Bycatch, struggling salmon runs, and how to keep more fisheries value in Alaska dominated the U.S. House fisheries debate between Rep. Nick Begich and independent challenger Bill Hill.
The two candidates met Sept. 12 in Kodiak during the 2026 Congressional Candidates Fisheries Forum, hosted by the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce and KMXT Public Radio. The forum has focused exclusively on fisheries issues for more than three decades, according to organizers.
Begich and Hill found common ground on several issues facing Alaska's commercial fishing industry, including fisheries science, seafood promotion, processing labor, and the need to reduce bycatch.
But their answers also showed different approaches to how Washington should address those problems.
Who should make fisheries decisions?
Begich emphasized keeping day-to-day fisheries management within the council process rather than shifting more decision-making to Washington. Each fishery faces different questions around species, abundance, gear, and user groups, he said, making local knowledge important to management.
"You don't want somebody in Washington, D.C. deciding what happens within a fishery on a day-to-day basis in Alaska," Begich said. "It doesn't make any sense." He said Congress should provide a management structure while allowing the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and stakeholders to handle many of the decisions affecting individual fisheries.
During a rapid-fire round, Begich and Hill both said science should remain the foundation of commercial fisheries management and supported increased funding for fisheries research and stock assessments. Both also supported hiring a dedicated fisheries and ocean policy adviser, consulting affected Alaska fisheries stakeholders before introducing seafood legislation and giving rural and tribal communities more say in fisheries decisions.
Bycatch and struggling salmon runs
Bycatch became one of the clearest themes of the House debate.
Begich said he is working with Sullivan on federal bycatch legislation and called for more transparency around potential conflicts of interest among members of the North Pacific council. "Every fishery has some level of bycatch," Begich said. "The question is not whether each fishery has bycatch. The question is how much bycatch does each fishery have and what are the impacts of the bycatch within each fishery?"
Asked about declining king and chum salmon runs, Begich said he believes bycatch has played a major role, particularly in western Alaska. "You look at the Yukon, you look at the Kuskokwim, those runs are way down," Begich said. "We're seeing some recovery in chums. I think that the cap that we put in with NPFMC is sort of that initial shot saying, hey, we're going to be managing these more carefully. But I think that historical bycatch is the root cause."
Hill agreed that bycatch is a factor but said salmon declines have other causes that need to be considered. "In addition to bycatch, climate change is a real thing, and we need to start mitigating for that," he said. "But yes, we need to end bycatch."
The exchange was also highlighted in Alaska Public Media's coverage of the Kodiak forum. Scientists have identified multiple pressures affecting western Alaska salmon, and the extent of bycatch's contribution remains a point of debate among fishermen, managers and researchers.
Hill also pushed back on framing bycatch as a simple choice between conservation and the fishing economy. He pointed to crab caught while vessels target lower-value flatfish as an example of why fishermen are frustrated by bycatch, but said solutions need to account for communities that depend on fisheries and affordable transportation.
"Bycatch is an issue," Hill said. "But as we've talked about today, there are other issues. There are ways to enhance certain stocks. There are ways that we can invest in equipment. But this needs to be multi-pronged."
Keeping more fisheries value in Alaska
Begich and Hill also addressed how more of the economic value generated by Alaska fisheries could remain in the state.
Hill called for additional seafood processing capacity and investment in ports and vessel repair. "Let's build our ports. Let's repair ships here in Alaska," Hill said. "Let's make sure that we have a place where the money is not just leaving the state."
Begich focused on infrastructure investments and longer-term planning for aging ports and harbors. He also called for stronger seafood labeling requirements to distinguish Alaska seafood from imported and farmed products. "Right now, we need labeling transparency rules throughout the United States," Begich said. He said clearer labeling could help consumers identify Alaska seafood and strengthen its position in the marketplace.
Hill said Alaska should encourage more in-state processing without further consolidating the industry into vertically integrated operations. He also backed keeping marine finfish farming out of Alaska waters.
Processing labor remains a challenge
Both candidates acknowledged the labor shortages facing Alaska seafood processors. Hill said the cost of bringing foreign seasonal workers into the United States has become increasingly difficult for employers and argued that visa workers need to remain available while Alaska develops more of its own workforce. Begich agreed that processors need continued access to seasonal labor, whether workers come from within the United States or abroad.
"We support making sure that the people who provide that seasonal support are available, whether they're domestic or they come from elsewhere," Begich said. He also called workforce development a broader Alaska problem and said students leaving high school need better preparation to enter the state's workforce.
Areas of agreement
Despite differences in their approach, Begich and Hill gave the same answer to a number of the fisheries questions put before them. Both supported increased Saltonstall-Kennedy grant funding, additional federal fisheries research and stock assessments, and expanding programs aimed at making Alaska seafood more competitive in domestic and international markets.
Both also said overharvest is a significant problem in North Pacific fisheries and supported the USDA Office of Seafood.
That left some of the bigger differences in how the candidates described the problems facing Alaska's fisheries and where they would put federal attention, particularly on bycatch, salmon declines, and keeping more fisheries value within Alaska.
