National Fisherman

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Salmon

After more than 80 years, Columbia River Chinook and sockeye salmon have regained access to 1,000 miles of spawning habitat above the Grand Coulee and Chie Joseph Dams in Washington. Upper Columbia Tribes in the US and Canada welcome their return. Photo c

A homecoming for Upper Columbia River salmon

Paul Molyneaux

Commercial salmon fishing boats at processing plants in St. Paul Harbor in Kodiak, Alaska. Photo courtesy of Karen Foley / Shutterstock

Bycatch Reduction and Research Act introduced in AK

Nathan Strout

Juvenile salmon experienced a mix of favorable and challenging ocean conditions off the West Coast in 2025. NOAA Fisheries photo.

Mixed signals suggest moderate Pacific salmon returns

NF Staff

Fall-run Chinook salmon migrate to California's Central Valley rivers to spawn. Photo by Miles Daniels

California Chinook salmon are study of survival in changing climate

Margaret Bauman

Photo courtesy of Bristol Bay Forever

New poll shows strong support for permanent Bristol Bay protections

NF Staff

The 40-foot wooden albacore troller Jo El was built in Sunnyside, Washington, in 1967. Every year, owner Brett Montague hauls her out for a new coat of paint, new zincs, and other maintenance. Photo courtesy Brett Montague

Boat of the Month, the Jo El

Paul Molyneaux

Sitka, Alaska, fisherman, Jeff Farvour, gaffs a salmon aboard his 40-foot troller, the Apollo. A lawsuit by the Wild Fish Conservancy almost closed the Southeast Alaska salmon troll fishery in 2023, and the fishermen’s struggle with the litigious organiza

The Wild Fish Conservancy’s never-ending lawsuits

Paul Molyneaux

The Hannah, Northline Seafoods' 110-foot freezer barge, at work in Bristol Bay in the summer of 2025. Photo by Chris Miller

Passion for Bristol Bay salmon fishery runs deep with Northline Seafoods

Margaret Bauman

Alexandra Morton started off presenting fisheries science aimed at protecting wild salmon. “When I saw the science wasn’t bringing change, I became an activist,” she says. Simon Fraser University photo.

Removal of BC salmon farms coincides with rebounding wild runs

Paul Molyneaux

Fisheries biologist and lead author, Lukas DeFilippo working on a surface trawl survey, holds a coho salmon aboard a scientific survey that informs management decisions. NOAA Fisheries photo by Lukas DeFilippo

Study probes environmental drivers of salmon bycatch in Alaska pollock fishery

NF Staff

Imagery from NOAA's “Blobtracker” shows the intensity of the 2014-16 Pacific sea temperatures, compared to 2024 which also saw record sea surface temperatures in some areas of the Pacific, as did the 2025 blob. NOAA graphic.

Keeping an eye on the ‘Blob’

Paul Molyneaux