The Tundra Drums - CAUYAT - "The Beat of the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta"

The Federal Subsistence Board announced changes to Yukon River area subsistence regulations on May 6. In Districts 1, 2 and 3, from June 1 through July 15, fishers may not possess king salmon taken for subsistence purposes unless both tips (lobes)...

Between 60 and 70 percent of Alaska’s seafood is exported to customers around the globe, and the strength of foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar plays a big role in annual sales. Tracking by...

Fishing industry stakeholders and federal managers in June will begin crafting a bycatch reduction plan for trawl groundfish fisheries in the Gulf. It will include some form of catch share plan, and...

Did you know that red king crabs are cannibals and eat their babies, but blue king crabs do not? Or that deep water golden king crabs along the Aleutian Islands are almost indestructible and appear...

An amendment to the 2014 federal budget that would provide relief funds for the 2012 fishing disaster in Alaska, was introduced by Sen. Lisa Murkowski last month. The budget has passed the Senate and is under consideration by the...

A new plan is being crafted by federal managers for Gulf of Alaska groundfish fisheries that will reduce bycatch by trawlers, and it will very likely result in a catch share plan. Now is the time for...

Halibut scientists plan to expand the yearly Pacific stock assessments by 30 percent next summer, adding 390 survey stations to the existing 1,300 already in use from Oregon to the Bering Sea. Since...

More wild salmon from Alaska will make its way to world markets this year if forecasts hold true for the 2013 season. State salmon managers are projecting a total catch of nearly 179 million fish...

In a word, the outlook for Alaska salmon markets this year is favorable. That’s the conclusion of Gunnar Knapp, fisheries economist at the University of Alaska Anchorage in an overview of world...

Volunteers are needed to test drive some new money-saving methods for do-it-yourself’ energy audits on fishing boats. “Just as with a home audit where you try and understand where your energy is...

Fishing groups, consumers and health organizations are launching a final push to prevent genetically modified fish from getting the nod for American dinner plates. During the holidays the Food and...

Correction: "Fishermen in the Sound squeaked by their colleagues in the Panhandle by just 44 fish..." This article initially said that the number was 44,000 fish. That is incorrect and the article...

Making some easy changes to a boat’s deck layout, or simply modifying knives and scrapers can reduce the strains, sprains and pains of fishing. Doing so is applying the science of ergonomics....

Governor Sean Parnell last month announced that his Fiscal Year 2014 budget will contain $10 million for the first component of a five-year, $30 million comprehensive Chinook Salmon Research Initiative. The research initiative will increase...

Halibut catches could be cut by 33 percent next year if proposed numbers get the nod by the International Pacific Halibut Commission next month. That would mean a coast-wide harvest of just 22.7...

United Fishermen of Alaska The statewide commercial fishing umbrella association United Fishermen of Alaska has released its updated set of data sheets for major Alaska communities and boroughs. The group seeks to provide UFA groups, members, and...

The “graying of the fleet” continues in Alaska as fewer young folks obtain permits for various fisheries. Data from 2011 show that 45 percent of all Alaska permit holders were between the ages 45...

The results of a six year study on Western salmon will be unveiled this month and the conclusions are not what people of the region had hoped for. Some background... the Western Alaska Salmon Stock...

Sea otters and the Arctic are two focal points for Alaska’s top fishing group at both state and federal policy levels. United Fishermen of Alaska is the nation’s largest industry trade group...

State fishery managers are asking for input from Alaskans to help solve the case of disappearing king salmon. A letter went out two weeks ago from Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Cora...

At least 1.5 million tons of debris from Japan’s 2011 tsunami is still afloat, and at least half of it is expected to hit Alaska’s coastline. The region from Yakutat to Gore Point off the Kenai Pe...

Alaska fishermen are feeling the squeeze of lower prices at the same time that their operating costs continue to spiral upwards. For halibut, in a reversal of trend and fortune, prices have dropped...

Fishermen in Western Alaska took to the seas this season with an added level of comfort thanks to lifesaving gear provided by Alaska’s largest Community Development Quota group, Coastal Villages...

Jobs are being put on the fast track in Bristol Bay, with a focus on careers that go hand in hand with the region’s culture and economy: commercial fishing and seafood processing. “The fishery is...

Kodiak fishermen are a happy lot, but they are also anxious about the future of their industry. Those are some of the early findings of an ongoing survey that focuses on the social and cultural...