Guest writers: Bellingham’s SE Alaska salmon fleet threatened by lawsuits, misinformation

This week marks the annual Wild Seafood Connection in Bellingham when independent commercial fishermen, chefs and seafood buyers come together to share information and build relationships in the local seafood marketplace. As they gather, we are reminded that small-boat fisheries sustain our food system and economy, providing nutritious seafood and renewable revenue.

More importantly, small-boat fisheries define our region’s culture and anchor our values and identity. They build community and connect us with each other and our environment. They also require complex management systems amid diverse stakeholders and across political borders, which can sometimes cause tensions.

In the case of salmon, we are seeing misinformation and misguided lawsuits being used to divide salmon stakeholders in the North Pacific. These unfortunate activities are distracting us from approaching salmon conservation in a more holistic and collaborative way and threaten the survival of the salmon and the people who depend most on wild salmon.

We appreciated Ed Johnston’s opinion editorial on Feb. 19, calling for cooperation in how we manage our salmon fisheries under the Pacific Salmon Treaty. As Washingtonians and Alaskans, we know that our shared Pacific salmon fisheries must be managed in a manner that considers how interceptions of salmon bound for distant watersheds may impact ecosystems, salmon populations and communities coastwide.

That is why Washington sits alongside Alaska — as well as Canada — at the negotiating table under the Pacific Salmon Treaty. In order for our salmon and people to thrive, interceptions of salmon between the two countries must be managed using sound science and a cooperative approach. Our commitment to cooperative management and working collaboratively under the Pacific Salmon Treaty is as strong as our commitment to sustainable fishing livelihoods. 

In response to legal attacks and anti-fishing PR campaigns aimed at Alaska’s salmon troll fishery, the Working Waterfront Coalition of Whatcom County has spoken out in support of our neighbors in Alaska. Ironically, Alaska’s trollers, who individually catch each salmon with a hook-and-line, are some of the most progressive, conservation-minded fishermen on the water.

They are also the first lines of defense when it comes to protecting wild salmon and marine ecosystems — they are intimately familiar with what wild salmon need to thrive and have advocated on their behalf time and again. These divisive efforts are not only harming hard-working fishing families (many of which are Alaska Native), but they are also undermining efforts to protect and restore wild salmon runs throughout the Pacific. 

The Working Waterfront Coalition of Whatcom County stands with Alaska’s salmon fishermen in part because many of our own community members participate in Southeast Alaska’s salmon harvesting and processing as well as myriad local marine service companies that supply, build, repair and maintain Southeast Alaska’s fishing fleet. We understand that we are all in the same boat and their survival directly affects our region.

We encourage those who care about wild salmon and the future of our small-boat fisheries to support the cooperative, holistic approach to salmon management that Johnstone and other Indigenous leaders are promoting. You can provide that support by buying wild-caught, sustainably managed Alaska salmon and voting for their future with your fork.

There is no question that wild salmon face serious and complicated challenges throughout their entire life cycle, but we can find solutions if we work together and support the fishermen who speak for the fish. Doing so will lead to a stronger, more effective Pacific Salmon Treaty and a brighter future for wild salmon and our coastal communities.  

Kendall Whitney is the Marketing Director of Seafood Producers Cooperative (SPC), a fishermen-owned co-op with a processing plant in Sitka, Alaska, and sales/accounting office in Bellingham. He is also the President of the Board for the Working Waterfront Coalition of Whatcom County. Linda Behnken is the Executive Director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association in Sitka and has been commercial fishing in Alaska’s small-boat fisheries since 1982.