The fish behind America’s fish sticks is fueling a fight over trawling in Alaska
The fleet says bycatch is tightly monitored, while critics argue even small losses can mean hundreds of thousands of salmon from depleted runs.
- In February, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council recommended a 45,000 cap on western Alaska chum bycatch after hearing testimony from more than 170 people regarding Bering Sea fleet management.
- Collapsing salmon runs across western Alaska have devastated Alaska Native communities that have relied on the fish for generations, fueling backlash against the pollock industry and its incidental catch practices.
- Alaska pollock, the second-largest fishery on Earth, generates about $432 million annually; bycatch makes up 2% of the total catch, yet trawl fisheries discarded 96 million pounds in 2025 alone.
- Brooke Woods, commissioner for the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, expressed concern that the cap may be insufficient, stating the closures leave a "big void" in Native communities' cultural and subsistence practices.
- Scientists point to warming waters as a primary cause of salmon declines, yet critics argue bycatch remains a manageable mortality source managers can directly control, positioning the issue as a central debate in Alaska's political landscape.
32 Articles
32 Articles
Fish in American fish sticks is fueling a fight over trawling in Alaska
Chum from Bering Sea pollock trawlers have become contentious as salmon runs have collapsed across western Alaska, where dozens of Indigenous communities have relied on salmon for generations. The backlash has spread to smaller commercial and charter fishers who say they, too, are bearing the costs of declining stocks.
The fight for Filet-O-Fish sandwiches and the sea – The Horn News
The net rose from the heaving Bering Sea swells, packed so tightly with Alaska pollock that their heads squeezed through the webbing. As the catch spilled onto the deck, other dead marine life came with it: a skate, crabs, jellyfish and, among the most consequential, salmon — the fish at... Read More The post The fight for Filet-O-Fish sandwiches and the sea appeared first on The Horn News - Proudly American, Fiercely Independent.
Fish behind America’s fish sticks fueling a fight over trawling in Alaska
The nets for Alaska’s massive pollock fishery also catch salmon and other marine life. As salmon runs collapse across western Alaska, Indigenous communities and smaller commercial fishers say they're bearing the costs. Scientists blame warming waters for the decline.
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