Monday, October 6, 2025
- admin04655
- Oct 5
- 3 min read
Alaska
State reports a strong run of Chilkat kings, some concern remains
Chilkat Valley News by Will Steinfeld - October 6, 2025
The Chilkat river king salmon run returned in high numbers to spawn this summer — the first season after the run was removed from the state-designated stock of concern list.
Statewide kelp mapping project includes Cordova
Cordova Times by Margaret Bauman - October 3, 2025
A new statewide mapping project to locate wild kelp beds, including in the Cordova area, is part of a much larger spatial analysis being conducted by NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science.
Alaska pollock industry seeks relief from herring bycatch constraints
'The current system leaves the fleet in a no-win situation,' stated Andrea Keikkala, executive director of United Catcher Boats.
Intrafish by Rachel Sapin - October 2, 2025
With Alaska pollock harvesters slowing operations this season to avoid penalties tied to herring bycatch, industry leaders are urging swift regulatory action—calling on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) to raise the herring bycatch cap in the Eastern Bering Sea, currently set at 1 percent of the total biomass.
In Memoriam
In Loving Memory of Leslie J. HughesBy her husband, SteveLeslie was my wife for 36 wonderful years, and every day with her made our family and our community better. She loved the people who make their living at sea, and she dedicated her life to bringing them home safely.Leslie started in the industry in the late 1970s with Ben Jenson. Not long after, she joined the North Pacific Fishing Vessel Owners’ Association (NPFVOA), where she helped develop the first Vessel Safety Manual - a practical, working guide that became the standard for fishing vessel safety in the U.S. When NPFVOA reorganized around 1989–90 to focus entirely on safety, Leslie was asked to lead the Vessel Safety Program. She gave it everything she had, every day, until she retired.Under Leslie’s leadership, NPFVOA trained more than 37,000 mariners. That training - and the culture of readiness and respect it fostered - has been credited with saving lives, especially in Alaska’s unforgiving waters. Leslie’s close partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard was built on trust and honesty; it gave the program uncommon credibility. The Coast Guard recognized her with Meritorious Public Service Awards in 1998 and 2001. She was named Puget Sound Maritime Person of the Year in 2006, received the Jerry Jurkovich Award for promoting safety at sea, and served 12 years on the Coast Guard’s Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Advisory Committee. Leslie never chased recognition - she chased results. Her measure of success was simple: “Did we help someone get home?”I watched how she worked with fishermen, boat builders, architects, insurers, and attorneys - how she listened first, then rolled up her sleeves to solve problems that mattered on a real deck, in real weather. She respected the sea and the people who work it, and they respected her back. Colleagues and friends shared that mission with her, and I’m grateful for their partnership through the years.At home, Leslie was the heart of our family. She was a wonderful mother to her son Garth, and very close and special to my boys Brian and Rick and their wives, Chandra and Joy. We made Camano Island our full-time home over the last decade (after many years part-time), and Leslie loved the tides, the evergreens, and the quiet pride of a job done right.Thank you to everyone in the fishing community who learned with Leslie, argued with her when it made the work better, and trusted her when it really counted. Her legacy is living and active - in every drill, in every manual dog-eared from use, in every safe return to the dock.Leslie, you gave 100 percent. You loved your family, you loved your work, and you loved your people. We love you back. - Steve
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