On May 15 the Assistant Administrator of NOAA Fisheries Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, the Alaska Regional Adminstrator Jon Kurland, and the Alaska Fisheries Science Center Director Bob Foy met with local residents in Kodiak for a community reception.

Closures on the west side of the island aim to protect the Karluk and Ayakulik Chinook runs, which have hit record lows over the past few years.

Kodiak Regional Aquaculture Association will take eggs from the wild Karluk king salmon run in an effort to save the population.

A bill awaiting Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s signature could make it easier for the commercial fishing industry to be represented on the board by relaxing conflict-of-interest rules.

Sterling Prout, a Bering Sea crabber from Kodiak, and part owner of the F/V Silver Spray, said in a press release that he sees the Office of Seafood opening up new opportunities for fishermen to expand markets for American seafood.

The dissection is part of a program called Salmon in the Classroom, which gives kids hands-on experience with the salmon life cycle.

Last week the Alaska Legislature passed a resolution supporting the continued federal ban on Russian seafood being imported into the U.S. Lawmakers and seafood market experts say the ban is crucial to boosting the value of Alaska’s industry.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is taking public comments on the proposed mineral lease sale, which covers swaths of Alaska waters, until the end of the day April 1.

Although none of the proposals asking for limits on pink and chum hatchery salmon passed, Board members discussed enacting similar limits, like putting a moratorium on pink and chum egg takes, in the future.

Pacific cod fishermen in the Kodiak area and South Alaska Peninsula can now catch nearly 8 million pounds of fish during the current state-managed fishery. That’s after the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced an updated quota last week on Feb. 5 in the middle of the 2026 season.