Bycatch in Alaska: Part II - A Petition to Protect Alaska’s Seas
Image source: Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association
In the icy depths of Alaska’s Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, a silent crisis unfolds. Pelagic trawlers, their nets billed as “midwater,” drag across the ocean floor, scarring coral gardens and sponge forests—vital marine ecosystems teeming with life. In 2024, these nets ensnared 35,000 Chinook salmon, 4 million pounds of halibut, and even whales, a devastating toll known as bycatch.
Unlike Southeast Alaska’s offshore waters, a trawl-free sanctuary since 1998 that nurtures the Tongass’s salmon-filled fjords, these seas lack protection.
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) meets June 2–10, 2025, in Newport, Oregon, and may consider redefining pelagic trawl regulations.
With change on the horizon, The Boat Company joins allies like the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (who sustainably catch fish one at a time, with hooks, which are served on our M/V Mist Cove & M/V Liseron) to amplify an urgent petition, due May 30, 2025, to shield these fragile habitats.
This petition, crafted by conservation allies, urges the Council to enforce stricter rules, ensuring nets stay off the seafloor and slashing bycatch that kills king crabs, halibut, and salmon. With signatures due in two days—May 30—we’re so close to change.
The Boat Company’s conservation lawyer, Paul Olson, captures the heart of this fight:
“Dragging the bottom of the ocean and pretending it’s pelagic is just wrong. Nowhere else in the country does midwater/pelagic gear cut marine forest.”
National Marine Fisheries Service data reveals the stark truth: pelagic trawl gear in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska contacts the seafloor 40–100% of the time, shredding corals and sponges—marine forests that cradle biodiversity. This damage, unique to these Alaskan fisheries, threatens fish populations and small fishers’ livelihoods, unlike the protected waters our guests explore on Boat Company cruises.
Your name on this petition can tip the scales, protecting ecosystems vital to Alaska’s marine life.
Sign now and explore the issue’s depth through these key resources—packed with analytics, visuals and more:
ALFA’s Analysis: “Southeast Alaska Trawl Closure: Protecting Habitat, Fish and Fishing Communities” details how Southeast Alaska’s trawl ban safeguards corals and sponges, while Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska trawls harm similar habitats
Petition Letter: Adapted for The Boat Company, this letter outlines the need to curb seafloor contact in pollock fisheries
Marine Fish Conservation Network: A scientific paper summary reveals 40–100% seafloor contact by pelagic trawls, calling for gear modifications
Cordova Times Report: Highlights NPFMC’s review of pelagic trawling’s seafloor damage, with 40–100% contact rates