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.
Fish Factor: Commerce Department advocating to boost aquaculture
Offshore fish farms could soon dot the sea scape along with those oil and gas platforms being proposed for U.S. waters by President Donald...
Fish Factor: Fall fisheries are getting underway
As Alaska’s salmon season draws to a close, lots of fall fisheries are just getting underway from Ketchikan to the Bering Sea.Southeast is one...
Fish Factor: Kelp-based beer created by Kodiak Island Brewery
Gov. Bill Walker christened Alaska’s first kelp-based beer during a recent swing through Kodiak.The beer was created at the Kodiak Island Brewery using local...
Fish Factor: Cell phones employed to bounty hunt for lost gear
Cell phones are being used by fishermen to bounty hunt for lost fishing gear for pay.
California fishermen created the retrieval project last year along...
Fish Factor: Trump’s seafood tariffs are impacting Alaska
More seafood tariffs in President Donald Trump’s trade war with China are hitting Alaska coming and going.On July 6 the first 25 percent tax...
Fish Factor: Growth coming in mariculture sector
Sixteen new applicants hope to begin growing shellfish and seaweed businesses in just over 417 acres of tideland areas in Alaska, thanks to the...
Fish Factor: Is it a blip, or are cod stocks returning?
Tiny cod fish are reappearing around Kodiak.Researchers aim to find out if it is a blip, or a sign that the stock is recovering...
Winter salmon study planned for Gulf of Alaska
Plans are underway for the International Year of the Salmon in 2019, sponsored in part by the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission.The NPAFC has for...
Fish Factor: Women are everywhere in Alaska seafood industry
Alaska appears to be an exception in terms of gender parity at all levels of its seafood industry.Women comprise roughly half of the world’s...
Fish Factor: Season may be a bust for most harvesters
Alaska’s salmon fisheries continue to lag alarmingly in several regions, with overall catches down by a third from the same time last year.The single...
