Wrangell Sentinel -

National Maritime Day on May 22 is a holiday created by Congress in 1933 to honor America’s sea-going industry. It marks the day when the steamship Savannah set sail from Georgia on the first ever transoceanic voyage under steam power. As...

Between 60 and 70 percent of Alaska’s seafood is exported to customers around the globe, and the strength of foreign currencies against the US dollar plays a big role in annual sales. Tracking by the Juneau-based McDowell Group for the Alaska...

It might still feel like winter but Alaska’s 2013 salmon season will officially get underway on May 16, when the first runs of reds and kings are scheduled to arrive at Copper River. The season’s first fish will attract the usual media hoopla –...

Fishing industry stakeholders and federal managers in June will begin crafting a bycatch reduction plan for trawl groundfish fisheries in the Gulf. It will include some form of catch share plan, and as the main delivery port for more than $100...

Chinook salmon research money made it through the Alaska legislature this session but most other fish bills flopped. “The department asked and the legislature funded” said Kevin Brooks, Deputy Commissioner of the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game....

Did you know that red king crabs are cannibals and eat their babies, but blue king crabs do not? Or that deep water golden king crabs along the Aleutian Islands are almost indestructible and appear to resist the effects of ocean acidification? Those...

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced last week that the preseason Chinook salmon all-gear harvest quota for Southeast Alaska in 2013 is 176,000 fish.  The 2013 quota is 90,000 fish lower than the 2012 allowable preseason Chinook...

Absent from supermarket fliers this spring have been ads featuring the year’s first fresh halibut, reflecting the anticipated push back by buyers to the high priced fish. “No ads in the papers. No excitement this year,” said more than one...

A new plan is being crafted by federal managers for Gulf of Alaska groundfish fisheries that will reduce bycatch by trawlers, and it will very likely result in a catch share plan. Now is the time for fishing residents to make sure the new program pro...

It was unusually quiet along the waterfront as the halibut fishery got underway on Saturday. Most of the first fish landed goes to Homer, Kodiak and Petersburg and processors there said there wasn’t “the usual chatter” and none said they had a...

Halibut scientists plan to expand the yearly Pacific stock assessments by 30% next summer, adding 390 survey stations to the existing 1,300 already in use from Oregon to the Bering Sea. Since 1998 the halibut surveys, which occur from June through...

The just released “Fisheries Economics of the US” by NOAA Fisheries covers the commercial and recreational fishing industries from 2002-2011 and is loaded with descriptive seafood industry stats by region.  The report, sixth in a series, tracks...

More wild salmon from Alaska will make its way to world markets this year if forecasts hold true for the 2013 season. State salmon managers are projecting a total catch of nearly 179 million fish this year, 30 percent higher than the 2012 harvest of...

In a word, the outlook for Alaska salmon markets this year is favorable. That’s the conclusion of Gunnar Knapp, fisheries economist at the University of Alaska/Anchorage in an overview of world mark...

Dilution is the solution for pollution sums up the Parnell Administration policy when it comes to cruise ship discharges in Alaska waters. A bill being moved quickly by state lawmakers will repeal a 2006 citizens’ initiative that requires cruise sh...

Volunteers are needed to test drive some new money-saving methods for ‘do it yourself’ energy audits on fishing boats. “Just as with a home audit where you try and understand where your energy is going, you can learn how your vessel is consumin...

Halibut catches weren’t slashed as badly as people feared, although they still continue on a downward trend – and the outlook is grim. A coast wide catch of 31 million pounds was approved on Friday by the International Pacific Halibut...

Fishing groups, consumers and health organizations are launching a final push to prevent genetically modified fish from getting the nod for American dinner plates. During the holidays the Food and Drug Administration issued its environmental...

There’s lots of movement in Alaska’s salmon permit markets, but sales of catch shares are in a stall. Permit values are up and down depending on region, and interest reflects how the salmon runs have been coming in. for example At Bristol Bay,...

Prince William Sound topped all other Alaska regions for salmon catches last year – but not by much. Fishermen in the Sound squeaked by their colleagues in the Panhandle by just 44 fish to get the #1 ranking for the 2012 season. The tally: 34,390,0...

Ask an Alaskan what community is home to the most commercial fishermen and they will respond Kodiak or Dutch Harbor, or maybe Petersburg or Bristol Bay. Wrong! Anchorage ranks #1 for total fishing participation, with 994 permit holders and another...

The 2013 preseason terminal run size forecast for large Stikine River king salmon has been set by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game at 22,400 fish. A preseason terminal run forecast of this size does not allow for an allowable catch for either...

The Coast Guard recommends that boat owners and operators in Southeast Alaska remain vigilant of the ever changing winter weather when planning their voyage. “The weather here can drastically change without warning,” said Cmdr. Marc Burd, Chief...

Halibut catches could be cut by 33 percent next year if proposed numbers get the nod by the International Pacific Halibut Commission next month. That would mean a coast wide harvest of just 22.7 million pounds for fisheries in California, Washington,...

The “graying of the fleet” continues in Alaska as fewer young folks obtain permits for various fisheries. Data from 2011 show that 45 percent of all Alaska permit holders were between the ages 45...