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SNAP work requirements don’t boost jobs, but drop participation, research finds

By: Kevin Hardy, Stateline

People shop for groceries at a Walmart store in Ohio. New research suggests SNAP work requirements won’t enhance employment and will push more people off of food assistance. (Photo by Marty Schladen/Ohio Capital Journal)

As states enact stricter work requirements for the federal food stamp program, a new analysis suggests those requirements won’t enhance employment and will push more people off of food assistance. 

The researchers conducted a review of studies on work requirements and concluded that “the best evidence shows they do not increase employment. Moreover, this research finds work requirements cause a large decrease in participation in SNAP.”

The research from The Hamilton Project, an economic policy initiative at the left-leaning Brookings Institution, comes at a time of major upheaval for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Participation is already declining as states implement changes mandated by the president’s major tax and domestic policy law enacted last summer. 

Since the fall, states and counties that administer SNAP have been notifying residents who rely on food stamps that they must meet work requirements or lose their food assistance. Those changes affected exemptions to work requirements for older adults, homeless people, veterans and some rural residents, among others. 

Known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the law mandated cuts to social service programs, including Medicaid and food stamps.

While SNAP enrollment is declining nationally, more people will likely lose food assistance as states continue to implement the work requirements and recertify participants, said Lauren Bauer, a fellow in economic studies at Brookings Institution and the associate director of The Hamilton Project. 

“Everything that we know about work requirements is that they do not increase employment among the groups that are subject to them,” she told Stateline. “All they do is make it more likely that they are disenrolled from the program. And so, should these work requirements continue to be rolled out and implemented, we would expect to see declining enrollment and no changes in employment.”

Bauer said the growing body of research on SNAP has changed her mind about its ability to affect employment. While food stamps reach millions of people each year, the program’s work requirements have proven ineffective, confusing and burdensome, she said. 

“I am now of the mind that SNAP should be an anti-hunger program, and there are many, many ways to do workforce development, career ladders, career training, job search — all of those things. That’s not an anti hunger program and it shouldn’t be associated with it.”

What’s more concerning to her is how the stricter work requirements will affect people who lose jobs in an economic downturn. Traditionally, SNAP has been one of the most effective social supports for the unemployed, helping people who lose their jobs quickly gain food assistance. But laid-off workers will increasingly be told they cannot receive benefits without working. 

“It’s just this dissonant, unhelpful interaction that you have with the government,” Bauer said. “I lost my job, I need food benefits. Well, you can only get food benefits if you have a job.”

At least 2.5 million low-income people, or 6% of those enrolled, have lost SNAP benefits since the legislation was signed into law, according to a study by the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities published Wednesday.

Bauer said it’s unclear how much of that decline is directly related to the federal legislation. That’s because SNAP participation generally declines during times of economic prosperity and increases during downturns.

But the program is facing unprecedented changes: Under the new law, states have also lost funding for nutrition education programs, must end eligibility for noncitizens such as refugees and asylees, and will lose work requirement waivers for those living in areas with limited employment opportunities. States are also forced to cover more of the costs of the program. 

Earlier this week, a USDA spokesperson applauded the drop in SNAP participation, noting the program’s rolls had fallen below 40 million for the first time since the pandemic. The spokesperson told States Newsroom the program would continue “to serve those with the greatest need while also strengthening program integrity.”

Republicans, including  U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, have defended the legislative changes to SNAP, arguing they will help eliminate waste and fraud in the program.

In a June news release, he characterized SNAP as a “bloated, inefficient program,” but said Americans who needed food assistance would still receive it.

“Republicans are proud to defend commonsense welfare reform, fiscal sanity, and the dignity of work,” Johnson said in the release.

Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy can be reached at khardy@stateline.org.

This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Alaska Beacon, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

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Alaska Senate advances bill granting past PFDs to wrongfully convicted Alaskans

Sen. Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks, speaks Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, on the floor of the Alaska Senate. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

By: Haley Lehman, Alaska Beacon

Sen. Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks, speaks Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, on the floor of the Alaska Senate. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

The Alaska Senate unanimously passed a bill Monday that would grant back Permanent Fund dividends to Alaskans whose convictions are vacated, reversed or dismissed.

Under current Alaska law, people who were sentenced or incarcerated as a result of a felony conviction or certain combinations of multiple misdemeanors forfeit their dividends that year and any following years of incarceration. An amount equivalent to the incarcerated person’s dividend is deposited into a restorative justice account.

Sen. Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks, the sponsor of Senate Bill 167, said Monday, “The state has a duty and obligation to rectify harm done to those who might have been wrongfully convicted and to those who have been exonerated of a crime.”

The bill would grant past dividends to people whose charges were later dismissed or if their conviction was vacated, their case was retried and they were acquitted. Individuals who qualify would have one year after their charges were reversed or dismissed to apply. Individuals whose charges were dropped as part of a plea agreement in another criminal case would not qualify for back payment of dividends.

When Kawasaki served in the House of Representatives, he sponsored a similar bill in 2017 that passed in that chamber 38-1.

Kawasaki told the Senate that this change would impact “very few people annually,” and would provide a “modest, essential source of income.”

The Department of Revenue was not able to determine the fiscal impact of the proposed legislation since the Permanent Fund Dividend Division does not know how many Alaskans with past vacated sentences will apply for a past year’s dividends. Funding for past PFDs comes from a reserve for prior years’ dividends in the budget.

The bill received support from Tanana Chiefs Conference and the nonprofit After Innocence.

Kawasaki estimated last year that Marvin Roberts, Eugene Vent, George Frese and Kevin Pease, known as the Fairbanks Four, would receive approximately $103,450 in back PFDs after they were wrongfully incarcerated in connection with the 1997 death of John Hartman.

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Dividing Telephone Hill into three lots rejected in 5–4 assembly vote

Juneau's Telephone Hill neighborhood is seen at center right, beneath the State Office Building, on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022. The neighborhood, owned by the state of Alaska, is being transferred to the City and Borough of Juneau. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Juneau’s Telephone Hill neighborhood is seen at center right, beneath the State Office Building. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

NOTN- Juneau’s Assembly narrowly rejected a plan during last night’s Committee of the Whole work session, to carve up the city-owned Telephone Hill property and sell most of it “as is,” choosing instead to stay the course for the time being.

“So spending time with all of you, a lot lately with the budget, and spending a lot of time in the office with budget stuff and the flood coming upon us, and an election coming upon us, I think it’s nice to get Telephone Hill off our plate.” Mayor Beth Weldon said, “However, my main reason for doing this is just the public outcry not to spend any more money on Telephone Hill.”

On a 5–4 vote last night, members voted down Weldon’s proposal to divide Telephone Hill into three lots, reserve one for potential Coast Guard or workforce housing, and sell the other two with existing homes still standing.

The draft plan envisioned minimum bids of about $1 million and $2 million for the properties.

Members argued the change would undercut years of planning for higher-density housing in the downtown core at a time when the city faces a severe housing shortage and an influx of Coast Guard families. Several members said splitting up the property now could limit the city’s ability to pursue a cohesive, larger-scale project.

“I object to this. It’s funny, I object to this on so many levels that it’s hard to know where to start.” Said Assembly member Alicia Hughes-Skandijs,”I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but my read on the motion that passed at the last meeting was to bring this back and talk about, where are we going? Do we still feel good? How are we going to get there? And then we have this from the mayor, I will say crazy idea with love, I wouldn’t say that to anyone else. I don’t understand at the heart of this, the sponsor statement is that this is about not spending any more funding on this project, this seems to try to care for other issues, which is to leave some of that land back to where it might not turn into what our current plans are for it. It does preserve a small amount for our housing goals, but even that, I don’t see how that coincides with the goal of not spending any more money. I don’t see this, if that is indeed your intended goal, as the best way to move forward with that.”

In a separate 5–4 vote, the Assembly agreed not to award a roughly $2.3 million demolition contract until after it sees responses to a Request for Qualifications from potential developers, expected later this year.

“I understand and see where the mayor is trying to go.” Said Deputy Mayor Greg Smith, “This has been a challenge for us. I have an idea, I would move, or someone else could move, to not award the bill to demolish until after the results of the RFQ have been returned, to see what people think and hear and, you know, get real proposals on how to develop this, see what can be done. There is uncertainty now that will provide more, getting the RFQ back, because this could be a transformative project for downtown and for our housing crisis.”

The city is also defending a lawsuit filed by several Assembly members seeking to halt demolition; a jury trial is set for August, though no court order currently blocks the work.

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President Donald Trump calls for repeal of ranked choice voting in Alaska

By: Sean Maguire, Alaska Beacon

 President Donald Trump speaks to the media in the Oval Office at the White House on Sept. 2, 2025 in Washington, D.C. 

President Donald Trump on Friday called on Alaska voters to repeal ranked choice voting at the November election.

“The Wonderful People of Alaska desperately want to restore Free, Fair, and Honest Elections in their Great State, and get rid of their disastrous, and very fraudulent, “Ranked-Choice Voting,” Trump said on Truth Social.

An effort to repeal ranked choice voting in 2024 failed by just 737 votes. A separate repeal initiative, sponsored by figures aligned with the Alaska Republican Party, is set to appear on the 2026 general election ballot. 

Trump gave his “complete and total support” to supporters of the repeal effort, including U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and Congressman Nick Begich, both Alaska Republicans running for reelection in November. 

The president’s post was seized on by Republican candidates for Alaska statewide office who echoed his calls to strike down the voting system.

Alaska voters narrowly approved a ballot measure in 2020 that implemented ranked choice voting for state and congressional elections, alongside open primary elections and tougher campaign finance disclosure requirements. 

Ranked-choice voting in Alaska lets voters pick candidates in order of preference rather than choosing just one. If no candidate wins a majority of first-choice votes, the lowest-ranked candidate is eliminated and those votes are redistributed until someone surpasses 50% of votes.

However, the new election system has been controversial. Opponents argue that ranked choice voting is unnecessarily complicated, while supporters say it has led to more moderate and consensus candidates elected.

Ranked voting, open primaries and the tougher campaign finance disclosure requirements would all be struck down if the 2026 ballot measure is approved by a majority of voters.

Alaska for Better Elections is a group running voter education campaigns in support of retaining ranked choice voting and open primaries. Executive Director Juli Lucky said Alaska’s election system has allowed policymakers across the political spectrum to work together without fear of challengers in partisan primaries. 

“I think Alaskans will reflect on the results we’ve seen to decide whether our system of open primaries, ranked choice voting, and the strictest campaign finance laws in the country works for them,” Lucky said by text message after Trump’s post. “Ultimately, Alaskans created and enacted this system, and Alaskans will decide whether we keep it.”

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Cruise companies to Alaska are avoiding a popular excursion to Tracy Arm after a massive landslide

This photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey looks up Tracy Arm fjord to the terminus of the South Sawyer Glacier about 80 miles southeast of Juneau, Alaska, on Aug. 13, 2025, days after a landslide in the area. (John Lyons/U.S. Geological Survey via AP)
This photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey looks up Tracy Arm fjord to the terminus of the South Sawyer Glacier about 80 miles southeast of Juneau, Alaska, on Aug. 13, 2025, days after a landslide in the area. (John Lyons/U.S. Geological Survey via AP)

AP- For years, a popular part of many cruises in southeast Alaska has been sailing up Tracy Arm, a long, narrow fjord marked by steep mountains, glittering waterfalls and calving glaciers.

But this season, major cruise lines are skipping it. A massive landslide last summer sent parts of a glacier crashing into the water, generated a tsunami and pushed a wave high up the opposite mountain wall. Several companies opting out cited safety concerns with the still-hazardous slopes.

“Tracy Arm is the majestic princess, you know, she is the queen of fjords,” said travel agent Nate Vallier.

The destination cruise and tour companies have chosen as an alternative — nearby Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier — is “still beautiful by any means, but it’s just not the same,” he said.

Tracy Arm, southeast of Juneau, is a roughly 30-mile (50-kilometer) fjord that features two tidewater glaciers — the North and South Sawyer — and wildlife, including seals and bears.

Early on Aug. 10, 2025, a landslide originating high on a slope above the toe of the South Sawyer, near the head of the fjord, sent water surging more than a quarter mile (more than half a kilometer) up the mountain wall opposite the slide and out Tracy Arm.

No ships were in the fjord, officials said, and no deaths or injuries were reported. But kayakers camped on an island near where Tracy and Endicott arms meet had much of their gear swept away by the rushing water.

Southeast Alaska, largely encompassed by a temperate rainforest, is no stranger to landslides. And while it’s long been known the fjord network in the Tracy Arm region has been susceptible, the slope that failed had not been identified as an active hazard before last summer’s collapse, said Gabriel Wolken, manager of the state’s climate and ice hazards program.

Scientists are working to understand not only what caused the slope to collapse but to understand what other hazards might exist in the fjord, he said.

The area remains unstable, said Steven Sobieszczyk, a U.S. Geological Survey spokesperson. Steep landslide areas continue to change for years after an initial slide, he said by email.

“Continued rockfall and small-scale sliding from the exposed landslide scar are expected and could impact the water, potentially causing a future localized tsunami,” he said.

Major cruise companies, including Holland America, Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean said in response to inquiries from The Associated Press that they are replacing a Tracy Arm visit with Endicott Arm. MSC Cruises, Virgin Voyages and regional tour company Allen Marine also are doing Endicott and Dawes Glacier instead. Norwegian Cruise Line said it does not have voyages sailing by Tracy Arm.

Endicott already has been a stop for some ships previously and an alternative when conditions in Tracy Arm, such as excess ice, have been unsafe.

Vallier, who owns the Alaska Travel Desk, said he would have liked cruise companies to give travelers more advance notice about itinerary changes.

After leaving Seattle, the first ships of the season are due April 21 in Ketchikan and in Juneau the following week.

Seeing a glacier — particularly a dynamic, calving glacier — is a bucket-list item for many tourists, and that’s what has made Tracy Arm so popular, he said. While the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau is a major attraction for the capital city and cruise port, many visitors view it from across a large lake, and it has diminished or entirely retreated from view from some hiking overlooks.

Kimberly Lebeda of Wichita, Kansas, was excited when she booked tickets for a Tracy Arm excursion for her family last year. Lebeda, who researches areas she visits, said she was sold on the scenery.

But the night before the stop, they were told that due to ice in Tracy Arm, they would go up Endicott instead. Her family and others who’d booked the excursion got off the ship and onto a smaller boat with glass windows, abundant seating and snacks. They saw seals on ice floes, waterfalls and “a wall of ice” calve from Dawes Glacier, she said.

She called it “an amazing thing to witness.”

“Was it worth it? Yes, because I don’t know if I’ll ever get to do that trip again,” she said. “Again, I haven’t ever been to Tracy Arm so I can’t really compare. But to me, was it worth it and was it exciting? Absolutely.”

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Alaska Gov. Dunleavy signs nearly $450M supplemental budget to cover state expenses this year

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to reporters on Thursday, April 17, 2025, with Deena Bishop, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, looking on in the background. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

By: Corinne Smith, Alaska Beacon

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to reporters on Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed off on a supplemental budget bill that authorizes nearly $450 million in additional state spending this year. 

The budget bill covers additional costs incurred by the state this fiscal year ending in June, including funds for disaster relief, education, corrections and transportation. 

The bill was approved by the Alaska State Legislature two weeks ago. Dunleavy signed the budget on Apr. 2, and transmitted it back to the Legislature on Thursday. 

“I appreciate the Legislature’s support of these proposals,” Dunleavy said in a letter announcing his signature on the bill. “The supplemental budget I have signed into law today enables the State to meet current fiscal year responsibilities and represents prudent and fiscally responsible investments in emergency and fire response, public safety and statewide transportation needs.”

The budget includes $75 million for disaster relief to address the response to the Western Alaska storms last fall, and nearly $100 million for fire suppression, particularly in Interior Alaska. It includes $20 million for the Alaska Department of Corrections overtime expenses, as well as $70 million in time-sensitive funding for transportation — sought by the construction industry to unlock a federal match of $630 million for state construction projects.

It also includes $130 million for the Alaska Higher Education Fund which provides grants and scholarships for students, as well as $34.4 million for Medicaid and $12.8 million for other public assistance programs through the Alaska Department of Health. 

The governor’s office submitted an additional $11.6 million request, but it was submitted too late to include in the budget bill, and will be rolled into the proposal for next year’s budget. 

Additionally, the state is waiting on an appeal decision after failing a federal disparity test for education funding, and could potentially be liable for $72 million in K-12 funding for next year, according to officials with the Legislative Finance Division. 

Oil revenues still uncertain

In the Legislature, the bill was delayed this year amid ongoing debate in the House of Representatives on whether to pay for the larger than usual budget bill out of state savings — an act that requires the approval of three-quarters of legislators.

Members of the House Republican minority caucus objected to spending from a state savings account, the Constitutional Budget Reserve. After the Alaska Department of Revenue projected the state would see an additional $500 million in oil revenue due to a surge in oil prices driven by the Iran war, they argued the state would not need to pull from savings to pay its bills. 

Members of the multipartisan House majority caucus objected to the uncertainty of revenue forecasts and future oil prices, and argued for a draw from state savings to fund the budget bill immediately.

If oil-driven state revenues from now until the end of the fiscal year are not sufficient to cover the $450 million supplemental budget, then lawmakers agreed to draw from state savings. That means oil prices must average approximately $82 per barrel of oil through June for state revenue to cover spending, according to officials with the Legislative Finance Division. 

House Speaker Rep. Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, was among legislators who supported the draw from savings several weeks ago, instead of banking on uncertain future oil revenues. On Friday, he said it seems revenues will cover the budget bill. 

“As appears now, oil prices are continuing to move in an upward trajectory, which means that the bill at the very end could be fully funded,” Edgmon said. “But there’s still a fair amount of time in front of us for oil prices to, you know, continue to be volatile.”

Edgmon said barring a dive in oil prices, he doesn’t expect another vote on drawing from the state savings this session.

“That’s pending a dramatic drop in oil prices, of course, which doesn’t seem to be on the horizon.”

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Alaska House legislator’s aide arrested for DUI in Juneau

Snow falls on the Alaska State Capitol on Monday, March 16, 2026, in Juneau, Alaska. (James Brooks photo/Alaska Beacon)

By: James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

Snow falls on the Alaska State Capitol on Monday, March 16, 2026, in Juneau, Alaska. (James Brooks photo/Alaska Beacon)

The chief of staff for a member of the Alaska House of Representatives was arrested early Sunday morning in Juneau and accused of driving under the influence of alcohol. 

Kathryn “Katy” Giorgio, 45, is an aide to Rep. Genevieve Mina, D-Anchorage, and pleaded not guilty to a class A misdemeanor in an initial hearing on Monday. 

Her arrest came less than a week after Forrest Wolfe, a Republican and aide to Gov. Mike Dunleavy, was also arrested for driving under the influence. It was Wolfe’s second DUI arrest and Giorgio’s first. 

Giorgio was released without bail. Ordinarily, DUI release conditions require that accused Alaskans stay out of bars and other places where alcohol is served.

In Giorgio’s case, Judge Kirsten Swanson and the municipal prosecutor agreed to one exception: Giorgio will be allowed to play trombone this week in the Red Dog Saloon as part of an Alaska Folk Fest concert.

Mina declined comment when reached by phone Thursday evening but confirmed that Giorgio remains a member of her staff and that the matter is an internal personnel issue.

Giorgio declined on Thursday to speak at length about the incident but said “it was a bad decision.”

“I was not driving erratically. I was a block away from my house, and it was just an unfortunate situation, and I’m working through the system to do what I have to do,” she said.

In an affidavit submitted to prosecutors, Juneau Police Department Officer Joshua Shrader said he pulled over Giorgio about 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning after observing her car speeding and “driving down the center of the road” in Juneau’s Mendenhall Valley neighborhood.

“While Giorgio was searching for her registration,” he wrote, “I noted an open can of alcohol in the center console cup holder. Inside the center console glove box, Giorgio picked up another can of alcohol and attempted to conceal it in a napkin.”

Shrader said both Giorgio and the car smelled of alcohol, and her breath alcohol level measured at 0.126, more than the legal limit of 0.08.

A status hearing on Giorgio’s case has been preliminarily scheduled for April 24. A hearing in Wolfe’s case is scheduled for May 18. According to online court records, both have hired defense attorney August Petropulos. 

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Alaska Legislature moves to support international worker visas

Jobs wanted image

NOTN- An Alaska Senate committee on Wednesday advanced a resolution backing federal visa programs that lawmakers say are critical to the state’s seasonal workforce and public schools.

Senate Joint Resolution 28, heard in the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee, puts the Alaska Legislature on record in support of the J-1 and H-1B visa programs and urges the state’s congressional delegation to work with federal policymakers to preserve and strengthen them.

A similar resolution was heard in the Senate Education committee Wednesday as well, in support of H-1B international educators.

“Senate Joint Resolution 28 very simply, recognizes the important role that visa programs such as the J1 visa program, and the H-1B program, play to the economy and the education of children and young adults across Alaska.” Said legislative aide Mike Mason, “These international visa workers are vital to filling Alaska’s diverse workforce needs. If you travel around Alaska, especially this summer, you are going to see these visa workers filling very important jobs across the state. This resolution simply puts the Alaska legislature on record as supporting these visa programs.”

The measure also objects to a steep federal fee increase on certain H-1B petitions, from $5,000 to $100,000, which supporters say has effectively shut Alaska’s public schools out of the program.

“That fee effectively ended most employers ability to fill these open jobs through this program.” Mason said.

Lawmakers adopted an amendment, to explicitly include H-2B visas, which cover temporary nonagricultural workers.

Public testimony on the resolution was brief but supportive.

Jonathan Schaffer said his experience working with J-1 participants in seasonal jobs across the country showed clear benefits for both employers and workers.

“Having worked in seasonal employment across the United States with a number of J-1 enrollees, I can say that the program, in my opinion, benefits both employers and those enrolled in it. It is remarkable the opportunities that are provided for people in small communities to learn about the world around them from the people who travel there to serve visitors, who travel from all over the place. It is remarkable the benefit that those who enroll in the J-1 program have in gaining a more positive view of the United States, which they take back to their communities around the world.”

The committee voted without objection to move the resolution.

It now heads to further consideration in the Legislature.

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Roe seized from factory trawler accused of fishing violations in Alaska’s Bering Sea

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL 751) seized approximately 5.4 metric tons of unreported pollock roe from the catcher-processor vessel Northern Eagle approximately 17 miles north of Dutch Harbor March 28, 2026. At the request of NOAA Fisheries OLE, Waesche 's boarding team remained with the Northern Eagle as it transited to Dutch Harbor. They observed the offload and documented 11,524 boxes of pollock roe, which was 241 boxes more than the 11,283 declared in the vessel's production report. (U.S. Coast Guard courtesy photo)

By: Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL 751) seized approximately 5.4 metric tons of unreported pollock roe from the catcher-processor vessel Northern Eagle approximately 17 miles north of Dutch Harbor March 28, 2026. At the request of NOAA Fisheries OLE, Waesche ‘s boarding team remained with the Northern Eagle as it transited to Dutch Harbor. They observed the offload and documented 11,524 boxes of pollock roe, which was 241 boxes more than the 11,283 declared in the vessel’s production report. (U.S. Coast Guard courtesy photo)

The U.S. Coast Guard said it has seized 5.4 metric tons of allegedly unreported pollock roe and discovered several significant fishing violations aboard one of the biggest factory trawlers operating in the Bering Sea off Alaska.

The enforcement action, announced by the Coast Guard on Monday, is against the Northern Eagle, a catcher-processor owned and operated by Seattle-based American Seafoods. The company disputes the allegation.

A team from the cutter Waesche boarded the Northern Eagle on March 26 when the trawler was about 15 nautical miles north of Dutch Harbor, the Coast Guard said in a statement. The action followed an alert from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement about discrepancies between the vessel’s production reports and electronic logbook. 

“The integrity of fisheries data is paramount for the sustainability of our nation’s living marine resources,” Captain Tyson Scofield, commanding officer of the Waesche, said in the Coast Guard statement. “This seizure highlights the Coast Guard’s commitment to enforcing federal law with our partner agencies to ensure a level playing field for all fishermen who follow the rules.”

Pollock roe is considered a delicacy in some Asian nations; Japan and Korea are the main markets for it.

The unreported roe aboard the Northern Eagle was worth $65,000, the Coast Guard said. 

The Coast Guard team remained with the Northern Eagle as it sailed to Dutch Harbor, and the team observed and documented the crew offloading 11,524 boxes of pollock roe, the statement said. That was 241 more boxes than what had been declared in the Northern Eagle’s log.

The catcher-processor vessel Northern Eagle, owned by Seattle-based American Seafoods, is seen by the Coast Guard approximately 17 miles north of Dutch Harbor. The Coast Guard said a crew from the cutter Waesche boarded the ship on March 26, 2026, and seized approximately 5.4 metric tons of allegedly unreported pollock roe. (Photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard)
The catcher-processor vessel Northern Eagle, owned by Seattle-based American Seafoods, is seen by the Coast Guard approximately 17 miles north of Dutch Harbor. The Coast Guard said a crew from the cutter Waesche boarded the ship on March 26, 2026, and seized approximately 5.4 metric tons of allegedly unreported pollock roe. (Photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard)

The investigation also uncovered evidence indicating that the Northern Eagle crew, in a previous voyage, had underreported about 12.4 metric tons of pollock roe worth an estimated $150,000, the Coast Guard said.

American Seafoods on Tuesday disputed the Coast Guard’s characterization of events and issued a statement “to correct the public record, address inaccurate narratives, and clarify the nature of this regulatory inquiry.”

The company said the issue is a simple paperwork discrepancy arising from different methodologies rather than deliberate misreporting. The discrepancy was the result of minor and routine differences between estimated daily numbers and final reconciled numbers, the company said in the statement.

“We strongly reject any narrative that portrays a discrepancy in daily estimated production as an intentional breach of conservation measures that protect our fishery,” Inge Andreassen, American Seafoods’ president, said in the statement. “There is no economic motive to report anything other than exactly what we produce.” 

American Seafoods is one of the major harvesters of Bering Sea pollock. The company has a fleet of seven vessels, five of which are engaged in the pollock fishery. The Northern Eagle, at 341 feet and with space for 143 crew members, is American Seafoods’ longest vessel, according to the company’s website.

Roe is collected from Bering Sea pollock in the early part of the year. The annual Bering Sea pollock harvest is divided into two parts. A winter-spring “A Season” is conducted in the first half the year, usually from January to April, and targets fish when they are spawning and the females are carrying eggs. A subsequent “B Season” starts in June and runs through the fall, usually resulting in a total harvest of higher quantity but focused more on fish fillets and products that are made from them.

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House committee advances governor appointee for Alaska Police Standards Council with some skepticism

By: Corinne Smith, Alaska Beacon

An Alaska State Trooper conducts a traffic stop outside Wasilla in early 2024. (Photo courtesy of Alaska State Troopers)

The House State Affairs committee advanced a governor’s appointee for a public seat on the Alaska Police Standards Council with some skepticism on Tuesday.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed Veronica Lambertsen to serve in one of four public seats on the 13-member Alaska Police Standards Council, which oversees law enforcement standards across the state. 

The council is charged with setting and enforcing standards for law enforcement certification, as well as training and retention for all police, probation, parole and correctional officers. Members are also tasked with adopting state regulations and investigating police misconduct, like officer discipline and use-of-force. 

Lambertsen is a small business owner, and since 2001 has operated the Bird Creek Motel in Bird Creek, a small unincorporated area south of Anchorage, according to her resume. She has volunteered on the Turnagain Arm Community Council since 2023, which serves the communities of Bird Creek, Indian and Rainbow. 

Lambertsen’s resume lists no formal educational or professional training experience, and describes her education as “homeschooled.”

Lawmakers seemed skeptical of her qualifications, and asked Lambertsen about her connection with law enforcement or public safety issues at a confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

Members of the House State Affairs Committee consider the governor's appointees for the Alaska Police Standards Council and the Board of Parole on Apr. 7, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Members of the House State Affairs Committee consider the governor’s appointees for the Alaska Police Standards Council and the Board of Parole on Apr. 7, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Rep. Steve St. Clair, R-Wasilla asked if she had law enforcement experience. 

“Not active duty or anything,” said Lambertsen by phone. “But being a small business owner, and in reflection of owning a cafe and a motel, I’ve had a lot of experience with law enforcement, and yes, there’s a lot of incidents that have happened regularly, and there’s been a relationship.”

The council has 11 seats reserved for members in leadership positions with law enforcement or corrections, and four seats for members of the public, including two from communities of 2,500 population or less. 

Rep. Rebecca Himschoot, I-Sitka asked Lambertson what perspective she would bring to the statewide council. “How will you help make this a better council?” she asked.

Lambertsen told lawmakers she would bring a “public perspective” and said she’s interested in working on standards for training. 

Committee members were unsure on Tuesday if police training is required for appointees to the Council. Lambert said it was not, but added that members have the opportunity to take police standards classes.

Officials with the Alaska Department of Public Safety confirmed Wednesday public members of the council do not need to have any law enforcement connection.

Lambertsen serves as the volunteer secretary for the Anchorage chapter of Moms for Liberty, according to her resume, a far-right national group that advocates for parental rights, and is known for its advocacy against school curricula that includes LGBTQ rights. Some chapters advocate for book bans. 

The group has been deemed an “antigovernment” group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization, and has known ties to other extremist or hate groups. 

Lawmakers did not ask about Lambertsen’s affiliation with the group, or how it would affect her role on the Alaska Police Standards Council. 

Lambertsen responded to questions about her affiliation with the group by email on Wednesday, saying that her position with Moms for Liberty “had nothing to do with anti-student inclusion.” 

“My understanding of Moms for Liberty was asking for curriculum being provided by teachers to educate children to be age appropriate, especially for Early Childhood Learning to 6th Grade Learning, for parents to ask questions about curriculum of the School Districts and not allow “soft porn books” in schools and libraries for children of all ages to have access to,” she said. “Certain books should be available in older age sections with accessibility to that age group.”

Lambertsen did not respond to questions about how her political views would influence her role on the council. 

In an interview Wednesday, Rep. Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks, chair of the House State Affairs Committee, said the committee’s review process is “like a job interview” and a procedural step before a full vote before a joint session of the Legislature. But she said she has concerns about partisan conservative nominees appointed by Dunleavy, including Lambertsen, across state boards. 

“It really leads to a lean of our state boards and commissions and those decision making services towards potentially a partisan flavor,” she said. “And I think after eight years of this administration, we are seeing some of the impacts of that.”

Carrick said each lawmaker does their own research on nominees for a final vote in a joint session of the Legislature. She said she prefers to contact nominees privately with concerns, rather in the committee process, and also relies on public input. 

“I think at this point I would really need to hear from folks around the state if they’re also concerned,” she said. “And hopefully the hearing just brought just a little bit of attention to this appointee and what she’s being appointed for.”

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