Bering Sea

In its most recent meeting, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council said that funding and scheduling concerns could delay final action on chum bycatch until April 2026. The potential delay has been criticized by those who say that chum salmon crashes across Western Alaska, especially on the Yukon River, require swift action.

The findings are part of a growing body of work showing that even in far-flung parts of the Arctic, plastic pollution is deeply embedded in the ecosystem.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which manages federal fisheries off Alaska’s coast, wrapped up its February meeting Tuesday, with one issue dominating discussions: salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea. The 15-member council unanimously approved a motion that inches forward a decision that will finally put to bed the issue of pollock trawlers’ chum salmon bycatch, which has become the biggest fisheries issue in over a decade.

Earlier this month, commercial snow crabs started hitting Unalaska’s docks again, for the first time in nearly three years. The Bering Sea snow crab fishery reopened in mid-October, after billions of the crab disappeared and the fishery was shut down in October 2022. This season’s first catch was delivered on Jan. 15. Opilio, or snow crab, is generally fished in the new year and into the early spring. The season runs through the end of May.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will buy up to $50 million worth of Alaska pollock, according to the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. The estimated 15 million pounds of pollock will go toward supplying food banks and other food-aid programs around the country.

While many families unwrapped presents in the warmth of their homes on Christmas Day, a small group of surfers in Unalaska paddled into 40 degree waters in hopes of catching a few waves on the Bering Sea.

The Bering Sea pollock fishery is getting a 6% increase in its total catch limit next year. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council on Friday approved 2025 catch amounts for Alaska’s federal fisheries, setting the Bering Sea pollock fishery at 1.375 million metric tons—up from 2024’s 1.3 million.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced Friday afternoon that Bering Sea fishermen will be allowed to harvest a total of about 4.7 million pounds of opilio, also known as snow crab, for the first time in two years. According to Fish and Game, estimates of total mature male biomass are above the threshold required to open the fishery.

The U.S. Coast Guard spotted four foreign military vessels in the Bering Sea Saturday. Coast Guard officials say the joint patrol between Russian and Chinese ships shows their “increased interest in the Arctic.”

Black cod fishermen in the Bering Sea have reported an increase in orcas taking their catch off their fishing lines in recent years. Orca depredation isn't just a costly headache for fishermen — it can be dangerous for orcas, too.