Friday, August 1, 2025

Alaska Alaska experts recommend management overhaul to rescue Yukon River salmon runs Alaska Beacon by Yereth Rosen - August 1, 2025  A management overhaul is needed to address the faltering salmon runs in the Yukon River and the widespread harms that have resulted from shortages of fish along the river’s basin, according to a report by Indigenous leaders and Alaska scientists. https://alaskabeacon.com/briefs/alaska-experts-recommend-management-overhaul-to-rescue-yukon-river-salmon-runs/ Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association to test AI monitoring with USD 485,000 grant Seafood Source by Erin Spampinato - July 30, 2025 Sitka, Alaska, U.S.A.-based fisher advocacy organization The Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA) has won a USD 485,000 (EUR 422,719) National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant to support AI-driven electronic monitoring (EM) efforts for Alaska fixed gear fishers. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/alaska-longline-fishermen-s-association-to-test-ai-monitoring-with-usd-485-000-grant Alaska Salmon Harvests Enter Pivotal Week For Remainder of the Season SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - July 30, 2025 Having exceeded the Bristol Bay forecast for sockeye harvest, production in other regions of Alaska for sockeye has fallen far short. In the Copper River, only 41% of the pre-season forecast of sockeye has been harvested, with that run nearly over. But this week, statistical week 31 in salmon management parlance, is a pivotal week historically for pink salmon. Statewide, it is the week that starts the upward trajectory for higher production from seine-caught pink salmon.In Alaska, salmon harvests and runs (the total return of fish, which includes projected harvest as well as escapement) are measured in numbers, not pounds. This means that to gauge value, the average weight of each species is fundamental. Early reports of this year’s average weight of Bristol Bay fish were slightly higher than last year’s. Last week’s reports from some of Prince William Sound’s seine fleet showed that wild pink salmon were also slightly higher. Final averages will not be known until early September, when most pink and chum fisheries will be over.  Total harvests as of July 29 across Alaska are 89.045 million salmon, about 41% of the pre-season forecasts of 214.6 million. That forecast was comprised mostly of pink salmon (138.4 million), followed by sockeye (52.9 million statewide) and chum, or keta, salmon (20.8 million).By species, sockeye salmon harvests are at 48.215 million statewide. Bristol Bay’s forecast of 34.84 million harvest has been exceeded so far by more than 5 million, with a total of 40.247 million.  Copper River harvests of sockeye as of yesterday were 824,000 of a predicted 1.9 million. Adding sockeye landings from Prince William Sound brought the total for that area up to 1.132 million. Another 3.5 million have been caught to date in Lower Cook Inlet. In the Alaska Peninsula, another 2 million sockeye have been landed. Adding Chignik and Kodiak’s harvest brings the Western District’s total to nearly 3 million sockeye.Statewide pink salmon landings as of the first part of this pivotal week are currently at 30.31 million salmon, with the bulk of that — 22.2 million pinks — caught in Prince William Sound. PWS’s forecast for 2025 is strong for wild pinks at 16.8 million. Another 5.5 million pink salmon have been landed in the Western Region (Kodiak at 4.04 million and the Alaska Peninsula at 1.46 million pinks). So far in Southeast Alaska, 2.6 million pinks have been landed. The pre-season harvest forecast for that area was 29 million pink salmon, slightly above the recent 10-year average harvest of 26 million but approximately 60% of the parent-year (2023) harvest of 48 million.  The Alaska Fish and Game forecasts for pink harvests in both Lower Cook Inlet and the Alaskan Peninsula are strong, expected to peak in the next few weeks.  

https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1314597/Alaska-Salmon-Harvests-Enter-Pivotal-Week-For-Remainder-of-the-Season National US Senate Commerce Committee advances Trump’s nominee to lead NOAA Seafood Source by Nathan Strout - August 1, 2025 The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee voted to advance the nomination of Neil Jacobs – a former NOAA acting administrator and U.S. President Donald Trump’s current pick to lead the agency once more. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/us-senate-commerce-committee-advances-trump-s-nominee-to-lead-noaa International Trump Signs Sweeping Executive Order Revamping US Tariff Rates; 15% Floor for Deficit Nations Expana by Ryan Doyle - August 1, 2025 President Donald Trump signed an executive order on July 31, unveiling a massive overhaul of US tariff policy, introducing a series of new import rates for US trading partners (find the full rate list below).Under the new plan, countries with which the US has a trade deficit will face a minimum 15% tariff, affecting more than 30 nations. Meanwhile, the administration’s existing 10% “universal” tariff will remain in place for countries where US exports exceed imports.The executive order said that the new tariffs will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 7, not Aug. 1, Trump’s previously announced tariff implementation date. This provides a short reprieve for exporters. The White House added that goods that are placed on ships before the August 7 date and enter the US before October 5 will be subject to the preexisting tariff rate.Over 25 countries will see their tariffs sit above the 15% trade deficit baseline set by Trump. These countries have either signed trade frameworks with the US or because Trump sent a letter to the nation’s respective leaders earlier this month.The White House also created a 40% tariff rate on products that the US Customs and Border Protection determines as “transshipped” in an effort to avoid higher duties.Just prior to the new tariff plan, Trump announced a 90-day tariff reprieve for Mexico as both sides work to come to terms on a new trade deal.Meanwhile, the White House announced Canada’s tariffs will jump from 25 to 35%, effective August 1.“Canada has failed to cooperate in curbing the ongoing flood of fentanyl and other illicit drugs, and it has retaliated against the United States for the President’s actions to address this unusual and extraordinary threat to the United States,” per a fact sheet from the Trump administration.However, many goods will avoid the new rate, as the White House confirmed that goods compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) continue to remain not subject to tariffs.Trump also signed a trade deal with Korea that will see the country pay a 15% tariff rate on all goods imported into the US. On Wednesday, Trump also slapped a 50% total tariff rate on Brazil, as Expana reported.Here is the full tariff list included in the executive order:Afghanistan: 15%Algeria: 30%Angola: 15%Bangladesh: 20%Bolivia: 15%Bosnia and Herzegovina: 30%Botswana: 15%Brazil: 10%Brunei: 25%Cambodia: 19%Cameroon: 15%Chad: 15%Costa Rica: 15%Côte d`Ivoire: 15%Democratic Republic of the Congo: 15%Ecuador: 15%Equatorial Guinea: 15%European Union: Goods with Column 1 Duty Rate > 15%: 0%European Union: Goods with Column 1 Duty Rate < 15%: 15% minus Column 1 Duty RateFalkland Islands: 10%Fiji: 15%Ghana: 15%Guyana: 15%Iceland: 15%India: 25%Indonesia: 19%Iraq: 35%Israel: 15%Japan: 15%Jordan: 15%Kazakhstan: 25%Laos: 40%Lesotho: 15%Libya: 30%Liechtenstein: 15%Madagascar: 15%Malawi: 15%Malaysia: 19%Mauritius: 15%Moldova: 25%Mozambique: 15%Myanmar (Burma): 40%Namibia: 15%Nauru: 15%New Zealand: 15%Nicaragua: 18%Nigeria: 15%North Macedonia: 15%Norway: 15%Pakistan: 19%Papua New Guinea: 15%Philippines: 19%Serbia: 35%South Africa: 30%South Korea: 15%Sri Lanka: 20%Switzerland: 39%Syria: 41%Taiwan: 20%Thailand: 19%Trinidad and Tobago: 15%Tunisia: 25%Turkey: 15%Uganda: 15%United Kingdom: 10%Vanuatu: 15%Venezuela: 15%Vietnam: 20%Zambia: 15%Zimbabwe: 15% https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1314829/Trump-Signs-Sweeping-Executive-Order-Revamping-US-Tariff-Rates-15-percent-Floor-for-Deficit-Nations Environment/Science Life at Sea on a Fisheries Survey with Chris Anderson NOAA fishery biologists provide critical support for sustainable fisheries and science from deck to desk. NOAA Fisheries - July 30, 2025 A Career Anchored in ScienceChris Anderson is no stranger to the open ocean. His journey with NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center began 15 years ago as a North Pacific fisheries observer, providing fisheries-dependent data from commercial catches. Today, he is a fishery biologist conducting research for NOAA’s fisheries-independent bottom trawl surveys in Alaska. His experience collecting both fisheries-dependent and independent data gives him a comprehensive understanding of data needed for stock assessments and sustainable fisheries management. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/life-sea-fisheries-survey-chris-anderson FYI’s Marine Stewardship Council Makes Key US Leadership Appointment Expana by Ryan Doyle - August 1, 2025 The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has appointed Laura McDearis as its new US Program Director.MSC said the move comes at a pivotal time as consumer demand for sustainable seafood is rising. McDearis will be tasked with leading the MSC US operations, supporting fisheries, seafood businesses and stakeholders as they work to meet the growing demand for certified sustainable seafood.Currently, the US is the top supplier of MSC-certified sustainable seafood globally. Roughly 85% of US fisheries carry the MSC blue certification label. The label appears on over 1,380 products at retailers in the US across canned, frozen, fresh, supplements and pet aisles.Consumer recognition is also growing, and trust remains high: one-third of American seafood consumers recognize the MSC ecolabel, and 73% have high trust in the label, the MSC shared in its announcement.“Laura brings extensive experience in the seafood industry, program management, and stakeholder collaboration to this leadership position,” said Erika Feller, MSC Americas Regional Director. “Her proven track record will help us continue to strengthen the MSC’s role in the U.S. and ensure healthy oceans for future generations.”McDearis has over 15 years of experience in the sustainable fisheries sector. She joined the MSC in 2017 and led corporate partnerships and commitments to certified sustainable seafood across the US. McDearis’ background includes work in Alaska for a sportfishing lodge, being an observer in the Alaska snow crab fishery, serving as a fisheries management consultant for Ecuadorian spiny lobster, and co-founding a sustainable seafood company in California."I am honored to take on this leadership role with the MSC team and look forward to working closely with our fishery and commercial partners to make certified sustainable seafood easily accessible and recognizable around the globe,” said McDearis. “Together, we can ensure that wild seafood remains a vital, healthy, and environmentally sustainable resource for generations to come.” https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1314879/Marine-Stewardship-Council-Makes-Key-US-Leadership-Appointment

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