Commercial Fishing NAICS 1141

May 27, 2025 - Salmon Catch Forecast to Rebound

• The Alaska Department of Fish and Wildlife (ADF&W) is predicting a significantly bigger salmon harvest this year, after a disappointing catch in 2024, SeafoodSource reports. The total commercial salmon harvest across all regions of Alaska could reach 214.6 million fish, more than double the 103.5 million fish caught in Alaska in 2024. Key to this year’s projection is a much-improved outlook for pink salmon (aka humpback salmon), which is expected to exceed last year’s harvest by 98.2 million fish, according to ADF&W. The department’s forecast predicts the total commercial salmon harvest will comprise 138.4 million pink salmon, 52.9 million sockeye, 20.8 million chum, and 2.4 million coho. If the harvest meets ADF&W projections, it would be the 10th-largest on record. Alaska’s salmon season opened on 22 May, when the Copper River fishery opened.
• Responding to concerns about the impact of offshore wind projects, US Wind has proposed $20 million to support commercial fishing in Maryland and Delaware, USA Today reports. The funding includes support for harbor maintenance, fishing businesses, gear development, and direct compensation for potential revenue impacts on fishermen. In a memorandum of understanding reached with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control the company said it would provide funding to commercial fishermen “above and beyond what is required by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management." US Wind has proposed building up to 121 wind turbines on its lease in federal waters 10 miles east of Ocean City, Maryland. However, President Trump on day one in office signed an executive order to slow the growth in the country’s wind generation capacity, casting doubt on the future of the project.

• Tariffs on imported seafood would cause prices to rise, making US products more competitive in a market dominated by lower priced imports, Aquaculture North America reports. The US is a net importer of fish and seafood, with imports accounting for more than 79% of the seafood Americans consumed in 2020, according to NOAA Fisheries. The value of seafood imports exceeded exports in 2023, creating a trade deficit to about $20.3 billion. The rise in imports has put pressure on domestic seafood prices and limits revenue for domestic aquaculture operations. However, tariffs cut both ways. Because Canada and China are the top two destinations for US seafood exports, US catches are vulnerable to reciprocal tariffs. Maine and Massachusetts account for 99% of Canada’s lobster imports, while China’s imports of US salmon nearly tripled between 2020 and 2023, per the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.
• Layoffs at NOAA could hamstring fisheries management in Alaska, Alaska Public Media (APM) reports. In February, some 880 probationary employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration across the US were fired as part of a wider effort by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team within the federal government. The layoffs include 13 positions at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, which conducts research used to manage federal fisheries off Alaska’s coasts and helps oversee the state’s marine resources. The center may have lost over 5% of its staff, with more layoffs looming, according to APM. In March, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration must reinstate thousands of probationary employees who were laid off from several federal agencies, although the ruling did not name the Department of Commerce, which oversees NOAA. The status of those fired workers remains in limbo.