Monday, December 15, 2025
- admin04655
- Dec 15
- 4 min read
Alaska
Alaska DOT is planning a new dock for one of Alaska’s most remote ferry terminals
Alaska Beacon by James Brooks - December 10, 2025
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is planning a new dock at Cold Bay, one of the most remote stops on the state ferry system’s route map.
West Coast
California Chinook salmon are study of survival in changing climate
National Fisherman by Margaret Bauman - December 12, 2025
Researchers studying fall-run Chinook salmon headed to California's Central Valley rivers are monitoring their migration, hoping to identify factors from water temperature to nutrition that help get them to the spawning grounds.
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Western Pacific Regional Council Scientists Deliberate Impacts of Monument Fishing Prohibitions
SeafoodNews by Susan Chambers - December 15, 2025
Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council scientists started off with a bang when it met last week, tackling national monument issues.
On the first day of its 158th meeting, the Scientific and Statistical Committee reviewed the best available science on the potential benefits and costs of restoring commercial fishing in US Pacific marine national monuments.
A presentation by SSC member University of Washington Professor Dr. Ray Hilborn examined the limited data available from within existing monument closures, new information from recent re-openings and economic performance of US longline vessels before and after closures. The analysis compared widely promoted claims that large marine protected areas increase biodiversity, create healthier ecosystems and support sustainable fisheries with empirical evidence from the Pacific, the Council said in a press release.
The presentation highlighted that:
There is very little direct fishery or ecosystem data from inside the closed areas, with most insights coming from catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) near monument boundaries, acoustic data from drifting fish aggregating devices and economic studies;
For the Phoenix Islands Protected Area, modeled increases in tuna abundance through spillover were modest (on the order of a few percent), and may not translate into large fishery gains;
In US monument waters, where historical fishing pressure was relatively low, large ecological responses to closure are not expected, and recent studies have found no measurable increase in tuna biomass density inside open-ocean MPAs and, in some cases, substantial reductions in bigeye CPUE linked to the loss of historically productive grounds; and Closures of marine national monuments create an illusion of “protection” while leaving non-fishing threats ignored.
Hilborn’s talk also outlined potential SSC platforms for discussion, including that well-regulated U.S. fisheries under the Magnuson–Stevens Act are unlikely to pose an abatable threat to pelagic stocks that can be solved through large open-ocean MPAs alone, and that management frameworks such as the MSA and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission already provide tools to achieve conservation goals while considering human and community impacts.
Hawaii Longline Association Executive Director Eric Kingma provided public comment following the SSC discussion. He noted that existing monument area closures exclude US vessels from US waters and leave US fishermen very constrained in where they can fish.
Citing declining bigeye catch rates, Kingma emphasized that “we need to be able to find and follow the fish – that’s the most important part. “We’re not looking for more fish,” Kingma said, “but to have the opportunity to fish more efficiently away from competitors.”
National
USDA awards nearly USD 14 million in catfish, pollock, and salmon contracts
SeafoodSource News by Nathan Strout - December 15, 2025
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded USD 13,694,519 (EUR 11,666,316) in contracts for catfish, pollock, and salmon products for use in federal domestic food programs.
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International
3MMI - Seafood Market 2026: Tariffs, Policies & Whitefish/Salmon Supply
Tradex Foods - December 15, 2025
Seafood Market in 2026: Global seafood markets will head into 2026 under pressure from U.S. tariffs, MMPA restrictions, EU carbon surcharges, and new international agreements that will affect trade and tighten wild-capture supply.
FYI’s
2026 Alaska Young Fishermen's Summit
Early-bird registration has been extended
Sea Grant Alaska - December, 2025
January 20–22, 2026, Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall, Juneau, Alaska
The Alaska Young Fishermen’s Summit welcomes new entrants of any age who are interested in learning more about owning and operating a commercial fishing business.
ABS unveils simulation-based stability training for commercial fishermen
National Fisherman by NF Staff - December 12, 2025
ABS has completed a four-year project to develop a web-based training module aimed at improving safety practices for commercial fishermen.
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