I grew up on the ocean.
More than 70 years ago, my parents started taking me out on our family’s troller in Southeast Alaska. I started my own operation in 1978, chasing coho and chinook salmon across these waters. For decades, I could count on seeing the signs of a healthy ocean: schools of fish, flocks of birds, and the rhythms that every fisherman comes to know.
These days, when I head out to the fishing grounds I notice what isn’t there before I notice what is. Fewer birds working the surface. Fewer signs of bait. Fewer signs that I once read in the ocean to harvest the fish.
I know the ocean that sustains me is changing. Warmer waters and shifting ecosystems are reshaping Alaska’s fisheries in ways that are almost incomprehensible. That is a reality we fishermen work within now.
But, while we can’t control the cards fate deals us, we can make the best out of the cards we are dealt.
Groundfish trawl bycatch is one of those cards we need to discard. It compromises an otherwise wonderful hand of healthy salmon runs, abundant halibut, great tasting crabs, and productive commercial, sport, and subsistence harvests. Recent reporting shows that in just the first half of 2026, trawl vessels targeting species like sole, cod, and rockfish discarded about 2.6 million pounds of halibut, roughly 588,000 crab, and over 22,000 salmon. That’s just a waste.
We need to trade bycatch for a card (Governor) that will give us a royal flush (strong decision makers for fisheries management.
Governors appoint members of the Alaska Board of Fisheries (BOF) and North Pacific Fisheries Management Council (NPFMC) which adopt the regulations and directives for National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) to manage the fisheries and protect marine life. Those decisions affect everyone who depends on healthy fish populations from commercial and sport fishermen to subsistence families to the communities that depend on their harvest income and sharing.
This upcoming election will decide if Alaska will elect a Governor who will give us the cards (appointments for those decision makers) which will enable Alaska to once again lead the world in sustainable fisheries management and harvest sharing allocations.
While you’re at it, take a closer look at the other races on the ballot. These offices are not always in the deck directly, but they help decide what kind of game we’re playing and how strong our hand is.
Alaska’s federal delegation — our U.S. Senators and Representative — helps set the rules for fisheries in federal waters by writing and voting on laws like the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which establishes national standards for sustainable harvest, stock rebuilding, and preventing overfishing. They also influence federal funding for ocean research, stock assessments, and enforcement, while shaping policies on bycatch and decisions made through bodies like the NPFMC all while serving as Alaska’s voice in Washington to ensure federal management reflects the realities of coastal communities.
In practice, the Legislature plays a major supporting role in fisheries management by passing the state laws that guide how state fisheries are run and by funding the agencies that do the work on the water. Through its control of the state budget, it determines how well-equipped the ADF&G is to conduct science, monitor stocks, and enforce regulations.
Taken together, these offices don’t set every rule on the water, but they help determine whether Alaska is playing with a full deck, or whether key tools for managing and protecting our fisheries are missing from the table.
Healthy fisheries don’t happen by accident. They depend on responsible management and leaders who appoint qualified people to make difficult decisions. This election will help determine who sits at those tables. Whatever your political leanings are, if you care about the future of Alaska’s fishing families and communities, it is important that you get informed and vote for the candidate(s) who will appoint people to give us a winning hand.
Eric Jordan, lifelong Alaskan Fisherman.
Eric Jordan
This post is a submission to The Alaska Current. Please send submissions to news@thealaskacurrent.com.
