One of the largest seafood companies in the world has sold Peter Pan Seafoods to three buyers. The sale comes after years of struggle for the seafood processor, which has a big footprint in Alaska. But the new owners are optimistic.
It was another huge year for Bristol Bay's fishery. KDLG's coverage ranged from how the pandemic affected the season and fishermen's reactions to prices to the lowest run on record in the Chignik River.
The state’s salmon returns this summer were full of ups and downs. In many areas the runs and harvests were far lower than expected, while Bristol Bay sockeye and Kodiak pinks came back strong.
Heading into the 2020 fishing season, many people were concerned that seafood workers from out of state would bring COVID-19 to rural communities. Processing companies managed to keep the disease under control — but at a big cost. Now, economists are looking at that financial toll.
The program is aimed at compensating commercial fishermen in the U.S. who have been negatively affected by certain trade tariffs. Fishermen can apply now through December 14.
Chignik’s early run of sockeye this year is the lowest on record, and it failed to meet its lower-end escapement goal for the third year in a row. With commercial fishing at a standstill, the community is struggling to make ends meet.
After a summer plagued by a pandemic, plummeting prices, and a global recession, fishing activists are calling for changes to governmental protections for fisheries in Alaska and across the country.
The total run in the bay has passed 2 million. The run in the Naknek-Kvichak is late -- that’s in line with the past five years. And there are fewer boats around the bay than the past several years. But the harvest on the east side is bigger than it has been. A boat also caught fire Saturday in the Nushagak District.
The possibility of significant outbreaks at processing plants, and a decrease in consumer power, poses big questions about the reliability of both supply and demand this season.
On the day they were supposed to travel to Naknek, the results for three of the workers came back positive. All 150 of the workers were told they had to quarantine for an additional 11 days, the complaint alleges.
Courtesy of Henry and Helen Herrmann, KATM Collection, National Park Service
In honor of Juneteenth this year, KDLG spoke with a Bristol Bay historian about the history of Black Americans, and racism, in the state of Alaska and here in Bristol Bay.
