Alaska Senate Candidates Clash Over Factory Trawling Ban
Democratic candidate Mary Peltola and Republican Senator Dan Sullivan are debating restrictions on out-of-state factory trawlers to protect declining Alaskan fisheries.
Declining fisheries have emerged as a central issue in Alaska's midterm elections for the U.S. Senate and the governor's mansion. Democratic candidate Mary Peltola has centered her platform on protecting Alaskan families and rivers, proposing a ban on out-of-state factory trawlers to reduce bycatch that devastates salmon runs in western Alaska.
Republican incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan has countered these proposals by highlighting his own efforts to reduce juvenile salmon and halibut bycatch. Sullivan has also focused on targeting illegal fishing operations conducted by Russian and Chinese fleets.
A Data for Progress poll indicates that nearly three-quarters of Alaskans support a trawling ban. However, some local boat owners in Kodiak warn that such restrictions could destroy seafood-dependent communities. Both candidates have largely avoided discussing the role of climate change and warming waters in the fisheries' decline, focusing instead on regulatory issues and foreign competition.
