Peltola sponsors a bill to limit salmon bycatch. The pollock industry calls it ‘unworkable.’

Alaska Congresswoman Mary Peltola introduced two bills Wednesday that aim to deliver on one of her campaign themes: Reducing the number of salmon that the Bering Sea fishing fleet catches by accident.would curtail the use of fishing nets that scrape sensitive parts of the sea floor. It would require regional fisheries management councils to designate bottom trawl zones and limit that kind of fishing to those areas.

Peltola acknowledges that her bills are unlikely to become law this year. But she said they elevate the national discourse on fish. And, she said, the pollock industry is starting to get the message and is taking voluntary measures to avoid salmon. She credits, among other things, her own election for a recent drop in bycatch.

“The council has been looking at pelagic gear definitions, the enforceability, and they continue to look at that,” Madsen said. “And that’s where we think the work needs to be done.”

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Peltola sponsors a bill to limit salmon bycatch. The pollock industry calls it ‘unworkable.’The bill would restrict bottom trawling. Another would boost grants for research. But Peltola acknowledges Congress is unlikely to pass them.
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