Timber interests try to force more old-growth logging sales in the Tongass National Forest
My Turn: Funding sustainable fisheries
This season, the uncertainty has a new edge as we face global tariff wars and threatened defunding of the very programs and agencies that keep Alaska’s fishing industry safe and sustainable. Programs already cut include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) weather forecasting, Alaska’s fisheries science centers, and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Norwegian salmon farming faces hard realities
Trawl Impacts to Seafloor Under Increasing Scrutiny
What Deep Cuts to NOAA Mean for U.S. Fisheries
A New Wave: The National Future Fishermen Coalition Launches in Support of the Next Generation of U.S. Commercial Fishermen
National Future Fishermen Coalition
May 22nd, 2025
By Maité Duquela
[May 22nd, 2025] – Today marks the official launch of the National Future Fishermen Coalition (NFFC), a united effort dedicated to ensuring a strong, resilient, and opportunity-rich future for America’s commercial fisheries. By investing in the next generation, NFFC is working to secure a future where fishing remains a vital and thriving part of our nation's coastal economies, food systems, and cultural heritage.
As America’s working waterfronts face mounting challenges - ranging from rising operational costs and burdensome regulations to reduced access to waterfront infrastructure and increasing consolidation within the seafood supply chain—the need for action has never been more urgent. "The graying of the fleet is not just a nationwide issue, it is a global issue”, comments Andrea Tomlinson, Executive Director of the New England Young Fishermen's Alliance (NEYFA). “De-stigmatizing our small- and medium-sized boat fishermen and women is the first step toward educating our nation about our sustainable national seafood supply.”
Echoing this urgency, Raymond Rowell, Permit Bank Director at the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance (CCCFA), noted, “Without investment in training the next generation, it’s difficult to envision a future at all. In an industry hampered by increasing regulations and razor thin margins, boat owners can’t afford to miss trips because they lack crew members.”
NFFC represents the first national coalition of its kind focused on addressing the ‘graying of the fleet’ that threatens the future of commercial fishing. “This initiative brings together a national body of individuals and organizations to strategically tackle the generational shift happening in commercial fisheries,” said Bob Gill, a respected independent fisheries expert and Steering Committee member of the NFFC.
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Alaskans Criticize Wild Fish Conservancy Lawsuit as Counterproductive for Salmon Conservation
Judge blocks Trump EPA from clawing back $14 billion in climate grants, April 16, 2025
Washington Post
April 16th 2025
By Maxine Joselow
A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency from terminating at least $14 billion in climate grants approved under President Joe Biden.
U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan of D.C. issued a preliminary injunction late Tuesday that prohibits the EPA from “unlawfully suspending or terminating” the grant awards. She also ordered Citibank, which was tasked with disbursing the funds, to release the money to the grant recipients.
The decision deals yet another setback to the Trump administration’s efforts to freeze climate spending across the government. Another federal judge ruled Tuesday that agencies must release billions in additional climate funding that had been paused since Inauguration Day.
Chutkan’s ruling marks the latest twist in an extraordinary fight over a grant program that remains central to Biden’s climate legacy. Commonly known as a “green bank,” the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund authorized tens of billions in grants for recipients to invest in green technologies such as solar panels, heat pumps, electric vehicles and more.
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Guest writers: Bellingham’s SE Alaska salmon fleet threatened by lawsuits, misinformation
By Kendall Whitney and Linda Behnken.
This week marks the annual Wild Seafood Connection in Bellingham when independent commercial fishermen, chefs and seafood buyers come together to share information and build relationships in the local seafood marketplace. As they gather, we are reminded that small-boat fisheries sustain our food system and economy, providing nutritious seafood and renewable revenue.
