The Alaska Pollock Fishery Alliance (APFA) is celebrating the defeat of a trawling ban in Prince William Sound (PWS) after Alaska’s Board of Fisheries shot down the proposal.
The PWS pollock trawl fishery is the only state-managed pollock trawl fishery in the U.S. state of Alaska, as the other pollock trawl fisheries are managed federally. At a recent board meeting, the state’s Board of Fisheries rejected proposals to close the PWS pollock and pelagic trawl fisheries after the industry pushed back.
“This wasn’t a victory only for the trawl fishery,” Alaska Groundfish Data Bank Executive Director Julie Bonney said in a release. “It was a victory for every fishing family, crew member, and processor who depends on sustainable Alaska fisheries to keep our coastal communities alive. When Alaskans stick together, we are stronger; this meeting proved that.”
Before the meeting, multiple groups advocating for fishermen pushed back on the trawling ban, especially given the difficult circumstances the Alaska seafood industry has faced in 2024. The industry has had to deal with crab season closures, a down year in the salmon fishery that threatened the future of some seafood businesses, and the sudden and dramatic closure of the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska pollock fishery after a Chinook salmon bycatch incident. The last closure left roughly 50,000 metric tons (MT) of pollock quota in the water.
The PWS pollock trawl fishery is relatively small by comparison. Data from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game indicates the fishery only had 15 vessels participate in 2024, catching just under 8 million pounds – or 3,600 MT. Despite its small size, the Alaska Whitefish Trawlers Association (AWTA) said the industry needs every avenue possible to stay afloat.
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