By Peggy Parker

With nearly all salmon runs in Alaska performing below historic averages — with the notable exception of Bristol Bay — Alaska's two US senators introduced a bill last week that would prioritize research to ultimately reverse the trend. 

If passed, the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act (S. 3429) would form a panel of Alaska's salmon stakeholders and research experts to study Pacific salmon trends and create a coordinated research strategy for Pacific salmon in Alaska to support salmon management. 

"It is difficult to overstate the importance of salmon to Alaska, our communities, our economy and our traditional way of life," said senator Dan Sullivan in a statement announcing the legislation [...]