Doug Vincent-Lang told attendees of ComFish that he supports a bill to lift the state’s decades-old ban on finfish farming. He said if this presented a direct threat to commercial fishermen and wild stock fisheries, then he wouldn’t support it.

“We have the potential for a Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization in this Congress. That is something that has come up," Rep. Nick Begich III told a packed room of ComFish attendees at Kodiak's Best Western Inn on April 16.

"And we continue to plan for our other surveys but it’s not clear what we will be able to execute for the rest of the year," Bob Foy, the director of NOAA's Alaska Fisheries Science Center said.

This year’s Comfish kicked off with a fish taco night at Kodiak Island Brewing and Still on Monday, April 14, and the forum sessions begin at 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the Best Western/Kodiak Inn’s harbor room.

If the Board passes the measure, there would still remain a separate herring food and bait season, which would be altered to last one month from Oct. 26 through the end of November. Kodiak herring fishing would include an “A” season from April 1 through Oct. 25, and a “B” season from Dec. 1 through Jan. 31.

The state accounts for roughly half, about 25 out of 53, of the fishery disasters declared around the country since 2020, which include a variety of species like salmon, crab and Pacific cod.

Researchers estimate 22% to 38% of observers are victimized each year. Women are twice as likely to experience some form of harassment, intimidation or sexual assault.

This year’s harvest, for both pot vessels and jig vessels, is 5.6 million pounds. Half of that, 2.83 million pounds, is allocated for pots. The season for fishermen who use jig gear started at the beginning of the year.

A system designed in the 1970s was supposed to make Alaska’s commercial fishing industry more sustainable and more profitable. But over the last 50 years, it has hollowed out many Indigenous coastal villages where residents no longer can earn a living by harvesting salmon.

KMXT’s Davis Hovey recently spoke with Nick Mangini about his own journey as a former commercial fishermen turned Kodiak kelp farmer, and the industry’s growth around Kodiak Island within the last year.