Alaska Senators and NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator to Speak with Industry at Annual Wild Alaska Pollock Meeting

 

SEATTLE, Wash.— NOAA Fisheries Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Eugenio Piñeiro Soler will speak with Wild Alaska Pollock industry and allied industry leaders when they gather for their Annual Meeting about challenges and opportunities for the fishery and seafood in the U.S. writ large under President Trump. Senator Dan Sullivan, Senator Lisa Murkowski and other dignitaries from both Alaska and Washington state will also participate in the meeting, to be held once again at the W Hotel in downtown Seattle on September 18, 2025.   

“We are truly honored to have such distinguished leaders join us for the Wild Alaska Pollock Annual Meeting,” said Bob Desautel, Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) Chairman of the Board. “We know that Alaska Seafood—and especially Wild Alaska Pollock—are at a critical stage in our industry’s evolution. Now is the time we need leaders like NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Piñeiro Soler and Senators Sullivan and Murkowski to join us to safeguard our long-term future and the long-term future of the communities throughout Alaska that depend on our industry’s continued ability to operate.”

Senator Sullivan will join the meeting virtually, as Congress will be in-session during the Annual Meeting, and provide live remarks on a variety of current events and take questions from meeting attendees. Senator Murkowski will provide video remarks for the event.

In the afternoon, to kick off sessions focused on the fishery and its continuous improvement journey, NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Piñeiro Soler will share highlights on NOAA’s ongoing work to support the industry, including updates on the agency’s response to the Executive Order on Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness. He will then be joined on stage by NOAA Fisheries’ Regional Administrator for Alaska Jon Kurland, At-Sea Processors Association CEO Matt Tinning and GAPP CEO Craig Morris for a panel discussion about challenges and opportunities for the future of fishery management.

“It seems like with each passing year, changes are happening more and more quickly,” said Morris. “This is certainly a dynamic time and a dynamic Administration, and we look forward to hearing first-hand from NOAA Fisheries leadership about how the longstanding public-private partnership between NOAA and the Alaska Pollock industry will evolve and change to meet President Trump’s objectives and what we can do to support those goals.”

Alaska business leaders and representatives from the Port of Seattle will also share remarks and insights at the event.

The W Hotel in downtown Seattle will play host to the annual meeting for the second consecutive year. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 5:00 p.m., with an evening networking reception to immediately follow. Full registration information is available here for those wishing to attend the Wild Alaska Pollock Annual Meeting. GAPP's annual meeting is exclusively for those connected to the Wild Alaska Pollock industry, and registration is subject to GAPP approval.

For guests traveling to Seattle for the meeting, meeting attendees can enjoy a 7% discount on Alaska Airlines for flights to and from Seattle. Please reach out to GAPP directly at [email protected] to receive your discount flight code.

GAPP would like to thank its generous sponsors for this year’s event: USI Insurance Services (Title); Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Aquamar, Global Seas, and Port of Seattle (Gold); AgWest Farm Credit Services, American Seafoods, Arctic Storm Management Group, Beck Pack Systems, Delta Western Petroleum, Glacier Fish Company, Global Seafood Alliance, Gorton’s Seafood, Marine Stewardship Council, NORPEL, Trident Seafoods, UniSea, Westward Fishing Company, and Westward Seafoods, (Silver); Alaska Airlines, APICDA, Clark Nuber, , Golden Alaska Seafoods, Highland Refrigeration, Holland America Line, Industrial Resources, Inc., Islandsbanki, iTUB, KAPP, Key Bank, King & Prince Seafood, Lynden, NSEDC, Phoenix Processor Limited Partnership, and Restaurant Depot (Bronze); Alaskan Observers, Inc., Angulas Aguinaga, BAADER, Bank of America, Blueprint Alaska Advocacy & Strategy, Boyce Food Safety Consulting, IMA Corporation, Seamark, and Trans-Ocean Products (Supporting).