The Alaska Bycatch Advisory Council disbanded in early May 2026 with little notice or fanfare. In a final action that had been in the works for month, it collaborated with the Alaska Dept. of FIsh and Game to launch an Alaska Bycatch Information Portal that’s easy for the public to access.
The portal was created to “provide transparent access to data, research, and management actions related to bycatch in Alaska’s fisheries,” states an overview. It adds: “This portal supports informed public engagement and highlights collaborative efforts across fishery management jurisdictions to address this complex issue. Through this portal, we aim to foster understanding, transparency, and collaboration in the ongoing effort to sustain Alaska’s fisheries for future generations.”
The Bycatch Data page provides links to bycatch numbers for salmon, halibut, crab and other species for all groundfish fisheries in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska regions, plus catch and landing reports by NOAA Fisheries.
An Alaska Fisheries Conservation and Bycatch Management section lists management agencies, programs and charts.
A Research page shows research priorities by state and federal agencies and information on bycatch reduction efforts.
The Portal also includes minutes and information from all past meetings of bycatch committee members starting in January 2022..
The Bycatch Information Portal is an offshoot of the Alaska Bycatch Review Task Force (ABRT) created by Governor Dunleavy by Administrative Order #326 in November 2021 to “help better understand unintended bycatch of high value fishery resources in State and federal waters.” It defined bycatch as “fish which are harvested in a fishery but are not sold or kept.” The impetus came after salmon fishing was shut down even for subsistence users in Western Alaska rivers,
The final report of the ABRT was published in December 2022 and contains recommendations on research, state engagement, and management measures related to bycatch.
In March 2023, the Commissioner of Fish and Game established the Bycatch Advisory Council to advise the department on ways to implement the recommendations contained within the final report of the Task Force.
Find the Alaska Bycatch Information Portal HERE —
Contact:
ADF&G Bycatch Review dfg.dcf.bycatchreview@alaska.gov
NOAA Fisheries Alaska Contact nmfs.akr.inseason@noaa.gov
