>click to read<12:26