It’s sockeye salmon season in Alaska, and for the second year in a row, Bristol Bay is breaking catch records, a trend that is expected to continue as the week goes on. More than 53.3 million fish had been caught by Thursday, July 14th (the run began on June 1st),…
How much does a commercial fisher make? Thanks to popular shows like Alaska Fish Wars, Deadliest Catch, and Wicked Tuna, interest in the fishing industry is at an all-time high. But how much can a commercial fisher really expect to earn? This is the million-dollar question, and the short answer…
Western Alaska has been hit hard economically by the long-term decline in crab stocks. This year, the Bering Sea snow crab total allowable catch was reduced by 90 percent while the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery has been closed entirely. This week, changes were made to House Bill 41,…
Alaska biologists have forecasted another massive run of sockeye salmon this summer in Bristol Bay. Processors are being urged by the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association to gear up for the surge. It has been found that boosting capacity helps returns on future runs. According to state records, 66…
Watchstanders at the 17th Coast Guard District command center in Juneau, AK received a medevac request after a crewmember aboard the 262-foot fish processor AMERICA’S FINEST suffered serious foot injuries. The request is reported to have come from the vessel’s master at approximately 2:30am on Thursday, March 17th. The vessel…
Law enforcement crew members working on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter BAILEY BARCO found illegally caught fish after they boarded and searched a fishing vessel. The incident took place on February 19th, while the vessel was located about 12 miles northeast of Kodiak, Alaska. The 38-foot F/V COMPETITION was searched,…
Two fishermen were rescued by the US Coast Guard on Monday February 7th near Sitka, Alaska after the 40-foot F/V GLORY began taking on water. Sector Juneau Command Center watchstanders received a call from the distressed vessel at about 8 p.m. An Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and crew…
On January 21st, 2022, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced that her office has approved Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s request for an official disaster determination. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) funds will be available to fishermen and crew members, seafood processors, and researchers who have felt the impact of this…
U.S. Coast Guard Sector Anchorage watchstanders received a distress call from the master of the F/V LAURA on Monday, November 1, 2021, after the vessel reportedly ran aground on the shore at Black Rock, on Kodiak Island. It was also reported that the crew was using life rafts to abandon…
An injured fisherman was medevaced from a fishing boat on 10/19/2021 after sustaining serious injuries to his pelvic region. It is reported that the crewmember became pinned by a crab pot while working on deck. The F/V PATRICIA LEE was located about 225 miles west of Dutch Harbor at the…