The fish behind America's fish sticks is fueling a fight over trawling in Alaska

In Alaska’s Bering Sea, industrial pollock trawling brings up dense catches—but it can also haul in salmon and other marine life, fueling a political and cultural fight over how much trawling should be restricted. The article describes pollock nets that, according to the industry, are designed to minimize impacts, with bycatch making up 2% of total pollock catch. At Bering Sea scale, that can still mean hundreds of thousands of salmon: over the last 10 years, trawlers averaged about 18,000 Chinook and 288,000 other salmon annually, nearly all chum. As western Alaska salmon runs collapse, backlash has spread to other fishers and entered state and federal election debates, including governor and Senate races. Alaska and Canada implemented a seven-year Chinook fishing ban on the Yukon River in 2024, while scientists point to warming and changing ocean conditions as primary causes.