ALFA Staff
Why Are Alaska’s Rivers Turning Orange?
Why Are Alaska’s Rivers Turning Orange?
ALFA Staff
Halibut Catch Sharing Plan Update
Halibut Catch Sharing Plan Update

Protect Alaska fisheries from offshore drilling

Linda Behnken
6/24/2026
Alaska Beacon

“Alaska and fisheries are intrinsically linked, both economically and culturally. Alaska’s fisheries provide for communities and rural economies across the state—and they will do so sustainably, year after year, provided we take care of the ocean and rivers that support them. 

That is why Alaska should be excluded from the federal government’s latest plan for offshore drilling, called the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, or Five-Year Plan. It would open almost all of Alaska’s coasts to drilling and the oil spills that inevitably follow.”

Read the full article here.

Opinion: Gov. Dunleavy does not speak for me on Alaska’s fisheries

Anchorage Daily News
6/24/2026
Linda Behnken

“I am a commercial fisherman from Sitka and have fished in Alaska every season for more than 40 years. I have fished waters from Dixon Entrance to Unalaska Island. I cannot stay quiet after listening to Gov. Mike Dunleavy claim during recent remarks at the White House that he speaks on behalf of Alaska’s commercial fishermen and women in calling for deregulation of our nation’s fisheries.”

Read the full article here.

Alaska's first hybrid-electric fishing boat lowers costs, boosts ocean environment

Veteran harvester Jeff Turner is fishing halibut and black cod in Southeast Alaska this summer aboard his 50-foot longliner and troller Mirage, equipped with a new hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system.

After a short break from harvesting from Sitka up to Yakutat, Turner will head to the central and western Gulf of Alaska to fish black cod. His vessel is already using less fuel, emitting less exhaust and noise, and burning less oil — all of it good for his budget and the environment, said Linda Behnken, president of the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association.

Read the full article here.

3,000 Species Are Killed for Supper. Why Do We Allow It?

We humans are capable of enormous devastation, but every now and then, we’re able to agree to stop the worst of our transgressions. We no longer regularly scour the oceans for the great whales only to boil them down for margarine and pet food. We’ve stopped killing wild birds en masse to make hats out of their plumage. We’ve effectively banned DDT — a pesticide that nearly emptied the skies of hawks, falcons and even the bald eagle.

Bottom trawling — a destructive industrial fishing practice that indiscriminately brings to market about a quarter of the world’s wild-caught seafood — should be next. A bottom trawl is a weighted net that is often wider than a football field. As it is dragged along the sea floor, the trawl captures, kills or maims everything in its path. Around 19 million tons of marine life meets its end this way every year — that’s more than the combined weight of all the people in Brazil. At least another six to seven million tons of unwanted organisms are killed annually and dumped overboard. If a similar technique were deployed in the Amazon, people might be more likely to recoil from the mangled pulp of jaguars, toucans, sloths and trees deemed necessary sacrifices to bring meat to market. At our seafood counters, we never see the mangled pulp. Underwater, ignorance is bliss.

Read the full article here.

Another Trawling Ban, Another Big Recovery for Sea Life

May 15, 2026
Good News Network
Andy Corbley

"A decade after Scotland banned bottom trawling and dredging there are flourishing populations of no less than 1,500 species critical for seabed integrity.

The news came via a survey which compared the South Arran Marine Protected Area with nearby fished zones, in which scientists identified twice as many species, and thrice as much abundance of life."

Read the full article here.

Fishing boats worldwide tuck dockside as diesel prices surge on Iran war

May 24, 2026
MSN
Lauren Owens Lambert and Leah Douglas

ALFA Executive Director Linda Behnken was featured in MSN's article "Fishing boats worldwide tuck dockside as diesel prices surge on Iran war"

"Fuel can account for as much as 40% of the expenses for a fishing trip, according to Linda Behnken, a fisherman in Sitka and executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association.

"It went up over a dollar a gallon from one week to the next and right before everybody was filling up with full tanks to start the season," Behnken said. "That’s a really big impact on the cost of operation."

For now, the prices of halibut and sablefish, also known as black cod, are high enough that boats fishing for those species are still making regular trips, Behnken said. But when the less-profitable salmon season starts in July, diesel costs may be too high to justify leaving the dock, she said. "

Read the full article here.

MAKE A PLAN TO VOTE FOR FISH IN THE AUGUST 2026 GOVERNOR PRIMARY ELECTION

WHY: This is the most important election for the fishing industry. It determines who makes decisions on and provides access to your fisheries. The next Governor of Alaska’s policies and appointments of ADF&G Commissioner, the Board of Fisheries, and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council are extremely important to the viability of commercial fisheries in Alaska.

***IF YOU WILL BE ON THE WATER FISHING, YOU NEED TO VOTE EARLY***

WHEN: The Primary Election for Alaska Governor is Tuesday, August 18, 2026, for in-person voters. The top four candidates who receive the most votes for Governor in the Primary advance to the General Election held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

WHO: There are 18 candidates; the following have expressed interest in resource development and the economic success of Alaska’s commercial fisheries.

Republican Click Bishop and Greta Schuerch

  • Former State of Alaska Senator (Fairbanks) and Dept of Labor Commissioner

  • ‘I’ll focus on what matters most: ensuring good jobs are growing and Alaskans have the opportunity to thrive, no matter where they live. This includes lowering energy costs, prioritizing our fisheries, providing quality education opportunities, and strengthening our economy.’ 

  • ‘Committed to protecting Alaska’s fisheries and supporting the fishermen and communities that depend on them, while preserving our coastal and river heritage, food security, and a cornerstone of our economy through sustainable, science-based management.’

Republican Matt Heilala

  • ‘I started commercial fishing at age nine in Cook Inlet. By fourteen, I was fishing Bristol Bay, one of the most productive and demanding wild salmon fisheries on earth. By eighteen, I was a skipper. Fisheries aren't a policy position for me. They're my heritage, my livelihood, and part of who I am as an Alaskan.’

  • ‘Government and industry must work hand-in-hand to protect our fisheries, and our fishing families:

  1. Protect Alaska’s commercial fishing families and coastal communities

  2. Smart, science-based fisheries management

  3. Address bycatch through smart policies that minimize waste

  4. Stand up for Alaska’s interests against outside pressure

  5. Ensure fair access for all Alaskans, from Bristol Bay to Cook Inlet’

Democrat Matt Claman

  • Current State of Alaska Senator (Anchorage)

  • When appointing members to the Board of Fisheries, he intends to have a ‘balance that reflects commercial fishing interests, sport fishing interests, and also subsistence interests.’

  • Science-based decision making is a priority. Understands a stable regulatory environment is needed for small businesses, including fishing. 

  • In his past work as an attorney has represented commercial fishermen.  

Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins

  • Former State of Alaska Representative (Sitka)

  • Fisheries priorities include: reining in bottom trawl bycatch, preventing commercial permits from leaving Alaska, restoring crashed Chinook runs in Yukon, Kuskokwim, and Southcentral Alaska, and increasing co-management of subsistence resources.

New studies show benefits of managing for wild foods in the Tongass

May 19, 2026
Wrangell Sentinel
Mary Catharine Martin

"Ten years ago, fish research biologist Ryan Bellmore assessed how many salmon the Tongass National Forest contributes to commercial fisheries. The number turned out to be huge — 75% of 50 million salmon caught commercially in Southeast Alaska each year.

“I started thinking about the way the forest provides a diversity of services to people. Humans are a part of the food web,” he said.

Until recently, however, there was no study quantifying just how much value wild foods provide to rural residents — or the importance of incorporating that value into land management. Two new studies shed light on those topics for southern coastal Alaska."

Read the full article here.

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