Monday, September 29, 2025

Alaska Alaskan rivers turn orange as permafrost thaws, threatening fish and communities Mongabay by Liz Kimbrough - September 25, 205 A new study found that 75 streams in Alaska’s Brooks Range have turned orange due to thawing permafrost, which releases metals like iron, aluminum and cadmium that exceed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency safety thresholds for aquatic life.The contamination threatens fish populations, with aluminum concentrations at one location reaching nearly five times the safe limit, and the study suggests this may help explain recent crashes in chum salmon returns that Indigenous communities depend on for food and income. https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/alaskan-rivers-turn-orange-as-permafrost-thaws-threatening-fish-and-communities/ Alaska’s Bristol Bay sockeye run and harvest increased this year, with fish sizes a bit bigger Amid signs of sockeye run strength were continued problems with Chinook salmon. Average sockeye, though bigger than last year, remain smaller than they used to be. Alaska Beacon by Yereth Rosen - September 26, 2025 The commercial salmon harvest in Alaska’s Bristol Bay, site of the world’s largest sockeye salmon runs, held a mixture of good news and bad news this year.https://alaskabeacon.com/2025/09/26/alaskas-bristol-bay-sockeye-run-and-harvest-increased-this-year-with-fish-sizes-a-bit-bigger/ Alaska's Bristol Bay salmon harvest zooms past predictions Alaska’s Bristol Bay sockeye salmon harvest surged past expectations this summer. Average prices were also up from last year. Intrafish by Rachel Sapin - September 26, 2025 Alaska’s Bristol Bay delivered another major sockeye salmon season in 2025, with commercial harvests and exvessel value soaring well above expectations, a salmon season summary from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) showed. https://www.intrafish.com/salmon/alaskas-bristol-bay-salmon-harvest-zooms-past-predictions/2-1-1877825 Industry leaders say fisheries must modernize for long-term sustainability KCAW by Hope McKenney - September 26, 2025 The fishing industry is one of the largest economic drivers in Alaska. It directly employs nearly 60,000 people and produces more than $5 billion in economic activity every year, according to the Resource Development Council for Alaska. https://www.kcaw.org/2025/09/26/industry-leaders-say-fisheries-must-modernize-for-long-term-sustainability/ Copper River cohos are fresh salmon deal of the week Cordova Times by Margaret Bauman - September 26, 2025 Fresh Copper River coho salmon were selling well at New Sagaya seafood markets in Anchorage this past week, a steal at $9.99 a pound for a whole fish.   https://thecordovatimes.com/2025/09/26/copper-river-cohos-salmon-deal-of-the-week/ ANALYSIS: Pink Salmon Landings Trail Historical Odd-Year Performance Expana by Joshua Bickert - September 29, 2025 This analysis was first published on Expana on September 26.Pink salmon runs follow a distinct biennial pattern, with odd-numbered years traditionally producing stronger returns than even years. The 2025 season is adhering to this pattern, significantly outperforming the previous even-year cycle, though it remains below recent odd-year benchmarks.Current data shows 2025 pink salmon landings at 113.7 million fish. While this represents the expected odd-year strength at 193% over 2024’s run of 38.8 million fish, the harvest appears to be trailing historical odd-year performance by notable margins. Compared to the robust 2021 run of 161 million fish, this year’s landings are running approximately 29% lower, while the gap widens to roughly 40% when measured against 2015’s exceptional 190.5 million fish season. Even against 2023’s more modest 150.5 million fish harvest, current landings are tracking about 24% below.The timing charts reveal that 2025 followed typical seasonal patterns and ran above the five-year average throughout most of the critical harvest weeks. However, while the run tracked consistently higher than historical averages from weeks 27 through 34, it remained notably below 2023 levels during the same period. Peak landings in 2025 occurred around weeks 31-33, mirroring the timing of 2023, but volumes fell short of the robust performance seen in the previous odd-year cycle. This gap between the two recent odd-year runs has created some supply constraints across the market...Want to keep reading? Unlock the full story by logging into COMTELL.This story and more are available exclusively to subscribers on our premium COMTELL service. Be the first to discover market moving insights, articles, and analysis by subscribing today. Click here to find out how you can gain access to the leading market intelligence platform for agri-food professionals. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1320630/ANALYSIS-Pink-Salmon-Landings-Trail-Historical-Odd-Year-Performance Environment/Science Marine heatwave 'blob' returns in Pacific, rivaling past events in size and impact KATU by Sarah Bag - September 25, 2025  In 2013, scientists noticed a block of unusually warm water detected in the Pacific Ocean between the Gulf of Alaska and the Coast of Southern California. This was recognized by meteorologists as a basin-scale marine heatwave (MHW), often referred to as “the blob”. This water mass hung around from 2013-2016 before re-emerging again in July of 2019 (known as Blob 2.0) and lasting 20 months. https://katu.com/news/local/marine-heatwave-blob-returns-pacific-ocean-past-events-size-impact-nature-noaa-species-danger-ecosystem-science Labeling and Marketing 3MMI - Halibut Supply Crunch, Estimated 8,000,000 lbs remainTradex Foods - September 29, 2025Pacific halibut landings are lagging in 2025, with just 13.7M lbs by mid-September - well below recent years and on track for a record low. Harvests are predicted near 21.9M for the season, keeping supply tight. With frozen offers absent and Russian supply banned, prices will stay firm, buyers should look toward Atlantic halibut or other premium whitefish like sablefish. Watch to Find Out More. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYXdT-FAN4c&t=1s Trident Seafoods debuts pet wellness brand at PetSmart Trident Seafoods has expanded its offerings in the growing retail niche for pet health products. Intrafish by Rachel Sapin - September 26, 2025 Trident Seafoods is debuting a new US brand in the pet health industry with the launch of "wellFURst," a line of freeze-dried supplements and fish oils made from Alaska pollock and salmon. https://www.intrafish.com/markets/trident-seafoods-debuts-pet-wellness-brand-at-petsmart/2-1-1877200

Federal Register Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Ocean Perch in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 09/29/2025 NMFS is prohibiting retention of Pacific Ocean perch in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary because the 2025 total allowable catch of Pacific Ocean perch in the Western Regulatory Area of the GOA has been or will be reached. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/09/29/2025-18898/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-pacific-ocean-perch-in-the-western-regulatory Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska; “Other Rockfish” in the Aleutian Islands Subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 09/29/2025 NMFS is prohibiting retention of “other rockfish” in the Aleutian Islands subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary because the 2025 “other rockfish” total allowable catch (TAC) in the Aleutian Islands subarea of the BSAI will soon be or has been reached. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/09/29/2025-18896/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-other-rockfish-in-the-aleutian-islands-subarea

Pacific Seafood Processors Association 4039 21st Ave. W, Suite 400, Seattle, WA 98199 Phone: 206.281.1667 E-mail: admin@pspafish.net; Website: www.pspafish.net Our office days/hours are Monday-Friday8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. *Inclusion of a news article, report, or other document in this email does not imply PSPA support or endorsement of the information or opinion expressed in the document.