Laine Welch
Laine Welch has covered the Alaska fish beat for print and radio since 1988. She also has worked “behind the counter” at retail and wholesale seafood companies in Kodiak and on Cape Cod. She retired in April 2022 from her Fish Factor reports, but now produces a blog at alaskafish.news.
Harvesters bracing for more cuts to halibut harvest
Alaska fishermen are bracing for more cuts to their halibut harvest next year.Results of this year’s surveys showed that the Pacific stock from California...
Fish Factor: NFI project shows trickle down effects of tariffs
Seafood faces and places -A Seafood, Sea Jobs video campaign is taking its message on trade to the people who make policy decisions. The project was...
Fish Factor: Dutch Harbor, Kodiak contributing to net recycling
More shipping containers filled with plastic fishing nets, crab lines and other gear left Dutch Harbor in November for recycling plants in Europe, and...
Fisheries meetings coming up in Seattle, Dillingham
Fish watch
Some major Alaska fisheries are winding down for the year, while others are still going strong.In Southeast, a fishery opened on November 8...
Fish Factor: Salmon permit values remain stagnant
Values for Alaska salmon permits have remained stagnant all year, except for two regions, and costs for halibut quota shares have plummeted.For salmon permits,...
Fish Factor: Begich speaks easily on a wide range of fishery topics
“With fisheries, it’s almost the forgotten resource of our state as an economic driver. It’s almost like they are an afterthought. We have to realign...
Fish Factor: Dunleavy is a no-show for Kodiak fisheries debate
Rack up another empty seat on the Alaska debate stage for Mike Dunleavy.The Republican candidate for Alaska governor bailed out of Kodiak’s traditional fisheries...
Fish Factor: Stocks appear to be heading north
Catches for next year’s groundfish fisheries reflect ups and downs for Alaska’s key species – Pollock and cod – and the stocks appear to...
BSAI shellfish season opens Oct. 15
Crab catches dominate Alaska’s fish news in early October as boats gear up for mid-month openers in the Bering Sea.As expected, crabbers will see...
Fish Factor: Hatchery program under attack
Salmon that begin their lives in Alaska hatcheries often save the day for thousands of fishermen when returns of wild stocks are a bust. This year...
