{"id":2671775,"date":"2026-09-28T09:16:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T13:16:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/key-alaska-senate-race-comes-down-to-one-issue-fish\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T09:21:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T13:21:25","slug":"key-alaska-senate-race-comes-down-to-one-issue-fish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/key-alaska-senate-race-comes-down-to-one-issue-fish\/","title":{"rendered":"Key Alaska Senate Race Comes Down to One Issue: Fish"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fkey-alaska-senate-race-comes-down-to-one-issue-fish%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2671775&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former Democratic Representative Mary Peltola of Alaska is focusing her campaign on fishing issues, emphasizing her personal connection to the industry as a Yup\u2019ik fisherman who grew up fishing on the Kuskokwim River. She has revived her longstanding \u201cFish, Family, Freedom\u201d slogan and advocates for banning factory trawling to protect local fisheries.The campaign debate highlights conflicts over bycatch-the unintended catch of salmon,halibut,and crabs in commercial fishing-blamed for declining fish stocks. Peltola criticizes her opponent, Senator Dan Sullivan, for supporting industrial fishing interests and legislation aimed at reducing bycatch, such as Sullivan\u2019s Bycatch Reduction Act, which the Senate Commerce Commitee recently passed. Sullivan touts his efforts on bycatch legislation and fish stock surveys, claiming progress in protecting fisheries. The race is seen as pivotal, potentially influencing control of the Senate, amid broader economic losses in Alaska\u2019s seafood industry. Both candidates accuse each other of siding with out-of-state industry interests and raising concerns over funding and environmental management of Alaska\u2019s vital fisheries.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola has made fishing the centerpiece of her campaign to unseat Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Peltola, who is Yup\u2019ik and grew up fishing on the Kuskokwim River, has revived her <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/alaskabeacon.com\/2022\/12\/12\/mary-peltola-ran-as-pro-fish-and-anti-bycatch-heres-what-her-agenda-could-look-like-in-congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">longtime<\/a> \u201cFish, Family, Freedom\u201d slogan from her House campaigns and is calling for a <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/marypeltola.com\/fish\/\">ban<\/a> on factory trawling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m the only candidate on this stage who\u2019s an Alaskan fisherman. Fish is in my blood, earned over generations on the water,\u201d Peltola said at a Sept. 12 fisheries debate hosted by the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce, the Alaska Beacon <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/alaskabeacon.com\/2026\/09\/21\/pitched-battle-for-alaskas-senate-seat-is-enveloped-in-a-fight-over-fish\/\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The Peltola and Sullivan campaigns and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation\u2019s requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The fight centers on bycatch \u2014 the salmon, halibut and crab swept up in the nets of large trawlers harvesting pollock and other groundfish in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska \u2014 which many Alaskans blame, at least in part, for weak salmon runs and declining halibut and crab stocks, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The race could help decide which party controls the Senate, Gunnar Knapp, a retired University of Alaska Anchorage economist, told the Beacon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Brett Watson, an economist at the University of Alaska Anchorage, told the outlet he could not recall fishing issues playing \u201csuch a central role in a statewide or federal campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Peltola and her supporters accuse Sullivan of siding with out-of-state industrial fishing companies that contribute to his campaign, according to the outlet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">North Star, a political action committee backing Peltola, says on its <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alaskanorthstar.com\/\">website<\/a> that Sullivan \u201cis looking out for his rich donors\u201d and that \u201cit\u2019s costing us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Sullivan\u2019s Bycatch Reduction Act <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sullivan.senate.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/commerce-committee-passes-sullivans-bycatch-reduction-act\/\">cleared<\/a> the Senate Commerce Committee on Sept. 16, and he called it \u201cthe most comprehensive trawl bycatch reduction bill, really, ever\u201d in a video posted to social media, the Beacon reported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Sullivan\u2019s office described the bill as an updated version of bycatch legislation he introduced last year. It would still need to pass the full Senate and the House to become law.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Sullivan also takes credit for the first-ever caps on chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock fishery, which the North Pacific Fishery Management Council approved in February, according to the Beacon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cMy opponent would empower a Seattle, Washington-based senator to be the next chairman of the Commerce Committee,\u201d Sullivan said at the Kodiak debate, referring to Democratic Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell. Washington is home to much of the trawl industry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Peltola has also criticized Sullivan for supporting cuts at NOAA, which she says have hurt the agency\u2019s ability to survey fish stocks, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cWe are flying blind without the surveys and the research that NOAA does,\u201d she said at the debate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Sullivan said at the same event that he is \u201ca strong supporter of our surveys\u201d and helped secure an additional $10 million for NOAA to conduct them, according to the Beacon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Peltola introduced her own bycatch <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/118th-congress\/house-bill\/8508\/text\">bill<\/a> in 2024, which trawl industry groups urged her to withdraw, while Sullivan\u2019s bill has drawn less industry opposition, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">President Donald Trump has vowed to campaign in Alaska for Sullivan, the Beacon <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/alaskabeacon.com\/2026\/09\/03\/president-trump-vows-to-campaign-in-alaska-for-incumbent-republican-us-sen-dan-sullivan\/\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Alaska\u2019s seafood industry lost an estimated $1.8 billion from 2022 to 2023, according to a NOAA <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/alaskabeacon.com\/2024\/10\/10\/alaskas-seafood-industry-lost-1-8-billion-last-year-noaa-report-says\/\">analysis<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. 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Mary Peltola emphasizes fishing in her campaign to unseat Sen. Sullivan, advocating for a trawling ban<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2671776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_3554.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[52920,17353,14322,5894,34723],"class_list":["post-2671775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-alaska-2","tag-conservation","tag-fish","tag-politics","tag-senate-race"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_3554.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2671775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2671775"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2671775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2671779,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2671775\/revisions\/2671779"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2671776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2671775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2671775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2671775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}