Dear Rep. Nick Begich:

Stop Wasteful Trawl Bycatch

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What is trawling?

Illustration credit: Oceana

Trawlers tow nets the size of a football field through the water column, catching everything in their path. This extractive fishing practice leads to the “incidental” catch of non-target species, commonly known as bycatch. Bycatch cannot legally be retained, so the majority of it is discarded with a small percentage donated.

Trawlers can generally be organized into pelagic trawlers, also called “midwater” trawlers, and bottom trawlers. Bottom trawlers drag their nets across the ocean floor to catch flatfish such as sole and flounder. Midwater trawlers target fish such as pollock in the middle of the water column. A recent report, however, found that “midwater” trawlers actually drag the seafloor between 40% and 80% of the time, on average, with rates up to 100% on factory ships, also called catcher/processors.

Trawling leads to millions of pounds of bycatch every year. In just 2023, trawlers in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska bycaught 35,655 Chinook salmon, 122,279 chum salmon, 4.4 million pounds of halibut, 1.14 million individual crabs, 7.3 million pounds of herring, and 9 orcas.

How can this change?

The Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska’s health are tied to Alaska’s economy and coastal communities. We must ensure that we have durable legislative safeguards that restore equity in fisheries management, protect habitat, and stop wasteful trawl bycatch.

Read Alaskans’ salmon stories

Bycatch Films