Action Alert: Support SB 161 to Ban Bottom Trawling

Senate Bill 161 –“An Act relating to the use of certain trawl or dredge fishing gear in state water; and providing for an effective date.” 

In recent years, Alaska has seen a serious decline in certain fish, shellfish, marine mammals, and other sustainable oceanic resources that many Alaskan families, communities, and villages rely on.

The trawling fleet’s bycatch of non-target species is one of the worst causes of this decline. Bottom trawling is also responsible for devastation of the ocean floor habitat for these fish.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the bottom trawl bycatch numbers in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska in 2024 were as follows:

38,751 Chinook Salmon

48,643 Chum Salmon

4.5 MILLION pounds of Halibut

950,680 Crabs

3 MILLION pounds of Herring

1 orca

So far in 2025, NOAA reports 18,612 Chinook Salmon, 954 Chum Salmon, 1.57 MILLION pounds of Halibut, 355,005 pounds of Herring, and 137,181 Crabs.  

We need your help to ban trawling to protect our fisheries and our economy at both the state and federal levels.

House Bill 203 and Senate Bill 161 would ban bottom trawling in state waters. That’s a great start, but we also need to ban trawling in federal waters.

Here’s how you can support the state ban on trawling (SB 161 and HB 203) and urge our federal delegation (Murkowski, Sullivan, and Begich) to introduce legislation in Congress to ban trawling in federal and state waters:

Join us on Fridays from 4:00-5:00 pm at 510 L Street to send your message in favor of banning trawling to:

• Governor Dunleavy and your state legislators and
• Our federal delegation (Murkowski, Sullivan, and Begich)

If you can’t make it or aren’t located in Anchorage, email [email protected] and we will turn it in for you!

Sample Letter

Dear Alaskan Legislators,  

We, the undersigned, support Senate Bill 161, (SB 161) a bill that would prohibit Bottom Trawling, “An Act relating to the use of certain trawl or dredge fishing gear in state water; and providing for an effective date.” 

Alaska has seen a serious decline in sustainable oceanic resources that many families, communities, and villages rely on.  According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in 2024 the bottom trawl bycatch numbers in the Bering Sea and Gulf were as follows: 38,751 Chinook Salmon, 48,643 Chum Salmon, 4.5 MILLION pounds of Halibut, 950,680 Crabs, 3 MILLION pounds of herring, and 1 orca. So far in 2025 NOAA reports 18,612 Chinook Salmon, 954 Chum Salmon, 1.57 MILLION pounds of Halibut, 355,005 pounds Herring, and 137,181 Crabs.  

We support SB 161 as introduced by Representative Cronk and request that you support this necessary bill.