The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources will review and consider the Alaska Congressional Delegation’s Bycatch Reduction and Research Act. The Senate version (S.3579) was introduced by Senator Dan Sullivan on Dec 18, 2025, and cosponsored by Senator Lisa Murkowski. Representative Nick Begich III introduced the House version (H.R.6939) on Jan 6, 2026.
The Act seeks “to address data and research gaps to improve marine environmental data collection, particularly in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska, prioritize technology that supports research, bycatch reduction, and marine benthic habitat in Alaska fisheries, advance and streamline electronic monitoring and electronic reporting in United States fisheries, and establish a fund to provide financial assistance for fishermen purchasing gear and technology aimed at reducing bycatch and marine benthic habitat contact from trawl fishing gear.”
Specific action steps provided in the legislation include:
- Reconstituting the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force as the Bycatch Reduction and Research Task Force and expanding its duties;
- Creating a satellite tagging research initiative to better understand Alaska salmon habits;
- Creating a genetic sampling grant program to identify the genetic stock and age composition of Alaska salmon bycatch;
- Clarifying the process for obtaining NOAA-approved exempted fishing permits (EEPs);
- Constructing a flume tank to test fishing gear technology aimed at reducing bycatch and habitat impact;
- Allocating $4 million per year for FY 27-FY 31 for the reauthorization of the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program, provided by Section 216 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act;
- Authorizing the “‘Bycatch Mitigation and Habitat Protection Assistance Fund” to use funds provided by donations (not taxpayer money) to “reduce or mitigate bycatch and reduce marine benthic habitat contact from non-pelagic and pelagic trawl gear.”
Trawling causes massive issues for Alaskan fishermen, Alaskan fish habitats, and the state’s seafood industry. As a result, the Bycatch Reduction and Research Act generated broad support among Alaskan fishermen, leaders of Alaskan fishing associations, and Alaskan sportfishing business owners.
Its about Time! Nets should be Outlawed!
Unfortunately, this bill is not about ending trawling. It’s just more “studying the problem”.
Money to study and test and study some
more? Way to go, reps!
It’s a good start. And let’s get rid of the herring fishery. Buy out those permits if we have to.
It would be nice if they would introduce legislation to outlaw that fishery all together.
Wasting that much seafood is a moral offense while so many Alaskans young and old at the poverty level don’t even get any naturally caught salmon
The trawlers are throwing perfectly good foods overboard to rot and be feed for the ocean’s bottom feeders
Government funding to give to the trawl industry to pay for anything they say reduces bycatch so they don’t have to pay for it themselves. More studies to delay a few years to create a need for more studies, i.e. kick the can down the road. A Colossal waste of tax payer money in the name of saying “we did something “.
This legislation is just what one would expect from our Congressional Senators who are dependent on campaign contributions from the corporate owned factory trawl fleet! Essentially the American taxpayer is going to subsidize the continuation of the rape & pillage of Alaska’s fisheries for another three years while this destructive pollock fishery can continue to proceed as usual with no meaningful restraints on their horrendous bycatch of halibut, crab, blackcod and salmon. All of this to ensure the that the gravy train of profits continues to flow to Seattle. Disgraceful, but not surprising.
Not a good article…….