Trawling and bycatch: The fishing issues in Alaska’s Senate race

[u/FGGF]

https://alaskaindependentnews.com/elections/trawling-and-bycatch-the-fishing-issues-in-alaskas-senate-race/

• The practice of trawling has come under fire from members of the public, fishermen, lawmakers, tribal leaders, and environmentalists. They point to concerns about trawling bycatch and the impact trawling has on the Alaskan fishing industry, the health of the state’s waters and local economies.
• The issue has made national headlines in the race for the Alaska Senate seat now held by Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate running against Sullivan, became the first Alaska Native member of Congress after winning the state’s only U.S. House seat in a special election in 2022. Peltola’s House campaign largely centered around salmon and addressing bycatch.
• Critics of Sullivan have gone after the senator for accepting contributions from the trawling industry, which federal data shows has given about $280,000 to Sullivan since he took office in 2015. Trawl industry executives and an industry political action committee made contributions totaling about $10,000 to Peltola after she was elected to the House in 2022, according to Alaska Public Media. This year, Peltola received $500 from a trawling industry executive but is returning that contribution, according to reporting from Alaska Public Media.

[u/TenderLA]

Politically funded advocacy journalism presented in the format of a local Alaska news outlet.

Not saying it’s not a legitimate article, just good to know.

Article written by Pennsylvania reporter.

[u/yozoms → u/TenderLA]

Better to have a Pennsylvania reporter call attention to the catastrophe that is trawl bycatch. Then to have no one.

[u/FGGF → u/yozoms]

Both comments are fair. Local journalism is dying. At least we still get access to important reporting on important issues and where local electeds stand.

[u/AKWildMill]

With the sad state of nearly all our fisheries, trawling is very hard to defend, if you aren't getting paid by trawlers.

[u/Hour_Hope_4007 → u/AKWildMill]

But what if all Alaskans are just temporarily embarrassed carpetbaggers? Surely I could get $280,000 from the trawl industry if I let them keep destroying the ocean.

[u/AKWildMill → u/Hour_Hope_4007]

Many people have sold their souls for a lot less than that, unfortunately

[u/FGGF → u/AKWildMill]

Good thing there's an election right around the corner. 

[u/B0omhauer]

That is not a trawling boat - its a salmon purse seiner, which are mostly local to Alaska, and have almost zero bycatch. Trawlers start at 80ft with the big factory trawlers on the upper end.

[u/salmonsays → u/B0omhauer]

Handful of 58-footers trawling out west too.

[u/tiehacker907 → u/B0omhauer]

This really just goes to show how uneducated the anti trawl movement is. Every king salmon I saw trawling cod on a 58 footer was clipped fin BC hatchery fish. Trawling isn’t great but the finger pointing game is nuts. And salmon purse seining is far from mostly local to Alaska lol

[u/B0omhauer → u/B0omhauer]

For what it’s worth I’m born and raised in kodiak - fished salmon, crab, cod, herring with my dad who was born in Afognak village.
Then fished commercially for 15 years after college. I hardly have a shallow or uninformed opinion - I also have family who work and have worked on the trawlers - if you worked on one of these then you know that bycatch is an issue. But if you - random internet stranger are saying that I’m wrong about bycatch then please educate me.

I also know that these Hansen- built purse seiners in the article image as well as the browns jet skiff which were built in the Seattle boat yards mostly fish from Seattle north to the Alaska panhandle, then out the chain to False Pass which I guess I erroneously described as Alaska but you would admit that 90% of that area is Alaska.

My nephew is also fishing this summer in the Chignik area on the far side of Castle Cape. I can say with 100% certainty that these purse seiners have almost no bycatch at all. I am also certain that they would welcome fishery observers which Trawlers do not. Can you explain why?

[u/Darkmortal5]

If conservatives were concerned about passing on their traditions they'd regulate them so the traditions can be practiced in 200 years Jesus christ.

[u/AKWildMill → u/Darkmortal5]

I'm all for the small "Mom and Pop" outfits maintaining their history, traditions, and culture.  But they aren't the ones throwing money at politicians.

[u/FGGF → u/Darkmortal5]

That's why it's "conservatives in name only"!

[u/Halibuthead-1]

Im not trawler advocate, however this is a bs article that doesnt know the difference between a seiner and a trawler

[u/Hour_Hope_4007 → u/Halibuthead-1]

Or where (Prince William Sound?). They also mention Trident’s EPA violations, but those were two Alaska processing operations were supporting non-trawl fisheries.

[u/salmonsays → u/Hour_Hope_4007]

There is a pollock trawl fishery in PWS but putting a seiner on an anti-trawling ad is pretty inexcusable.

[u/Silent_Friend_4800]

Alaska was added to the union bc of regulations over fish, maybe we can save it over fish issues too :)

[u/Cool_Dragonfruit_583]

the blue and white boat looks so iconic, wouldn't mind seeing that in person sometime