Friday, May 1, 2026
- 11 hours ago
- 6 min read
Alaska
Alaskan officials renew calls for better transboundary salmon protections
SeafoodSource by Haley Jones - April 29, 2026
Officials in the U.S. state of Alaska are again asking for better protections for salmon in the state’s transboundary rivers.
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Pike Place announces Copper River red pre-orders ahead of season
Cordova Times by Margaret Bauman -May 1, 2026
The season doesn’t open until late May, but Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle is already promoting the 2026 run of Copper River sockeyes.
National
Second H-2B visa allocation cap reached as US processors seek foreign workers
With the second allocation of 27,736 additional visas now capped, that leaves a final 18,490 additional visas for workers to begin work between May 1 and Sept. 30, 2026
Undercurrent News by staff - April 30, 2026
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed it has received enough petitions to exhaust the second allocation of supplemental H-2B visas for fiscal year 2026, highlighting the ongoing struggle to secure seasonal labor, particularly in the seafood industry...
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Environment/Science
NOAA Fisheries Announces Availability of $99 Million for Pacific Salmon
Funds support state and tribal projects to conserve and restore salmon on the West Coast and Alaska
NOAA Fisheries - April 30, 2026
NOAA Fisheries announced up to $99 million in funding through the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund for conservation and recovery projects that support Pacific salmon.
Labeling and Marketing
Retail prices for 2026 Alaska salmon are still a wild card
National Fisherman by Margaret Bauman - April 30, 2026
Given an Alaska Department of Fish and Game 2026 harvest prediction of 125.5 million salmon, down 36 percent from 197.4 million a year ago, forecasts on retail prices still remain a wild card.
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ASMI Lands $10.7M in USDA Funding to Expand Global Marketing for Alaska Seafood
SeafoodNews by Natasha Estremera - April 30, 2026
The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) has secured more than $10.7 million in federal funding to expand international marketing efforts for Alaska seafood, including more than $4.7 million through the Market Access Program (MAP) and $6 million through the America First Trade Promotion Program (AFTPP).
Both programs are administered by the US Department of Agriculture and support global marketing and promotion aimed at growing US exports. AFTPP is the newer of the two programs and is specifically designed to strengthen and expand export markets. The funding comes as Alaska’s seafood industry remains heavily dependent on international trade.
“These international grant awards, in combination with ASMI’s strong efforts in the US domestic market, help to increase demand for Alaska seafood, which in turn increases the value throughout the Alaska seafood supply chain,” said Jeremy Woodrow, ASMI executive director. “This benefits Alaska processors, businesses and fishermen, as well as Alaska communities.”
Both MAP and AFTPP funds are limited to international marketing uses and are awarded through a competitive application process. They also require matching funds from recipients, with MAP requiring a 33% match and AFTPP requiring a 10% match. ASMI said it can meet those requirements through Alaska state funds and seafood industry marketing assessments.
“I am immensely proud of the ASMI International team, whose efforts and achievements have resulted in sustained and expanding support from USDA,” said Nicole Alba, ASMI international program director. “With 70 percent of Alaska seafood by value exported annually, these awards come at a critical time for our industry. They provide market diversification, competitiveness, increase resiliency, and continue to allow Alaska to feed the world with healthy, nutritious and sustainable protein.”
Federal Register
Pacific Halibut Fisheries of the West Coast; 2026 Catch Sharing Plan and Recreational Fishery Management Measures
A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 05/01/2026
This final rule approves changes to the Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan (CSP) for the International Pacific Halibut Commission's (IPHC) Regulatory Area 2A off Washington, Oregon, and California.
FYI’s
Special BOF Meeting Addresses Gear Switch in Cook Inlet, Traditional Knowledge Reg Language
SeafoodNews by Peggy Parker - May 1, 2026
A Special Meeting of Alaska’s Board of Fisheries will be held today, online only, to address four proposals, one adding regulatory language for the use of Traditional Knowledge (TK) in Fish and Game processes, and three regarding salmon fisheries in Western Alaska and Upper Cook Inlet.
The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. Alaska Standard Time (AST) and will not include public testimony. However, written testimony can be submitted until 5 p.m. AST today. Comments can be submitted online at https://boardoffisheries.adfg.alaska.gov/ or by FAX to 907- 465-6094. The public can access the livestream meeting at https://boardoffisheries.adfg.alaska.gov/.
All four proposals have been generated by the BOF itself.
Proposal 189 calls for a traditional knowledge policy to be established in regulation, which would provide guidance on how the Board of Fisheries will incorporate traditional knowledge into their process along with establishing definitions to the terms “traditional knowledge” and “local knowledge.”
If passed, this proposal would also restore the term “traditional knowledge” to the Yukon River Drainage Fall Chum Salmon Management Plan, initially adopted by the board at their Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim (AYK) meeting in November 2025.
Proposal 190 would adopt the Stock of Concern Action Plan for Yukon River king salmon into regulation. There has not been a directed king salmon commercial fishery since 2008, and the sport fishery has been closed preseason since 2019. Despite these closures, escapement goals have not been achieved since 2019. In 2024, Canada and Alaska implemented a rebuilding target, or a border passage goal, of 71,000 Canadian-origin king salmon in the 7-Year Agreement. This states that the directed king salmon commercial, sport, and personal use fisheries will be closed regardless of run size and the directed king salmon subsistence fishery in the mainstem Yukon River will be closed unless managers project the 71,000 threshold will be met.
As a component of the 7- Year Agreement, ADF&G last year implemented a new cultural and educational permit program within the Yukon River. This provides a limited harvest of salmon during times of conservation and is intended to preserve specific customary and traditional harvests. The new regulation also formalizes issuance of permits to harvest salmon for funeral and memorial purposes for all salmon species.
Proposal 191 would adopt the Stock of Concern Action Plan for Yukon River fall chum salmon into regulation. Similar to Prop 190 but for Yukon chum salmon, this proposal would provide a limited harvest of salmon during times of conservation. It is intended to preserve specific customary and traditional harvests. The new regulation also formalizes issuance of permits to harvest salmon for funeral and memorial purposes for all salmon species.
There has not been a directed fall chum salmon commercial fishery since 2019, and the sport fishery has been closed. Despite the closures in all fisheries, the drainagewide goal of 300,000–600,000 fall chum salmon, has not been achieved since 2019.
Border passage objectives for the Canadian mainstem (70,000–104,000 fish) and Fishing Branch River (22,000–49,000 fish), established by YRSA and Yukon River Panel process, have not been achieved since 2019. This points toward a decline in overall production in this stock. Beginning in 2025, the department implemented a new cultural and educational permit program within the Yukon River. These permits may continue to be issued until returns are large enough to provide for subsistence opportunity.
Proposal 192 would replace commercial set gillnet opportunity in the Kenai River Late-run King Salmon Stock of Concern Plan with a newly established set beach seine gear type. The commercial set beach seine net fishery would only occur when the preseason forecast of large, 75 cm mid eye to tail fork (METF) and longer, king salmon is greater than 14,250 fish. https://seafoodnews.com/Story/1341693/Special-BOF-Meeting-Addresses-Gear-Switch-in-Cook-Inlet-Traditional-Knowledge-Reg-Language
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