National Fisherman

Margaret Bauman

Alaska Correspondent

Margaret Bauman is an Alaskan journalist focused on covering fisheries and environmental issues.

Author Archive

Salmon harvest prediction of 125.5 million salmon is down 36 percent from 197.4 million a year ago; forecasts on retail prices still remain a wild card. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Retail prices for 2026 Alaska salmon are still a wild card

Brian Shaw (left) and Eric Klose stack retired commercial fishing nets for shipment to Ukraine, where they will be used to entangle Russian drones before they can explode — protecting soldiers in trenches and civilians in markets and homes. Ground Squirrel Ventures photo.

Commercial fishing nets have new life in Ukrainian war zones

A foreign commercial fishing vessel works open waters. The FISH Act, advancing in Congress, would publicly list vessels tied to illegal fishing and block their seafood from U.S. markets. Shutterstock photo.

FISH Act moves closer to halting entry of illegal seafood harvests

Fishermen doing in-store demonstrations on how to cook fillets of Bristol Bay sockeye salmon will be part of the 2026 marketing campaign for the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association. Photo courtesy of the BBRSDA

BBRSDA steps up marketing campaign for robust 2026 season

Bob Foy, science and research director of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, presents at ComFish Alaska 2026 on AFSC date collection modernization. Photo by Margaret Bauman

AFSC researchers use AI to do more with less

Doug Bowen, founder, and Maddie Lightsey, president of Alaska Boats & Permits in Homer, are participants in ComFish Alaska 2026 in Kodiak. Photo by Margaret Bauman

Optimism rising for Alaska fishing boat and permit sales

With existing commercial fisheries moving north due to climate change and others potentially opening up, the Coast Guard's new icebreakers will be of importance to Alaska's commercial fishing industry. Coast Guard image.

New icebreakers to be homeported in Alaska

A new study released by a global seafood alliance contends that bottom trawling undermines local food systems by displacing small-scale fisheries. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Study argues serious impacts of bottom trawling on food security

NOAA Fisheries’ Eugenio Piñeiro Soler will deliver an update at the 2026 ComFish Alaska forum in Kodiak. Photo courtesy of ComFish Alaska Facebook

Head of NOAA Fisheries to address ComFish 2026 in Kodiak

A salmon troller, the Tempest, trolls for salmon off the coast. Photo courtesy of Susan Chambers

All gear catch limit for SEAK Chinook salmon jumps to 207,400 fish

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U.S. shrimpers filed an ITC complaint seeking to block imports of Indian shrimp. Photo courtesy of Corporate Accountability Lab
October 29, 2026

US shrimpers seek to block Indian shrimp imports over forced labor claims

Actor Mark Costello started fishing in Bristol Bay in his early 20s and continued until he was 61. “For me it was cathartic,” says Costello. “I loved the physical work and the life onboard.” Photo courtesy of Girlstrong Inc.
October 29, 2026

Hollywood on the high seas

Beyond Alaska the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Seafood may be able to provide grants and low-interest loans to fishermen all over the U.S., enabling them to upgrade their boats and equipment. Photo courtesy of Paul Molyneaux
October 29, 2026

Fish is food: Opening USDA doors for commercial fishermen

South Carolina’s new shrimp labeling law requires restaurants to disclose whether the shrimp they serve is locally caught or imported, giving consumers a clearer choice while supporting the state’s commercial shrimpers. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
October 29, 2026

South Carolina shrimp labeling law puts local catch on the menu

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