Maritime Injury Law Blog

Published on: November 10, 2026

Fewer Salmon, Higher Prices, What Alaska’s 2026 Season Means for Fishing Crews

Alaska’s commercial salmon fleet harvested about 99 million fish in 2026, roughly half of last year’s 195 million, according to preliminary figures released by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) on November 4, 2026. Even so, fishermen were paid an estimated $648 million for their catch at the dock, up about 20 percent from $541 million in 2025.

State fishery managers had estimated a smaller harvest this year. Pink salmon generally return in larger numbers in odd-numbered years, so even-numbered seasons tend to bring smaller harvests. However, the 2026 catch came in about 21 percent below the department’s preseason forecast of 126 million fish, with sockeye, pink, coho, and chum all falling short. Chinook was the only species to beat its projection.

The more striking comparison is with 2024, the last even-numbered year. That season produced a similar number of fish but was worth only $304 million, one of the lowest values in decades. Two years later, a comparable harvest brought in more than twice as much, driven by higher prices for every species. Sockeye alone accounted for about $360 million, and Bristol Bay’s preliminary value of $264 million came in 21 percent above its 20-year average.

Published on: November 3, 2026

Five Rescued from Grounded F/V ORACLE Near False Pass

by Nigel Stacey

Five crew members were rescued after the 58-foot F/V ORACLE ran aground near False Pass, Alaska, early on October 29th, 2026. At 4:48 a.m., U.S. Coast Guard Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic received a report that the vessel had grounded on the south end of False Pass with five people aboard.

Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Kodiak, which was deployed to Forward Operating Site Cold Bay. The aircrew arrived on scene at 6:16 a.m. and hoisted all five people from the vessel as surf broke around it. The crew was flown to Anna Livingston Memorial Clinic in Cold Bay, for medical care. The cause of the grounding has not been reported.

The grounding is the latest in a series of Alaska rescues this year. In January 2026, nine people were rescued from the grounded F/V ARCTIC SEA near St. George Island, and two were rescued from the F/V QUANTUM in Pasagshak Bay near Kodiak. In April 2026, five crew members were hoisted from the F/V OCEAN BAY after it ran aground on Umnak Island.

Published on: November 3, 2026

A Passed Exam Doesn’t Make a Boat Seaworthy

by Nigel Stacey

A blocked escape hatch might look like a problem for another day, but to U.S. Coast Guard commercial fishing vessel examiner Michael Schneider, it is a hazard that must be addressed before a boat leaves the dock.

A recent U.S. Coast Guard feature profiled Schneider, who grew up around the fishing families of Cape Cod and New Bedford, Massachusetts. Now examining vessels at Sector Delaware Bay, he spends his time walking the docks and talking with fishermen. His goal is to help operators feel comfortable asking questions and getting help with problems, without worrying about being reprimanded.

The hazards he looks for are familiar to anyone who has worked at sea:

Published on: October 27, 2026

From Maine to Seattle, Lift All Boats Sends Young Fishers Across the Country

by Nigel Stacey

Tonight, more than 3,000 miles from our Seattle office, supporters in Portland, Maine are gathering to raise money for a group of young lobster harvesters. The goal is to send the students here, to our own waterfront, for a national gathering of the next generation of commercial fishers.

The students belong to Lift All Boats, a Portland nonprofit that opens the waterfront to young people from all walks of life. Fishing has long been a family trade, but fewer sons and daughters are following their parents to sea, and many captains are struggling to find good crew.

Lift All Boats was co-founded in 2022 by Luke Holden and Ben Conniff, the founders of Luke’s Lobster. The program began with just four students and has grown every year, with a recent cohort of 30 that included 20 returning students. Women make up a growing share of each cohort, in an industry where they have long been underrepresented. Many participants come from non-fishing backgrounds, and some had never set foot on a vessel. Lift All Boats helps young people obtain the student license that serves as the main pathway into professional lobstering, provides their gear, and takes them out to haul traps once a week. Their catch is bought at market price, so students earn real money and learn the economics and business of fishing firsthand. Those who want to fish professionally are connected with working captains who need help on deck.

Published on: October 20, 2026

The Comeback of the Yelloweye Rockfish

by Nigel Stacey

Most folks who grew up along the Pacific Northwest coast remember rockfish on the dinner table. The firm, mild white fillets were a fixture at fish counters and family tables as they were sturdy enough to fry, bake, or simmer in a chowder. That firm white flesh also worked well with butter, garlic, and herbs. Of the many rockfish species, the yelloweye, often sold as “red snapper,” was considered a high-quality protein. After a quarter century off the menu, it is on its way back.

Yelloweye rockfish are hard to mistake, with bright orange bodies, golden eyes, and rough ridges above each eye. They are among the largest rockfish, reaching about three feet in length and over 30 pounds, and they live on rugged, rocky reefs where they hunt smaller fish, crab, and squid. They reside in the East Pacific and range from Baja California to Dutch Harbor in Alaska. What sets them apart is their lifespan, as yelloweye rockfish can live as long as 147 years. They grow slowly, and it takes about 20 years before even half of them are old enough to reproduce.

That slow growth is what made them vulnerable. Catches peaked from the late 1970s through the late 1990s, and the population could not be sustained. In 2002, yelloweye rockfish were declared overfished off the West Coast, and keeping them was prohibited. With an average generation time of 44 years, fishery managers projected only a 50 percent chance of recovery by 2027, even if all fishing stopped.

Published on: October 14, 2026

Coast Guard Medevacs Ailing Crew Member From Cargo Ship Off Hawaii

by Nigel Stacey

On Wednesday, October 7th, 2026, the U.S. Coast Guard medevaced an ailing crew member from the M/V OCEAN GLADIATOR, a 545-foot U.S. flagged cargo ship, which was located about 86 miles off the Big Island of Hawaii. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point hoisted a 55-year-old man at 8:35 a.m. and flew him to Hilo International Airport, where he was transferred to a higher level of medical care.

The call for help came a day earlier. At 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday, October 6, watchstanders at Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu received a request from the ship’s crew, who reported that a crew member had been experiencing a medical condition aboard the vessel. At the time, the M/V OCEAN GLADIATOR was roughly 540 miles southeast of the Big Island, beyond helicopter range. After consulting with the duty flight surgeon, who recommended a medevac. Watchstanders kept in contact with the crew to monitor the patient and planned the hoist for when the ship came within reach of the helicopter.

The M/V OCEAN GLADIATOR was on a long voyage from Baltimore to Manila, carrying two decommissioned U.S. Coast Guard cutters to the Philippine Coast Guard, along with a fuel barge, as deck cargo. Tracking data showed the vessel resumed its voyage after the medevac. The U.S. Coast Guard has not released details about the man’s condition, and we wish him a full recovery.

Published on: October 13, 2026

Bering Sea Crab Seasons Open October 15, 2026, With Higher King and Tanner Crab Quotas

by Nigel Stacey

Crabbers across the Bering Sea are getting ready for opening day. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has released catch limits for the Bristol Bay red king crab, Bering Sea snow crab, and Tanner crab seasons, which all open this week on Thursday, October 15th, 2026.

The Bristol Bay red king crab total allowable catch is set at 3.41 million pounds, more than half a million pounds above last season. The limit for Tanner crab rose even more significantly, to 32.1 million pounds. Of that, 27.2 million pounds is allocated to the western Bering Sea. The snow crab limit fell by nearly half to 5.1 million pounds, as the stock is still rebuilding after the population crash that closed the fishery for the first time in 2022. Experts estimate that the combined season could be worth over $250 million.

The recovery follows a hard few years for the people who work these waters. The fleet has shrunk from approximately 60 vessels to 40 since the closures. Most of the boats that left were independent and family-owned. For second and third generation fishing families, the closures have been especially painful. Many rely on one fishery for their livelihood, so a closed season can mean a lost year of income. Industry leaders expect this year’s higher quotas to help some of them return, bringing the fleet back up to about 45 vessels.

Published on: October 6, 2026

Immersion Suit and Float Plan Help Save Fisherman After F/V TYEE Sinks Near Admiralty Island

by Nigel Stacey

A Southeast Alaska fisherman is recovering in Sitka after his 40-foot wooden fishing vessel, the F/V TYEE, sank near Murder Cove on the southern tip of Admiralty Island. The U.S. Coast Guard reports that the details of his rescue offer a clear lesson in how preparation can change the outcome of an emergency at sea.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the boater left Sitka on Friday, September 25th, bound for Ketchikan, and was expected to arrive Monday evening or Tuesday. He was last heard from near Murder Cove around 6 a.m. on Sunday, September 27th. After he was reported overdue at 10:28 a.m. on Monday, September 28th, 2026, watchstanders at Sector Southeast Alaska tried to reach him by VHF radio and cellphone. When those attempts failed, they launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka and the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter PIKE.

That afternoon, a nearby fishing vessel acting as a good Samaritan found an ice chest and life raft in Murder Cove. About two hours later, the helicopter crew located the man on the Admiralty Island shoreline, two miles east of the cove, and hoisted him aboard for transport to waiting emergency medical personnel in Sitka.

Published on: September 29, 2026

A New Book Revisits the Sinking of Scandies Rose

by Nigel Stacey

On New Year’s Eve 2019, the 130-foot F/V SCANDIES ROSE went down in heavy weather and freezing spray about 170 miles southwest of Kodiak. Five crew members were lost; Captain Gary Cobban Jr., his son David Cobban, Seth Rousseau-Gano, Arthur Ganacias, and Brock Rainey. Two men, Dean Gribble Jr. and Jon Lawler, were washed off the hull, found a life raft, and waited about five hours for the U.S. Coast Guard.

Nearly seven years later, Decker Watson has told the story at book length in The Sinking of the Scandies Rose. Watson, a longtime Deadliest Catch producer, knows this fleet well. The book follows the crew and their families, the vessel, the rescue, and the Marine Board of Investigation.

For anyone who has broken ice off a deck or waited on news of someone at sea, it will not be an easy read. However, it is an honest one.

Published on: September 22, 2026

Bering Sea Crab Season Gears Up; So Do the Risks for Alaska’s Fleet

by Nigel Stacey

Pre-season vessel registration for Bristol Bay red king crab, Eastern and Western Bering Sea Tanner crab, and Bering Sea snow crab opened on August 20, 2026, marking the start of one of Alaska’s most significant fishing seasons.

Vessels are already registering through the Dutch Harbor Alaska Department of Fish and Game office, with the red king crab and Tanner crab seasons set to open in mid-October. For the crews who make their living out of one of the busiest commercial fishing ports in the country, good preparation is as important as the fishing itself.

Bering Sea crab fishing statistically remains one of the most dangerous jobs in America. Crews haul heavy steel pots in some of the roughest, coldest water in the world, often working through darkness, freezing spray, and gale force winds.