Overview:
Mary Peltola made Alaska’s fisheries a central focus of a Senate debate in Kodiak, outlining proposals to address factory trawling, strengthen fishery management and increase Alaska Native representation. The former congresswoman highlighted her lifelong connection to Alaska’s fishing communities and her record of securing federal support for the state’s fisheries.
Native Vote 2026
U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola (Yup’ik) centered Alaska’s commercial fisheries and the future of fishing communities during Saturday’s congressional fisheries debate in Kodiak, outlining a plan that includes banning factory trawling and increasing Alaska’s role in fisheries management.
Peltola, a Democrat and former Alaska congresswoman, is challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan in the 2026 Senate election. The Sept. 12 debate was part of the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce’s long-running fisheries debate series, which brings candidates before Alaska’s fishing community to discuss issues affecting the state’s seafood industry.
In her closing statement, Peltola emphasized her lifelong connection to fishing and Alaska’s fisheries.
“For us, fish is more than food – it’s our way of life. It’s who we are. I started commercial fishing in Alaska when I was six years old. I’ve spent my life fighting for Alaska fisheries, and it’d be a privilege for me to continue that lifelong fight as your Senator,” Peltola said. “In the Senate, I’ll always put Alaska fishermen first. I’ll crack down on the Lower 48 factory trawler interests that are bleeding our state dry, and I’ll fight every day to support Alaska fishermen and secure the future of Alaska fisheries.”
Peltola grew up salmon fishing on the Kuskokwim River with her father and has made fisheries a central issue of her Senate campaign. In June, she released a plan calling for what she described as practical, Alaska-first solutions to declining fisheries and challenges facing fishing communities.
During the Kodiak debate, Peltola outlined several proposals, including banning factory trawling, keeping midwater trawlers from operating on the seafloor, fully funding fish stock assessments, strengthening fishery disaster funding and expanding Alaska’s mariculture industry.
She also called for creating Alaska Native seats on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which oversees federal fisheries in the region.
Peltola has previously introduced legislation addressing bycatch and bottom trawling and has advocated for stronger protections for Alaska fisheries. Her campaign says she helped secure more than $500 million in federal funding for Alaska’s fisheries during her time in Congress.
The campaign has also criticized Sullivan over his record on fisheries and his relationships with the trawling industry. Those criticisms are part of Peltola’s broader campaign argument that Alaska’s fisheries should receive greater protection from large, out-of-state fishing interests.
Peltola has made the decline of salmon runs and the economic and cultural importance of fisheries a central part of her Senate campaign.
“As someone who grew up salmon fishing on the Kuskokwim River with my father, I know firsthand that fish is more than food – it’s central to our Alaska way of life,” Peltola said when announcing her fisheries plan in June. “We don’t need more studies to tell us what’s happening in front of our eyes; Alaska needs bold action now to restore and protect our fish.”
The Kodiak debate was one of a series of fisheries-focused candidate forums held in the Alaska this month. The Kodiak Chamber of Commerce has hosted fisheries debates for more than 30 years, giving candidates an opportunity to address issues important to Alaska’s fishing industry and coastal communities.
