Join the Movement - Protect the Tongass

The Boat Company

August 8th, 2025

By Marisa Marulli

The Roadless Rule’s creation in 2001 drew an astonishing 1.6 million public comments, the most ever for any U.S. government regulatory matter, as documented in the Federal Register (January 11, 2001).

This overwhelming support, shaped by grassroots efforts including The Boat Company’s pivotal role in its adoption into federal policy, forged a shield protecting 58.5 million acres of pristine wilderness across the United States.

With the recent June 23, 2025, announcement by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to rescind this Rule, these lands are at risk—and that includes 9.34 million acres of the 16.7 million-acre Tongass National Forest.

The Boat Company’s Conservation Director and environmental attorney, Paul Olson, alongside partners like Earthjustice and Natural Resources Defense Council, have defended Roadless Rule repeal attempts in the past—victoriously.

Today, we ask you to make history again: add your name to our sign-on letter supporting the Roadless Rule. Paul Olson will submit it along with a legal letter likely to be one of the largest, most detailed messages going to officials in defense of the Roadless Rule.

Sign at act.theboatcompany.org, and when the public comment period officially opens, we will guide you to regulations.gov to amplify your impact.

Together, we can outmatch history and preserve this natural treasure for generations to come.

Read the full newsletter here

Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association to test AI monitoring with USD 485,000 grant

SeafoodSource

July 30th, 2025

By Erin Spampinato

Sitka, Alaska, U.S.A.-based fisher advocacy organization The Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA) has won a USD 485,000 (EUR 422,719) National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant to support AI-driven electronic monitoring (EM) efforts for Alaska fixed gear fishers. 

The project will involve utilizing the FishVue AI tool created by British Columbia, Canada-based Archipelago Marine Research, as well as a partnership with the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC), to monitor Alaska sablefish and halibut in fixed gear fisheries. 

ALFA Policy Coordinator Lauren Howard said that the “project aims to increase efficiency and lower the fleet’s overall observer costs.” 

It also addresses fisher ffedback gathered by the organization, she said.. 

“Many small-boat fishermen prefer EM systems over human observers, so increasing the usefulness and effectiveness of EM should have direct benefits to our members and Alaska’s fixed gear fleet in general,” Howard said.

Archipelago President and CEO Gord Snell added that the project marks a "major step forward" in the relationship between his firm and ALFA.

Read full article here

The Fishing Communities Coalition applauds bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Young Fishermen’s Development Program

Fishing Communities Coalition

July 23rd, 2025

By FCC Staff

The Fishing Communities Coalition issues the following statement in response to the introduction of legislation to reauthorize the Young Fishermen’s Development Program for another five years:

The Fishing Communities Coalition (FCC) applauds today’s introduction of bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Young Fishermen’s Development Act (YFDA) led by Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK). The legislation, which would extend the program for five years beyond its current expiration after Fiscal Year 2026, is a sound investment in the future of America’s fishing industry and a response to the demographic challenge known as the “graying of the fleet.”

The FCC is also deeply grateful for the leadership of Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) and a bipartisan group of colleagues, including Reps. Nick Begich (R-AK), Jill Tokuda (D-HI), Jared Golden (D-ME), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Delegate Amata Radewagen (R-AS) for the introduction of H.R. 3692 last month. This unified, bicameral effort underscores the support for the Young Fishermen’s Development Program (YFDP), which provides workforce development and safety training for early-career commercial fishermen.

The original Young Fishermen’s Development Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2021. If passed, this reauthorization bill would also be signed by President Trump, continuing his support for the YFDP, consistent with his executive orders on strengthening the U.S. seafood industry, workforce development, and U.S. maritime industry.

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Seafood’s share of USDA funding? Just 0.5 percent

National Fisherman

July 22nd 2025

By NF Staff

Of $31.2 billion in grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s marketing service during 2018 to 2023, $261.7 million went to seafood-related projects – just 0.5 percent of all USDA funding for food supply investments.

A research team recently published those findings in the journal Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, titled Fish, funding, and food systems: a review of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent history of grant funding in support of the seafood sector (2018-2023).  The authors call the study “the first empirical study looking at the USDA’s investment in American seafood since President Trump issued Executive Order 14276, ‘Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.’”

The authors wrote that they found is no single explanation for why seafood projects gets such a small fraction of USDA grant funding, compared to other U.S. food production sectors. But they did find “numerous opportunities for increasing the USDA’s investment in American seafood.”

The research was funded by the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT), as part of a larger project to identify ways USDA grant funding could be made more accessible for the fishing and seafood industry.

“Alaska’s fishermen harvest some of the healthiest and highest quality food on the planet and supply 60 percent of our country’s seafood production. Yet, our fishing organizations have struggled to secure USDA grant funding for a variety of projects despite being aligned with the USDA’s goals. Seafood is generally a square peg in a round hole when it comes to USDA funding opportunities,” said Linda Behnken, a commercial fisherman, board president of the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust and executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association.

Read full article here

Wind and solar power for Alaska's fishing fleet

National Fisherman

July 16th, 2025

By Carli Stewart

As the fishing industry looks to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, wind and solar power have become an increasingly discussed option for commercial fishing vessels.

Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA), sees potential in both energy sources but stresses that careful consideration of each vessel’s needs is necessary for successful integration.

Solar power

Solar energy is often viewed as a straightforward solution to renewable energy. Solar panels can power non-propulsion systems on vessels such as refrigeration, lighting, and electronics, potentially reducing fuel consumption. Many Alaskan vessel owners have begun adopting renewable energy technologies.

“Solar seems promising for the seafood processing sector, but I am not aware of workable technology for our small-scale commercial fishing boats at this time,” said Behnken.

Despite the clear benefits of solar, Behnken noted that solar panels cannot replace the need for a fuel-powered engine on most fishing vessels. Instead, they serve as a supplement. “It’s especially effective on boats with limited space for large engines or battery systems,” she added.

Wind power

Wind power is another renewable energy source that has garnered some interest among fishermen. Small wind turbines installed on vessels could help reduce fuel consumption, especially on longer trips. Behnken pointed out that wind turbines can be a valuable supplement to traditional power sources but may not be suitable for all types of vessels.

“Not all vessels are built for wind power,” said Behnken. “But for some boats, especially those with larger superstructures or those that fish offshore, adding a small wind turbine could make a lot of sense.”

For those vessels that could benefit, wind turbines could help offset some of the energy demands, especially in favorable wind conditions.

Read full article here

Healthy fishermen for a healthy America‬

National Fishermen

July 20th, 2025

By Monique Coombs and Lauren Howard

The America First Seafood Strategy put forth in President Trump’s “Restoring America’s Seafood Competitiveness” executive order offers a promising vision for the economic resurgence of our fisheries, but first we must prioritize the wellbeing of the very people who can make that vision a reality: our commercial fishermen.

The shuttering of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Center for Maritime Safety and Health, coupled with the proposed elimination of its vital research and training funds in the 2026 Health and Human Services (HHS) budget, represents a dangerous misstep in the pursuit of a healthier nation.

For 40 years, NIOSH's targeted prevention efforts have succeeded in dramatically improving the safety record of one of the nation's most dangerous occupations. The data speaks for itself: Commercial fishing fatalities have been slashed by more than 80 percent since these initiatives began.

This isn't just a matter of saving lives; it's a sound investment as well as a Coast Guard requirement for many fisheries in order to leave the dock. For every dollar spent on NIOSH's work, the return is millions in saved costs — from preventing expensive Coast Guard rescue operations to reduced burdens on the healthcare and insurance systems (not to mention our families and communities) for work-related injuries and deaths.

Read full article here

New plan seeks to restore rural access to Alaska halibut fishery

National Fisherman

July 10th, 2025

By Margaret Bauman

Southeast Alaska fisheries entity with a proven track record for providing thousands of free seafood meals to those in need and educating the next generation of commercial harvesters has a new plan to make more halibut quota available to the area's traditional coastal fishing communities.

Using grants and investments totaling $934,000 from the Rasmuson Foundation, the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT), in collaboration with Sealaska Corporation, Central Council of Tlingit, and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska and Spruce Root, a non-profit community development financial institution, will purchase halibut quota on the open market this fall and winter to make the highly popular whitefish available for harvest in Craig, Kasaan, and Yakutat. The plans were announced on July 7.

The funds include a $700,000 grant and a $234,000 program-related investment (PRI) aimed at restoring rural and indigenous access to the coastal fisheries. All three communities have signed resolutions in support of the regional community quota entity (CQE).

"With this funding, which includes both Program Related Investment and grant funds, we will anchor access to the halibut fishery in rural communities and ensure residents enjoy the cultural, social, and economic benefits of participating in Alaska's commercial fisheries," said Linda Behnken, board president of ASFT, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association (ALFA), and a veteran halibut and black cod commercial harvester from Sitka.

Read full article here

New research shows seafood gets just half a percent of USDA food funding, identifies significant opportunities to enhance U.S. seafood competitiveness with increased investment

Photo courtesy of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI)

ASFT

July 9th, 2025

SITKA, AK - This week, Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems published “Fish, funding, and food systems: a review of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent history of grant funding in support of the seafood sector (2018-2023),” the first empirical study looking at the USDA’s investment in American seafood since President Trump issued Executive Order 14276, “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” 

The authors found that of the total $31.2 billion awarded through USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Food and Nutrition Services, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and Rural Development grants between 2018-2023, only 0.5% went to seafood-related projects when compared with other food products. While there is no single explanation for why seafood projects received such a small fraction of the USDA’s grant funding, the authors identified numerous opportunities for increasing the USDA’s investment in American seafood. The research was funded by the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT) as part of a larger project to identify potential ways to make USDA grant funding more accessible for the fishing and seafood industry. 

“Alaska’s fishermen harvest some of the healthiest and highest quality food on the planet and supply 60% of our country’s seafood production. Yet, our fishing organizations have struggled to secure USDA grant funding for a variety of projects despite being aligned with the USDA’s goals. Seafood is generally a square peg in a round hole when it comes to USDA funding opportunities,” said Linda Behnken, commercial fisherman and Board President of the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust and Executive Director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association.

Read full press release here

Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust Receives Rasmuson Foundation Grant to Support Local Fisheries Access

ASFT

July 7th, 2025

Joe Nelson

Sitka, AK — The Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT) is proud to announce that it has been awarded a $700,000 grant and $234,000 program-related investment (PRI) from the Rasmuson Foundation to restore rural and indigenous access to Alaska’s coastal fisheries and ensure sustainable fishery access for residents of Southeast Alaska’s small rural communities and future generations of young fishermen. With the Rasmuson Foundation’s generous support, the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT) will launch the Southeast Village Fisheries Collective, a Southeast Regional Community Quota Entity (CQE), to anchor fisheries access in small, rural Southeast Alaska communities.

ASFT and project partners (Sealaska, Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, and Spruce Root) are currently developing the Southeast Regional CQE so that it can purchase quota for use by Southeast community residents. Community entities that have signed resolutions in support of the regional CQE include: Shaan Seet (Craig), City of Kasaan, Organized Village of Kasaan, City and Borough of Yakutat, Yak-Tat Kwaan. With Rasmuson funds, ASFT will purchase halibut quota for the Southeast Regional CQE to be assigned to communities and fished only by residents of specific communities and pay down existing quota purchases with a loan from Rasmuson.

Read full article here

Tongass Defenders Blast the Trump Administration’s Rollback of Roadless Rule Protections on America’s Largest Forest

Earth Justice

June 23rd, 2025

JUNEAU, AK (ÁAKʼW ḴWÁAN TERRITORY) —

The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced plans to strip Roadless Rule protections nationwide, including from Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. The move is particularly significant for the Tongass National Forest, where eliminating the Roadless Rule would remove critical safeguards against industrial logging and damaging roadbuilding from over 9 million undeveloped acres within the 17-million-acre forest.

Eliminating the Roadless Rule from the Tongass would remove protections for about half the forest and add almost 190,000 acres to an inventory of lands “suitable” for timber production — areas of the forest most at risk of being logged. This is triple the acreage the Forest Service estimated would be logged under the forest plan in 25 years. Many of these lands are in parts of the forest where previous clear-cut logging decimated vast swaths of older trees, making the remaining intact stands of mature and old-growth trees particularly valuable as fish, bird, and wildlife habitat, and for Indigenous communities and others who rely on the forest for their livelihood, wellbeing, and spiritual and cultural ways of life.

Tribal leaders, recreational small-business owners, commercial fishing operators and conservationists have fought for decades to ensure Roadless Rule protections remain in place for the Tongass. The coalition vows to continue to defend the forest against this latest attempt to roll back protections.

Read full article here