Alaska Senate race: Salmon bycatch dispute

Alaska's tight U.S. Senate race has been defined by a dispute over industrial fishing methods and their impact on native salmon populations. The conflict centers on pollock trawlers, which use large nets to catch whitefish but often capture king salmon as unintended bycatch. This issue has become a primary focus for voters in western Alaska, where subsistence fishing is a cultural and economic foundation.

Evon Waska, who lives on the Kuskokwim River, points to empty drying racks as evidence of the decline. He attributes the shortage to trawlers operating miles offshore in the Bering Sea. Waska argues that regulatory agencies close rivers to local subsistence fishermen while leaving industrial fleets untouched. He stated, "They don't close the trawlers. They close me and my people first."

The pollock industry is valued at approximately $1 billion, with much of its business base located in Seattle. Trawlers tow sock-shaped nets that measure a quarter mile in length and have openings as wide as a football field. While the primary target is pollock, which is processed into products like imitation crab, the nets also scoop up prized king salmon. These fish are caught accidentally and discarded, a process known as bycatch. According to industry reports, pollock trawlers have caught 40,000 Alaska salmon so far this year.

Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, an ally of the pollock industry, is promoting new legislation to address the problem. Sullivan described his bill as "the most comprehensive bycatch legislation ever to reduce bycatch, protect seafloor habitat." Democratic challenger Mary Peltola, an Indigenous representative from the Kuskokwim region, advocates for a ban on the largest factory trawlers. She criticized Sullivan's approach as a late election strategy, noting he "reeld in over $300,000 from trawlers" before proposing the bill.

Heather Mann, who leads a trawlers association, argues that eliminating the pollock fishery would not solve the salmon decline. She cited scientific data indicating that the bycatch represents a small fraction of the total pollock harvest. Mann stated, "Even if you were to eliminate pollock, the chances of salmon runs being restored.. would have a minimal impact." Political ads in the state have featured strong messages from both sides, with Sullivan credited with championing bycatch legislation and Peltola accused of telling "fish tales" to win votes.

In the village of Kwethluk, the lack of salmon has forced a halt to traditional practices. Mary Nikolai, the tribal president, observed that most community smokehouses remained unused during the summer. She described the situation as a "slow trend of closing our workforce out." Nikolai hopes the close race will draw national attention to the threats facing Indigenous communities that rely on subsistence fishing for survival.