Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Alaska
Opinion: What’s being done to address trawling issues in Alaska
Anchorage Daily News by Doug Vincent-Lang - September 15, 2026
There has been much debate regarding the impact of trawling on Alaska fisheries, especially given that some of our state’s salmon, crab and halibut stocks are struggling.
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Environment/Science
Arctic climate report set for publication despite loss of federal support
The American Geophysical Union is taking over management of the Arctic Report Card after the Trump administration abruptly ended support from NOAA
Alaska Beacon by Yereth Rosen - September 15, 2026
The Arctic Report Card, the annual peer-reviewed analysis of climate in the circumpolar region, will continue even without federal government support, scientists announced.
EPA Proposes Loosening Clean Water Act Permit Rules for Offshore Seafood Processing Vessels
SeafoodNews by Ryan Doyle - September 15, 2026
The EPA has proposed a rule exempting most offshore seafood processing vessels from Clean Water Act (CWA) discharge permitting, a change the agency estimates will save the seafood processing industry $1.8 million annually in compliance costs.
The rule, published in the Federal Register September 4 and open for comment through October 19, revises the definition of "discharge of a pollutant" under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program.
Since 1972, the CWA has excluded "a vessel or other floating craft" from NPDES permitting when it discharges in the contiguous zone (3–12 miles offshore) or the ocean beyond. But a 1979 EPA regulation narrowed that exclusion to vessels "being used as a means of transportation" — meaning offshore seafood processing vessels, which typically hold position to process catch rather than transport, still needed permits that other vessels didn't.
EPA now says that qualifier was never grounded in the statute's text and should be dropped. Citing the Supreme Court's 2024 Loper Bright decision requiring agencies to adopt the "best reading" of a statute, the agency argues the rule simply aligns regulation with the law as written.
What changes: Any vessel or floating craft in the contiguous zone or ocean not secured to the seabed would no longer need an NPDES permit to discharge, whether underway or stationary. Structures that are secured — fixed platforms, moored aquaculture net pens, drilling rigs on risers — remain permitted as before. Discharges in navigable US waters and the territorial seas (out to 3 miles) are unaffected.
Industry impact:
EPA estimates $1.7 million in annual compliance savings for offshore processors and $50,000 in administrative savings for the agency. The change eliminates NPDES monitoring, reporting and recordkeeping obligations for roughly 79 permittees, mostly under Region 10 (Pacific Northwest/Alaska) general permits.
Small businesses (under 750 employees, NAICS 311710) make up an estimated 89% of affected establishments — about $22,000 in savings per establishment. The SBA's Office of Advocacy flagged the proposal September 10, framing it as a fix to an unsupported regulatory inconsistency.
EPA acknowledges trade-offs: reduced oversight of localized processing discharges beyond three miles, with possible effects on marine species and water quality, and less public monitoring data.
The rule doesn't touch discharges from seabed-secured facilities or requirements under other statutes (MPRSA, Oil Pollution Act, Vessel Incidental Discharge Act). EPA is seeking comment on how to define "vessel or other floating craft" and "secured," including whether to align with the Coast Guard's statutory definition of "vessel." Comments go to Docket ID EPA-HQ-OW-2026-6965 via Regulations.gov.
Federal Register
Pacific Halibut Fisheries of the West Coast; Inseason Action for the 2026 Area 2A Pacific Halibut Directed Commercial Fishery
A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 09/15/2026
NMFS announces an inseason action for the 2026 Pacific halibut non-Tribal directed commercial fishery in the International Pacific Halibut Commission's (IPHC) regulatory Area 2A.
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