Bering Sea Barometer: KUCB’s weekly update on fisheries in the region

This week, the market’s good but harvest numbers are poor so far for most of Alaska’s commercial salmon fishery; and your host Captain Pete Neaton takes questions from listeners about some of the challenges of getting started in Alaska’s seafood industry.

This week, the Area M fishery is leading the statewide commercial harvest of salmon with about 2.6 million fish caught so far; golden king crab got a bump of 13% for its total allowable catch; and a new king crab hatchery has launched in the Pribilofs at the Trident Seafoods plant in St. Paul.

This week, your host Captain Pete Neaton sits down with Maddie Lightsey of Alaska Boats and Permits in Homer. They discuss historically high halibut dock prices in Homer and a welcome optimism in the fishing industry in general, despite things like high fuel prices. And the Cook Inlet salmon fishery starts Monday with expectations of some record-high sockeye runs.

This week, your host Captain Pete Neaton joins us from Homer, where the fishing fleet is gearing up for the 2026 Bristol Bay season.

Copper River sockeye harvests increased by 50,000 fish from last week, while the B season for pollock and Pacific cod opened on June 10.

This week, your host Captain Pete Neaton joins us from the land of 10,000 lakes and very expensive salmon; Bristol Bay is officially open but the only salmon fishery with any harvests yet is the Copper River region — that count comes in at about 140,000 fish so far.

This week, boats traveling through False Pass might be in for a trickier journey than usual, after the navigational buoys in the sandy, shallow pass were swept away over the winter; There’s a lot of quota left on the table for the state water cod fishery as most of the small-boat fleet calls it quits for the summer; Meanwhile, some processors have dropped their salmon prices already, instead of leaving fishermen to guess how much money their summer catch will bring in.

Today, your host Captain Pete Neaton finally made it back into town after more than two weeks at sea; and despite a slow cod season, he’s staying optimistic and heading back to the fishing grounds. Meanwhile, there’s a new and unexpected leader on the boards … listen in to find out what species comes in at number one for harvest numbers this week.

This week, your host Captain Pete Neaton finally gets to take his eyes off the forecast or a bit as springtime weather improves; And we’re just two weeks away from the start of the busy commercial summer salmon season which kicks off in the Copper River; Meanwhile, you likely know that surimi is generally made from pollock, but it wasn’t always that way.

Today, your host Captain Pete Neaton explores the history of May Day — and how it relates to its homophone, the international distress call; Meanwhile, fishing is getting quieter in the Bering Sea, and busier in the Gulf of Alaska; And you’ve heard of pink salmon runs in Alaskas, but what about the Great Lakes? 

Listen to find out more!

Your host Captain Pete Neaton is back in the wheelhouse after a week off; The Department of Agriculture has added an office of seafood; And the Board of Fisheries is under some scrutiny from commercial harvesters over its treatment of the Cook Inlet fishery.

Your host Captain Pete Neaton is off the cuff this week as he joins us from the Kenai Peninsula in Homer; And while April is usually a good time to catch cod, the fish aren’t bitin’ today and weren’t last April either; Meanwhile, as fuel prices keep climbing, Captain Pete breaks down the costs of running a smaller cod boat amid increased diesel prices.

This week, the breaking ice moon or the pink moon brings some warmer weather to the region; Meanwhile, the salmon fleet is gearing up for the summer season with hefty fuel prices on their minds. And how exactly does someone get into that fishery? Your host Captain Pete Neaton explains Alaska salmon fishing permits. 

This week, your host Captain Pete Neaton welcomes a change in the winds as cold conditions have choked up some of the fishing grounds and ports with ice; meanwhile, the black cod and halibut fisheries opened Thursday. Quotas for both of those species are down slightly. And a look back on this day in Alaska's history.

The crab fleet is fleeing the ice up north, but they may not have much respite as the cold persists down into the Aleutians; Meanwhile, False Pass is nearly choked in, which could become a problem for Silver Bay Seafoods if boats can’t get past that ice. And why are so many ships flying Liberia flags? Your host Captain Pete Neaton might have the answer… stay tuned to find out.

Your host Captain Pete Neaton is hunting down the cod and hoping for spring as north west winds and snowfall continue this week; there’s 10 vessels still fishing for opilio, or snow crab, right now — only about a third of that quota has been caught so far;  and there’s a bill going through legislature right now to end bottom trawling in statewide waters.

No meat, just fish on the menu today — it’s the second Friday of Lent and a busy season for McDonald's pollock-packed Filet-o-fish sandwich; the Board of Fisheries met this week, restricting harvest time during the lucrative June season for the Area M salmon fishery; and with a slow salmon forecast ahead, Silver Bay Seafoods says it won’t be operating its Cordova plant this year.

Your host Captain Pete Neaton is on a long, sleepy search for pacific cod, this week. While the fish are out partying somewhere — away from the grounds — Captain Pete revisits his wooly roots exploring the history of Unalaska Island’s Chernofski Sheep Ranch, and waits on parts to fix a mechanical issue with one of his generators.

The forecast is out for the first salmon run of the season — officials are calling for about 730,000 sockeye to return to the Copper River for harvest. That’s a lot lower than last year’s forecast of about 2 million salmon; Meanwhile, your host Captain Pete Neaton is navigating trawl nets as he prepares for the winds to blow him into town after a few weeks out at sea.

Today, your host Captain Pete Neaton braces for a battle on the fishing grounds as cod trawlers gear up and the pot fishery drags on; Meanwhile, cod is king and pollock is on the rise, as halibut supply drops.

This week, your host Captain Pete Neaton is happy as a clam to bust out his window curtains because the sun finally came back to the Aleutians; we’ve got dock prices on crab, cod and pollock; and you might want to check your pantry — there’s a recall on some quarantined canned  yellow fin tuna.

This week, it’s been cold in Unalaska -- colder than usual. And after nearly six days in port, your host Captain Pete Neaton was able to back on the grounds. Now the winds are back, this time they’re warmer, blowing in from the south. But, weather is looking up for the start of the big pollock season next week, when Dutch Harbor will get a lot busier.

This week, winter storms send your host Captain Pete Neaton heading for port and cause a few technical difficulties for the Barometer; Despite the cold weather and big waves, Captain Pete’s got details on a coast guard rescue in St. George in the Pribilofs and a slightly muffled report from the slow and chilly fishing grounds.

It’s a new year, which means a review of 2025’s harvest numbers with your host Captain Pete Neaton; we’ve also got HOT seafood on the menu today, after a container of crab meat, 400,000 pounds of lobster and about 20,000 oysters went missing in a few seafood heists over the holidays. 

Winter solstice is Sunday, which means more fun in the sun coming soon; cod takes the crown this week — reeling in hotter prices than ever before, while outpacing salmon; meanwhile, your host Captain Pete Neaton is getting ready for a busy start the new year as he prepares to head to Unalaska/Dutch Harbor to fish cod. 

The halibut fishery closed last week, but harvesters left about 2.7 million pounds of their total catch in the water this year; Not for lack of trying though — the fish were just a little too slippery this go around; Meanwhile, Bering Sea pollock fishermen also had a tough time catching their quota. Still, regulators will keep harvest caps the same this upcoming year.

The regional council that manages Alaska’s fisheries is currently meeting with lots of big topics on the agenda – including the quota for the nation’s largest fishery by volume: alaska pollock; and today, your host Captain Pete Neaton’s cooking up a special recipe for the holidays: it includes dried cod soaked in a toxic solution. Can you guess what it is? Listen here to find out

It’s sleepy times out on the fishing grounds today, with just a few boats on the water. This year, three dozen vessels participated this year in the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery, with one registered vessel trying to mop up the last of the quota. Everybody else is down at the Pacific Marine Expo 2025 in Seattle. Call it the calm before the storm, because the North Pacific Fishery Management Council meets in Anchorage in two weeks, when they’ll recommend the quotas for next year.  

The federal government is open again, which means catch numbers are back, and the Bering Sea pollock fishery closed last month, leaving about 44,000 metric tons of fish in the water; meanwhile, the Alaska State Troopers are investigating allegations that several seafood processors have been illegally profiting from salmon and halibut bycatch.

Alaska’s seafood jobs are down again this year; but the state’s salmon harvest was up from last season; meanwhile, the regional council that manages Alaska’s fisheries has canceled its November Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska groundfish meeting due to the ongoing government shutdown.

Your host Captain Pete Neaton is back after last week’s special live Barometer for KUCB’s annual pledge drive and a holiday near the nation’s other largest fishing port — New Bedford, MA; What else is on the menu today? Maybe some imitation scallops or scrod cod, if you’re on the east coast; Meanwhile, pollock closes Saturday, but a slow season means fishermen likely won’t catch all their quota this fall. 

Up first this week, it’s a lesson in cephalopods in celebration of Oct. 8 — a special day recognizing a fishing ground foe: the octopus; meanwhile, federal fishery numbers are still on hold as the government remains shut down; but it sounds like that won’t affect the start of the king crab season next week like it has in the past.

The fall cod season is a wrap for your host Captain Pete Neaton, which means it’s almost break time for him as the boat gets ready to fish halibut. Meanwhile, pollock is not looking too hot this season, and the harvest numbers are on hold this week as parts of the federal government remain shutdown.

Summer is over and your host Captain Pete Neaton is waiting out a fall storm in Akutan; meanwhile, some of the processors in the region are planning to shutdown early this season for maintenance, leaving some of the pollock harvest uncaught.

The birds are taking over! This week, your host Captain Pete Neaton gets caught in a storm of shearwaters; the flock of seabirds can be a good sign, though, depending on what your hoping to catch; and rumor has it that the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery will open with a good sized quota next month.

August is almost over, which means your host Captain Pete Neaton is gearing up for the “B” season of the federal pot gear cod fishery — and the few who are joining him are looking at a good price for the bottom dwelling finfish; Meanwhile, Unalaska’s docks have some international visitors, including a well-dressed Canadian submarine crew.

Today's special is lab grown salmon sushi; meanwhile, there’s good rumors going around about king crab quota; finally, war game activities in the northern Bering Sea are spurring attention from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Today, a lesson in palindromes on the Panama Canal; rumor has it that market prices are looking good across the board; and if you’re interested in buying a Bristol Bay boat, now might be a good time.

Today, Prince William Sound tops the boards for pink salmon harvest; we’ll take a dive into the world of sturgeon caviar; and your host Captain Pete Neaton’s got hatcheries at the top of his mind.

About 2/3 of the massive 3 billion pound harvest of pollock in the Bering Sea has been caught. And while that might seem like a lot of fish, it's dwarfed by another fishery south of the equator; meanwhile, the Aleutian Islands golden king crab fishery opens today with a harvest of around 4 million pounds.

There’s still no final say on dock prices for salmon this season; halibut and black cod saw a big jump last week — your host Captain Pete Neaton says the moon could be to thank for that; and pacific ocean perch leads the boards for Bering Sea catch.

Dungeness crab fishermen in the Aleutians have a new option for buyers, in False Pass; pollock had a big week last week; and it’s national caviar day — if you can’t get your hands on the fancy stuff, your host Captain Pete Neaton suggests just catching a salmon and giving it a good squeeze.

There’s a full moon tonight; the pollock fleet is congested out on the “bread line” — as they say — in the Unimak Pass; and the salmon have arrived, some of them anyway. Your host Captain Pete Neaton is hauling in the pinks in Valdez, and Bristol Bay sockeye are coming in hot.

The June sockeye  season’s been a bit of a flop for seiners and gillnetters around Unimak Island, False Pass and Sand Point; meanwhile, the Bristol Bay salmon fishery is hitting the peak of the season with a total catch of about $16 and a half million fish harvested so far; and your host Captain Pete Neaton is headed to Prince William Sound to haul some pink salmon.

Homer is looking at some historic halibut prices; it’s late June, which means many industry folks are honed in on salmon, whether that be fishing, processing or transporting the catch; and your host Captain Pete Neaton is still deep in the throes of one of the most dreaded stages of commercial fishing: shipyard.

It’s sunny skies in the forecast for Unalaska this weekend, while the Copper River salmon returns are looking dismal; and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council is meeting to talk about trawl gear specs and pot cod rationalization.

Your host Captain Pete Neaton explores some of the history of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which was commissioned about fifty years ago today; the state’s commercial salmon fishery has been open just about one week, but the Alaska Department of Fish and Game says they’re already concerned about poor King salmon returns in the Copper River; and a nonprofit in Washington State is trying to get Kings put on the endangered speciies list.

The commercial salmon season has officially kicked off. Despite that, it’s unusually quiet in Homer; meanwhile, there’s a bunch of herring to harvest in Togiak, but no one is interested in fishing it.

Pollock “A” season has drawn to a close; last week saw sizable halibut returns; and it’s about time for the commercial salmon season to open up.

Host Captain Pete Neaton also recommends keeping your eyes peeled for headlines from King Cove, as an Oregon-based company has taken an interest in the shuttered Peter Pan Seafood plant there.

It’s the shoulder season for pollock fishery as “A” season wraps up; Kodiak leads in black cod deliveries and fishermen are looking at a pretty “monster” price for halibut this year as prices have increased from the start of the season — a trend that your host Captain Pete Neaton says is a little unusual.

Dungeness crab season is open on the North Peninsula; Silver Bay Seafoods is now managing several new facilities under a merger with another processing company; and how are tariffs going to affect fishermen? Well, no one really knows yet.