The F/V Liberty, captained by Trenton Clark, fishes the Pacific near Metlakatla on Aug. 20, 2024. (Ash Adams/The New York Times)

The F/V Liberty, captained by Trenton Clark, fishes the Pacific near Metlakatla on Aug. 20, 2024. (Ash Adams/The New York Times)

My Turn: Charting a course toward seafood independence for Alaska’s vulnerable food systems

As a commercial fisherman based in Sitka and the executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA), I’ve spent decades navigating Alaska’s challenging waters and the headwinds facing our fishing communities. Alaska’s coastal residents are resilient, but they are up against a new magnitude of challenges. The loss of fishing access and community-based processing capacity, along with a dearth of local markets for seafood, are straining once vibrant fishing economies up and down our coastline.

I recently contributed to a fisheries access report commissioned by the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT), which highlights the outmigration of fishing access in Southeast Alaska. Communities with historically robust local fishing fleets now see few active vessels based in town. This trend is acute in communities such as Kake, which has lost its local processor — and with it, a viable market for resident fishermen. Through interviews and in-person engagement, ASFT’s report found that a common concern among fishermen was the loss of a local fish buyer. When this happens, resident fishermen often sell their permits or abandon fishing altogether. The double blow of losing a local buyer and having to relinquish fishing rights has driven many families away from long-standing communities and hometowns, resulting in the closure of schools and businesses, weakening the viability of fishing as a way of life.

Right now our fishing communities need federal support to pursue economic resilience and seafood independence. That’s why I’m grateful to Rep. Mary Peltola for introducing the Domestic Seafood Production Act (DSPA), alongside Reps. Troy Carter (D-LA) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR). By investing $90 million, DSPA will help stem the loss of fishery access, support the development of localized markets, secure coastal fishing livelihoods, and ultimately foster prosperous fishing communities.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

By enabling more of our local catch to be processed and consumed where it was landed, DSPA will bolster communities’ food security. Many of us have witnessed supply chain breakdowns that exposed the fragility of Alaska’s food system. The global COVID pandemic is recent proof that our dependence on an external food supply leaves us vulnerable to empty shelves. With our state’s heavy reliance on imported food and remote supply routes, the threat of disruption is simply too high.

The COVID-19 pandemic also revealed the deep-rooted economic instability of Alaska’s seafood system. When restaurants shut down overnight, high-quality seafood was stranded at docks. Together, ALFA and ASFT sprang into action to launch the Seafood Distribution Network. We quickly connected food-insecure families with fresh, nutritious seafood, and donated in bulk to local pantries and wellness organizations.

Increasingly, consolidation in the seafood industry has become the norm. With only a handful of major processors left in Alaska, any big player that withdraws from a market can jeopardize communities’ ability to participate in local fisheries. This trend threatens fishing communities nationwide. DSPA, which reinvests in these communities, will benefit community-based operations from here to the Gulf of Mexico and East Coasts. I can’t stress enough that we need more community-based seafood infrastructure to ensure that small-scale fishermen can maintain access to local fisheries, process their catch locally, and sell directly to local consumers. With so much federal investment going toward infrastructure nationwide, DSPA makes sure our seafood systems aren’t left out of the equation.

In addition to supporting local seafood infrastructure, DSPA hits “pause” on the development of industrial-scale offshore finfish aquaculture. These floating factory farms pose real dangers to our marine ecosystems through overfishing for fish feed, mass escapes, nutrient pollution, and spread of diseases. DSPA would halt the alarming practice of federal agencies fast-tracking permits and funding for these operations, while commercial harvesters struggle to get by. Our community-based fishermen need support, not government-sponsored competition.

Ultimately, our domestic seafood systems are robust and a solid investment. A new study from the University of Maine demonstrates that U.S. seafood independence is within reach. Yet, even though U.S. fishermen land about seven billion pounds of edible seafood annually, our nation imports between 65-90% of our seafood. In an absurd and backwards arrangement, much of the seafood we consume is caught stateside, processed abroad, then re-imported.

Now is the time for the U.S. to invest in domestic seafood processing and distribution, which will boost seafood independence and staying power for our Alaska communities.

• Linda Behnken is a commercial fisherman and the executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association.

More in Opinion

Web
Have something to say?

Here’s how to add your voice to the conversation.

The U.S. Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (Eric Lee/The New York Times)
My Turn: Important questions for Dan Sullivan and Nick Begich

Dan Sullivan and Nick Begich, what are you going to do to… Continue reading

The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on Feb. 22, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
My Turn: Volunteer for the right cause

Recently I was asked by a friend to volunteer at the Mendenhall… Continue reading

Sen. Dan Sullivan, (R-Alaska) questions Lee Zeldin, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency, during the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works confirmation hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times)
Opinion: Trickle-down lawlessness

Last weekend, I signed a petition calling on Sen. Dan Sullivan to… Continue reading

The University of Alaska Southeast campus on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file photo)
My Turn: University of Alaska’s canceled culture

As an alumnus of UAS I am disgusted at how fast the… Continue reading

Senate President Gary Stevens, a Kodiak Republican, confers with other senators and legislative staff moments before gaveling in the start of this year’s legislative session at the Alaska State Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
My Turn: Support for public schools

There is a perception that all public schools in Alaska are failing… Continue reading

Elon Musk walks with senior staff after arriving with President Donald Trump on Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Feb. 19, 2025. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
My Turn: The end point of delusion

There are times when delusion becomes the organizing principle of entire countries.… Continue reading

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) points to a map of Alaska and Russia during the confirmation hearing for John Phelan, President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Navy, before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times)
Opinion: Sen. Sullivan’s bow to power obscures the truth — again

Sen. Lisa Murkowski understands the imperative of speaking truth to power right… Continue reading

Most Read