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Empty Nets: Big Changes in a Great American Fishery

Posted date/time:January 13, 2025

The Wilson Center’s Polar Institute is launching a special series focused on the crisis facing Alaska’s fisheries.

Fishing vessel

The Wilson Center’s Polar Institute is launching a special series focused on the crisis in Alaska’s fisheries. These fisheries are a critical resource, providing livelihoods for thousands of Alaskans, supplying a significant portion of the world’s seafood, and playing a vital role in the state's economy and many communities’ cultural heritage. The scale of change and its rapid onset are wracking communities, industries, and management bodies, with some fisheries crashing and others thriving amid uncertain causes.

Understanding and addressing this complex crisis will require informed, cooperative solutions—solutions that consider the unique needs and perspectives of the people who depend on these fisheries.

This project explores the future of Alaska’s fisheries through a series of videos and a collection of blog posts, featuring insights and experiences from scientists, managers, fishers, and community members. Together, these voices shed light on the challenges and opportunities facing Alaska’s fisheries and highlight pathways to sustainable solutions.

Videos

This video series highlights the perspectives of those most directly involved in Alaska's fisheries—scientists, managers, fishers, and community members—as they confront the challenges facing one of America's most vital industries. Stay tuned as we release more excerpts in the coming days.

Watch Now

Watch Now

Chapter 1: The Problem

Title card

Polar

Empty Nets: Big Changes in a Great American Fishery | The Problem

Duration:1:59Posted date/time:January 13, 2025

Polar

Empty Nets: Big Changes in a Great American Fishery | The Problem

Duration:1:59Posted date/time:January 13, 2025

Blog Posts

Click below to read blog submissions from those directly involved in the Alaskan fishing community.

Read Now

Read Now

Wild salmon

Oceans

Letter from the Director: Empty Nets

Posted date/time:January 13, 2025

Oceans

Letter from the Director: Empty Nets

Posted date/time:January 13, 2025

Seine net on beach

Polar

Alaska’s fisheries, and those who depend on them, are in a sea of troubles

Posted date/time:January 9, 2025

Helpful Links

Alaska Fisheries Science Center

The Alaska Fisheries Science Center is a division of NOAA Fisheries dedicated to the study and management of marine resources in the waters off Alaska. Its mission is to provide scientific research and data to support sustainable fisheries, conserve marine ecosystems, and ensure the health of species like fish, marine mammals, and seabirds.
The center conducts research on a wide range of topics, including stock assessments, habitat studies, and the impacts of climate change on marine life. It plays a critical role in helping manage some of the most productive fisheries in the world, ensuring they remain viable for future generations.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) is responsible for managing the state’s fisheries, ensuring sustainable harvests while balancing ecological health and community needs. ADFG conducts scientific research on fish stocks and aquatic ecosystems to inform its management decisions and fishing regulations, such as seasons and catch limits, to protect fish populations and prevent overfishing.
In addition to regulating commercial, recreational, and subsistence fishing, ADFG works to support local communities by providing data and resources for sustainable practices. Collaborating with agencies like NOAA Fisheries and the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, the department plays a vital role in maintaining Alaska's fisheries for future generations.
2024 Arctic Report Card

The 2024 Arctic Report Card highlights the rapid and dramatic changes occurring in the Arctic, which is warming faster than the global average. Featuring contributions from 97 scientists across 11 countries and independently reviewed by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, ARC2024 reports record-breaking observations, including tundra shifts from carbon sink to source, declining caribou herds, and rising winter precipitation. The report emphasizes regional variability in environmental impacts, the growing need for adaptation, and the critical role of Indigenous Knowledge and community-led research.
North Pacific Fishery Management Council

North Pacific Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional councils established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1976 to manage fisheries in the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone, 3 miles off the coast of Alaska.
The people serving on the Council or other Council-sponsored groups are made of up appointees from Alaska, Washington, and Oregon. The Council and advisory bodies were formed so federal fishery management decisions could be made at a local level, emphasizing public input.