commercial fishing – Alaska Sea Grant

Fellowship spotlight: Sydney Almgren

By Tom Moran | September 17, 2026

A young woman smiles in front of a field of fireweed. She has freckles and long blond hair.

Sydney Almgren is an Alaska State Fellow working with the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation. Almgren collaborates with industry members, agencies, and fishermen to meet requirements to have Alaskan fisheries certified as sustainable. Hear from Almgren in this video short.

A seafood success story

By Tom Moran | August 13, 2026

A smiling middle-aged man with big black and gray hair and a graying beard, in a blue shirt and black baseball cap.

A 14-hour shift can’t dampen Jake Merzoian’s enthusiasm for Alaska Sea Grant. “I’m really aspiring to get into upper management, and here’s this program that’s been able to help me…

Alaska Sea Grant goes to school

By Tom Moran | June 23, 2026

A teenager stands in a classroom wearing an orange mylar bag with a face opening and arms.

Fish often congregate in schools. In Alaska’s coastal communities, so do potential fishermen. That’s why Alaska Sea Grant is increasing its emphasis on offering commercial fishing instruction to students in…

Alaska Sea Grant at ComFish

By Alaska Sea Grant | May 5, 2026

Two men stand over a rope and tie orange floats to it with blue rope.

Kodiak fishermen brought their A-game to the city harbor last month for a timed skills competition. A dozen local fishers took part in the friendly contest, organized by Alaska Sea…

Old Harbor studies the old ways

By Kyle Kolda | April 21, 2026

A teenage girl in orange overalls and a black T-shirt leans over a hole in the dirt with a trowel. Beside her, another teenage girl in a maroon hoodie and blue pants crouches over the hole, also holding a trowel.

Old Harbor is turning to its past to plot out its future. With support from Alaska Sea Grant, a group of researchers are partnering with the Alutiiq Tribe of Old…

Fishing up marine debris with the Fosses

By Tom Moran | April 14, 2026

A man in a blue raincoat, orange gloves and black rubber suspenders - fishing gear - stands atop a fishing boat next to a giant plastic bag full of garbage. Another bag is below him.

In a typical summer, Sitka fisherman Jacquie Foss and her family travel hundreds of miles around Southeast Alaska, averaging only eight miles an hour. While their profession affords them countless…

Next generation of Alaska fishermen gather for summit

By Tom Moran | February 20, 2026

A group of 25 mostly young men and women stand outside the ornate front of the Alaska State Capitol.

The first time Noah Swenson attended the Alaska Young Fishermen’s Summit (AYFS), he found a boat. The second time, he found his voice. In 2024, the then-27-year-old Homer fisherman spent…

The science of Steller stubble

By Kyle Kolda | January 8, 2026

A man in a lab coat, faded red baseball cap, and purple lab gloves sits at a table in a laboratory, using a chisel to trim off part of a long hair. A ruler sits next to the hair.

An Alaska Sea Grant-supported project is within a whisker of answering some critical research questions about Steller sea lions. Literally. University of Alaska researchers are collaborating with the Aleut Community…

Cordova fishermen clean up the Copper River Delta

By Aubrey Taradash | December 16, 2025

A man stands astride a white ATV and a woman stands in a trailer behind it. The ATV has a large yellow plastic trash bag on it, while the trailer contains yellow trash bags and other debris.

The Copper River Delta hosts some of the most valuable fisheries in Alaska. However, the region lies at the edge of the Gulf of Alaska, where currents bring a seemingly…

Crewmember training program kickstarts fishing careers

By Alaska Sea Grant | September 18, 2025

Three commercial fishermen in orange rain gear on the deck of a boat in Bristol Bay, Alaska. One fisherman looks at the camera smiling while the others remove salmon from a net under a cloudy sky.

Starting out as a commercial fisherman can be intimidating. Long hours, rough weather and the demands of working in close quarters make the job challenging. Training for young crewmembers can…