Making nothing look like something

Despite powerful testimony, Indigenous knowledge, Council votes for status quo

ANCHORAGE, AK—  Alaskans condemn the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s continued failure to rein in trawlers’ prolific bycatch of chum salmon at its February meeting. The Council, whose voting majority has an economic interest in the trawl fleet, heard powerful testimony from Indigenous Alaskans on the humanitarian crisis facing their communities, the role trawlers’ bycatch of chum salmon plays in that crisis, and the action needed to reduce it. 

The Council then voted for a time and area cap of Western Alaska chum salmon that is around the average bycaught by the trawlers each year. 

“Today, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council took a vote that makes it look like they did something — while actually voting to continue doing exactly what they’ve been doing,” said SalmonState Operations Director Ryan Astalos. “While we are inspired by the outpouring of people and powerful testimony from western Alaska, we at SalmonState don’t think the action the Council took today is nearly enough. Governor Dunleavy has failed Alaskans by appointing six of the eleven members to this trawl-dominated management body.”

From 2011 to 2023, there were only three years in which trawlers were above the Western Alaska chum salmon cap they put into place today. Average trawl bycatch of Western Alaska chum salmon during those years was 46,995. 

Over the past decade, trawlers have bycaught nearly 3 million chum salmon while Alaskans have suffered severe restrictions. 

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has failed to appoint a Tribal representative to the Council, despite the outsized impact its decisions have on Alaska Tribes.