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: Fall remains one of the busiest fishery seasons
Alaska’s salmon season is nearly a wrap but fall remains as one of the fishing industry’s busiest times of the year.For salmon, the catch...
Fish Factor: Alaska sea cucumber may have medicinal benefits
Editor’s note: Sea cucumbers and their extracts have gained much interest among researchers and nutritionists because of their nutritive value, potential health benefits and...
Fish Factor: Statewide salmon harvest will be short of forecast
Alaska’s salmon season is winding down and while catches have made the record books in some regions, the statewide take will fall a bit...
Drop in value of US dollar helps seafood sales
The US dollar has dropped in value all year against a basket of other global currencies.While that may sound like a bad thing, it’s...
Fish Factor: Home Meal kits offer new market for wild Alaska seafood
Alaska aims to get in on the growing popularity of Home Meal kits that will deliver seafood directly to American kitchens.The kits typically offer...
Fish Factor: ‘Time for a checkup from the neck up’
“It’s time for a checkup from the neck up” – meaning an industry time out to evaluate fishing operations and behaviors, advises Jerry Dzugan,...
Fish Factor: Alaska’s seafood sales top $3 billion annually
Seafood is Alaska’s top export by far, usually topping $3 billion in sales each year to 120 countries around the world, and comprising 55...
UFA Sweepstakes underway
As state lawmakers mull ways to update permitting laws to protect salmon habitat, a dual sweepstakes is using text messaging and social media as...
Fish Factor: Higher prices offered for commercial salmon catch
As predicted, Alaska fishermen are getting higher prices for their salmon this year.It’s good news following a 2016 season that saw lackluster catches in...
Fish Factor: Robots find a role in seafood processing
Robots are cutting up snow crabs in Canada, a sign of things to come in the seafood processing industry.Overall, seafood processing has a relatively small...
