Wednesday, October 1, 2025
- admin04655
- Sep 30
- 6 min read
Alaska
Studies show big economic impact of Alaska pollock on economy
Cordova Times by Margaret Bauman - September 29, 2025
Independent studies of Alaska pollock released during the Wild Alaska Pollock Annual Meeting in Seattle on Sept. 18 highlight the commercial groundfish fishery’s impact on Alaska, Washington state, and the nation overall.
Funding problems, impending shutdown force changes for North Pacific Fishery Management Council
The council, which manages fisheries in federal waters off Alaska, shifted to an online-only October meeting and now may postpone some of its planned work
Alaska Beacon by Yereth Rosen - September 30, 2025After months of uncertainty amid the Trump administration’s deep cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the council that manages commercial fisheries in federal waters off Alaska now has all the federal funding that had been allocated to it for 2025 operations.
Alaska Bristol Bay salmon season surged past expectations in 2025
Seafood Source by Nathan Strout - September 30, 2025Commercial salmon fishers in Bristol Bay, Alaska, U.S.A. had a boom season, with landings far outpacing early season expectations.
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International
Geopolitical tensions between Norway, Russia could be costly for Barents Sea cod
Seafood Source by Regin Winther Poulsen - October 1, 2025Growing tensions between Norway and Russia may affect the management of fish stocks in the Barents Sea, which are already rapidly declining.https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/geopolitical-tensions-between-norway-russia-could-be-costly-for-barents-sea-codRussia’s wild salmon harvest plunges from 2023 highs but beats forecastsRussia’s Pacific salmon season is closing with catches down sharply on 2023, though still exceeding projections thanks to strong results in Kamchatka.Intrafish by Evgeny Vovchenko - September 29, 2025Russia’s Pacific wild salmon season is drawing to a close with catches at nearly half that of two years ago, although exceeding initial forecasts.https://www.intrafish.com/fisheries/russia-s-wild-salmon-harvest-plunges-from-2023-highs-but-beats-forecasts/2-1-1878169
When permafrost thaw turns Arctic Alaska river red, toxicity levels rise, scientists find
A study of the ‘rusting’ Salmon River and its tributaries in Kobuk Valley National Park suggests that permafrost thaw is causing wider ecological problems
Alaska Beacon by Yereth Rosen - September 29, 2025
When scientists Patrick Sullivan and Roman Dial were heading to a remote area in the Brooks Range in 2019 to map the spread of woody plants there, they were looking forward to seeing a celebrated river that author John McPhee described decades ago as having the “clearest, purest water I have ever seen flowing over rocks.”
Faster Analysis of Data to Evaluate Bycatch Reduction Efforts in Pollock Fishery
Advancements in Artificial Intelligence forms such as computer vision, machine learning, and deep learning assist with processing data. The model was highly accurate at detecting pollock and salmon.
NOAA Fisheries - September 30, 2025
Scientists used a model to detect and classify fish in videos more quickly than humans. The detection model is called You Only Look Once, version 11 (or YOLOv11). It’s helping scientists evaluate the effectiveness of excluders that help salmon escape from fishing nets intended to catch pollock.
Senators Demand OMB and Commerce Release $246M in NOAA Funding
SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - September 30, 2025
Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) sent an urgent letter to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Russell Vought and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, demanding that $246 million authorized by Congress for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in FY2025 be released to the agency immediately.In late August, President Trump's OMB approved a FY2025 spending plan for NOAA “that would claw back remaining funds at most of the agency’s line offices. The result is roughly $239 million less overall than the current enacted budget for NOAA’s six line offices,” according to an article by Bloomberg News.Yesterday, Van Hollen and Schiff informed OMB that NOAA’s budget has been short of the funds Congress directed by $246 million and demanded that the Trump Administration explain why.“The NOAA spending plan cuts funding across multiple NOAA line offices, including the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, the National Ocean Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. These cuts impact research labs, competitive research grants, cooperative institutes, and fisheries management programs,” the Senators wrote.“The administration and OMB must make apportionment decisions within the boundaries of laws enacted by Congress, and we expect you to provide NOAA with its full amount of congressionally appropriated funding. We are concerned that the decision to withhold and redirect funding for NOAA could undermine decades of work to ensure the safety of Americans and the economic security of the nation. This work produces economic and public safety benefits that far outweigh the investments Congress has provided for NOAA’s work,” the Senators concluded.NOAA supports a variety of critical services, including public safety during extreme weather events, providing accurate weather forecasts, supporting the fishing industry, maritime activities, and economic security, and protecting coastal and marine resources. The withholding or redirecting of funds puts these services in jeopardy.Congress appropriated the funding to NOAA in the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (Public Law 119–4). “NOAA is mandated by Congress to support a variety of critical services for the nation, including public safety during extreme weather events, providing accurate weather forecasts, maritime activities, and economic security,” the Senators wrote in their September 29 letter.“The agency helps support a $183 billion seafood industry and manages fisheries to ensure sustainable and safe seafood for future generations. NOAA also works to protect coastal and marine resources that provide economic benefits for coastal communities through dollars directly spent on recreation and tourism. Conserving coastal places protects against flooding, enhances water quality, and helps coastal counties contribute $9 trillion to the US economy.”On March 15, 2025, Public Law 119–4 was signed into law, extending fiscal year 2024 (FY24) spending into fiscal year 2025 (FY25). First, the senators wrote, the administration illegally withheld $100 million that Congress classified as emergency funding for NOAA in the FY25 continuing resolution (CR). In addition, “the Department of Commerce proposed a $19 million transfer out of NOAA to the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) to cover shortfalls caused by OMB, which also denied $20 million in FY25 funding for BIS classified as emergency spending under the C,” the Senators wrote. “Finally, OMB has not apportioned approximately $127 million for NOAA included in the FY25 CR. The Department subsequently proposed obligating some of this funding for the midlife repair upgrades of the NOAA Vessel Henry B. Bigelow.”The NOAA spending plan cuts funding across multiple NOAA line offices, including the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, the National Ocean Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. These cuts impact research labs, competitive research grants, cooperative institutes, and fisheries management programs. Programs that have been eliminated include the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund. The Coastal Zone Management program was cut by $1.5 million, the National Estuarine Research Reserve System was cut by $4 million, the National Sea Grant and Aquaculture programs were cut by a combined $8.73 million, and climate research was cut by more than $58 million, the Senators listed in their letter. Cuts to the National Sea Grant program mean that fishermen in Gulf states will lose the fishery management support for reef fish species like snapper, communities in the Great Lakes will lose support addressing invasive species or preparing for coastal storms, and shellfish growers in the Chesapeake Bay will lose support for small aquaculture businesses. Cutting Coastal Zone Management research grants will impact communities in Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts, Maine, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire, where FY25 research grants have been awarded but the funding may not be obligated.“The administration and OMB must make apportionment decisions within the boundaries of laws enacted by Congress, and we expect you to provide NOAA with its full amount of congressionally appropriated funding,” Van Hollen and Schiff emphasized.
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