Riley Green never planned on becoming known as the “mustache guy,” but a simple shaving decidson has since turned into the most defining part of his look. During a recent interview with the TODAY Show, the country star opened up about how the facial hair came to be and the buzz that surrounds it.
“[The] mustache for me was somewhat of an accident. I think every guy goes through that phase when they’re shaving and they try goatee and they try a mustache. It just stuck. And now it’s a whole thing,” he admitted.
Riley Green; Photo Via YouTube
These days, Green reveals he can’t get through a performance without seeing some real and fake mustaches in the crowd as a nod to his signature look.
“I didn’t know I was going to be the mustache guy, but here I am,” he added.
The Alabama native has found that there are a quite a few perks that come with having such a well-known mustache. Beyond making him instantly recognizable, Green believes that his mustache and cowboy hat could also give him a leg up when it comes to winning over contestants as a coach on Season 30 of The Voice.
“I’m the only one with a cowboy hat, so I think that’d be my way to get, especially those country acts…Mustache also helps,” he noted.
Continuing to speak on his new role on the singing competition series, Green admitted that his biggest competition is going to be Kelly Clarkson because she likely has the best chance out of all his fellow coaches in snagging the country contestants.
“It’s tough because…Adam [Levine’s] been there forever. Queen Latifah is very, very famous. I think probably Kelly Clarkson. She’s going to try to get some of my country acts on the show I know.”
When asked what the funniest thing that’s happened during the filming process for the show so far, Green instantly pointed to the host, Carson Daly’s humor.
“Carson’s had some funny moments backstage. I would say trying to figure out the coach’s song. We all do a song together. That creatively has been a lot of fun.”
The Voice will return to NBC for its milestone 30th on Monday, September 21 at 8/7c on NBC with returning coaches, Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson sitting alongside Queen Latifah and Riley Green who are both set to make their coaching debut.
Meanwhile, the “Worst Way” singer is currently in the midst of his largest headlining tour to date, his Cowboy As It Gets Tour, which will take him to major cities and arenas across the country through December.
If you love the taste of Kerrygold Butter but not its steep price tag, here’s a cheaper alternative that tastes just as good for a fraction of the price.
A sign in support of Whittier’s Samoan residents is seen outside a harbor shot on July 17, 2025. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Following a ruling by the Alaska Court of Appeals, the Alaska Department of Law has dropped criminal charges against 11 American Samoan residents of Whittier who were accused of illegal voting.
American Samoans are U.S. nationals but not citizens and thus cannot vote in Alaska elections.
All 11 said they were unaware that they could not vote in local elections and said they were misinformed by local elections officials.
Smith, who was charged in 2023, sought to have her case dismissed. A Superior Court judge denied that request, but Smith appealed, and the Court of Appeals ruled this month that in order to convict someone of voting illegally, prosecutors must prove that someone intentionally sought to deceive elections officials when they cast an illegal vote.
The Department of Law had brought charges against Smith and others under a different standard, one that doesn’t require an intent to deceive.
Rather than appeal the Court of Appeals interpretation to the Alaska Supreme Court, the Department of Law dropped the charges.
“Our prosecutors have an obligation to follow the law as it is written and to apply it faithfully to the cases before us,” said Acting Alaska Attorney General Cori Mills in a statement published Friday. “It is sometimes the case that courts reach a different conclusion about what the law requires the state to prove, as the Court of Appeals has done here. This requires us to re-evaluate whether the state can prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt under the new standard, and after reviewing the decision and applying the facts, we don’t think we can do that.”
Attorneys for Smith and the other Whittier residents accused of wrongdoing said they were happy with the result but disappointed that it took years to resolve.
“We could not have been happier when we heard the news. This was a major stress. It feels like a dark cloud hanging over our heads has been removed. I could not help but worry about worst-case scenarios, and how to deal with not seeing my kids if I’m taken away to prison,” said Michael Pese, Smith’s husband and one of the 10 other American Samoans charged by the state.
“It feels good after everything we’ve been through. We are relieved to no longer have to worry about who will watch our kids if we are both put in jail,” Smith said.
“The state’s dismissal of charges is welcome, but these searches, arrests and prosecutions should never have been done in the first place,” said Charles Ala’ilima, an American Samoan attorney who represented Smith and Michael Pese, her husband.
“These prosecutions were traumatizing, not just for those charged, but for the entire American Samoan community in Alaska. It opens all of our eyes to the real difficulties we face as American Samoans because of our current ambiguous and, in my opinion, unconstitutional, noncitizen second-class legal status imposed by federal statute,” Ala’ilima added.
Week 1 gave us explosive offenses and a huge movement in the league rankings. Colin Cowherd dropped a whole new “Herd Hierarchy” on Tuesday’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” featuring a seismic shift in his top 10 teams entering Week 2. The Houston Texans and Denver Broncos weren’t the only ones left out of Cowherd’s top 10. The Los Angeles Rams also plummeted outside the rankings after a loss to the 49ers, followed by the news of Myles Garrett heading to injured reserve. Cowherd still believes in the Rams, but without Garrett on the field, he simply can’t keep them in his top 10 as there are too many question marks. Given how unpredictable Week 1 turned out, plenty of teams still have time to work their way onto the list. But for now, here are Cowherd’s top 10 teams heading into Week 2. Cowherd’s Thoughts: “The Eagles are maddening. Five three and outs… seriously? But it is the best roster in the NFL and Jalen Hurts leads the NFL in completions, touchdowns and pass attempts over 25-plus yards. I think they’re better without A.J. Brown. They’ll spread the ball around. I can’t keep [out] the best roster in football that I picked to win a division with one ugly outing.” Cowherd’s Thoughts: “I have the Bengals as the second-most-improved team. I have them as a playoff team. I think Chase Brown is the best running back in the NFL. Nobody talks about his last six games. A touchdown and a half. They went and bought a defense and you could tell, much bigger, much faster and much more physical. Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe, Cashius Howell. The defense is different and every time Joe Burrow gets you know a little help, he’s a playoff quarterback.” Cowherd’s Thoughts: “I don’t care what any of you say. The Giants are talented. They have a culture issue, not a talent issue. Abdul Carter and Brian Burns on the edge. Tell me a better edge rushing tandem than those guys. [Malik] Nabers, Jaxson Dart, [Cam] Skattebo, Arvell Reese. How about Francis Mauigoa, the offensive lineman? 36 pass blocking snaps, didn’t allow a hit. Talent is not the issue. They could use another corner. It was a coaching, culture, and health issue. Jaxson Dart, Skattebo, Reese, Burns, Abdul Carter, Andrew Thomas. Dudes are not the problem. I had them as the most improved team.” Cowherd’s Thoughts: “Kansas City. Listen, maybe they’re low, but what I watched last night was something called a run game. You got to go back to Priest Holmes and Jamaal Charles. Like, wow. I mean, I like Kenneth Walker when he’s healthy. I thought it was really smart. They didn’t have [Patrick] Mahomes throw the ball down the field much. I thought it was a really smart, intentional game plan. Now, how much of it is like Bo Nix may not be the guy, and how much is the defense? We don’t know that. But it was Andy Reid off a bye, or Andy Reid in September is just no fun to play, but you got to admit, and many of you don’t want to… that was impressive.” Cowherd’s Thoughts: “Listen, [Kyle] Shanahan’s 12-7 against [Sean] McVay, but again, it’s not that they won. We know they’re talented. We just don’t know if they’re going to last. I compared them to “Game of Thrones”. Great early, good in the middle and a lot of your favorite characters won’t be around at the end. I don’t know how healthy they’ll be, but their starters: Deebo [Samuel] and Mike Evans had 12 catches. They knocked the Rams on their keister for three and a half hours. There was nothing not to like. In Week 6, they could be out five starters, but today, Herd Hierarchy week one, I’ve got them at six.” Cowherd’s Thoughts: “I mean, I’m sorry, folks. What do you want me to say? The last 10 regular season games, they’re beating the you know what on everybody. I mean, I know Cleveland’s bad, but it’s not just Liam Cohen and Trevor Lawrence. Go look at their defense. They have six games allowing 10 or fewer points since the start of last season. They’re doing it on both sides. We don’t talk about them. We don’t want to talk about them. But it was that last year when they went to Denver and blew out the Broncos. It was like, yeah, I think they’re good. If they were in New York, if they were in Dallas, would we struggle looking at this team and saying they’re five? No, of course. They’re good. We got to own it.” Cowherd’s Thoughts: “The first team with six rushing touchdowns in a season opener since the 1922 Canton Bulldogs. Here’s the thing: first it was Bill Walsh, then it was Andy Reid for 20 years, then it was Shanahan and McVay. We have found our next great offensive coach. Ben Johnson is different. I said I went to one practice and it was like whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa. What am I watching? Rome Odunze now is healthy, folks. To drop 59 points is one thing. No defensive touchdowns. Colston Loveland didn’t have a catch. Now I don’t know if they can generate the kind of pass rush that can put great quarterbacks in discomfort. I don’t know if they can do that, but I said it last year. Caleb [Williams] is different. Ben Johnson’s different. This is different. This could be a Reid-Mahomes thing we’re talking about. It’s not just good. I’ve seen good. DeMeco Ryans, C.J. Stroud. Oh, I like those two working together. Now, this is not good. It’s special.” Cowherd’s Thoughts: “Outgained the Colts by 255 yards. Daniel Jones looked like they didn’t want to get hit. I think everybody – Chris Ballard, Shane Steichen – everybody’s under pressure. It was impressive. I’ve fallen in love with Baltimore a lot in week one, two and three when Lamar’s healthy. But Jesse Minter, go look at the Chargers’ defense. He left. Go look at the Ravens’ performance. He arrived. I put them at three.” Cowherd’s Thoughts: “I [would] put them at one, but Sam Darnold’s not healthy. Seattle’s the only team in the league that can have 10 penalties, multiple turnovers, not play well and beat good teams. They did it last year against the Rams and the Texans. They didn’t play particularly well: 10 penalties, new offensive coordinator, out of sorts and they beat the Patriots and really shut them down totally in the fourth quarter. So I think between coach and general manager and depth of roster and speed, they’re not a top team with Drew Lock. “But Drew Lock’s now been around. Now he gets first team snaps for the last eight to nine games because they played on Wednesday. So I think they drop to a number two or three team. If Sam plays, I put them at one.” Cowherd’s Thoughts: “I have Buffalo in the Super Bowl. So again, like the Bengals and the Giants, I have Buffalo in the Super Bowl. Offensive coach, a greater sensibility, feel, touch and nuance with their star quarterback, told you D.J. Moore would fit. They drafted a lot of defensive guys in the last couple of years. Let’s see if they can play. But two touchdown drives of 96-plus yards. I thought they were the best team I saw, considering the opposition. Nobody does that to the Texans’ defense. Nobody does that to DeMeco Ryans. I mean, be honest… nobody does that. Josh Allen and the Bills did.”Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
Let’s kick things off with a few things I didn’t see coming. New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough is the NFL’s passing leader. Jordan Love threw for 387 yards (second-most) behind a bottom-10 offensive line — and still lost. Jacoby Brissett looked like Jared Goff. Drake Maye threw three interceptions, including one that sealed the Pats’ loss to the Seahawks. But Jaxson Dart took no unnecessary hits — and took care of himself and the ball — en route to the Giants’ decisive win over the Cowboys. Caleb Williams looked like he could soon be the best QB on the planet. Trevor Lawrence also looked like he could soon be the best QB on the planet! And last but not least, Patrick Mahomes got the ball out in 2.27 seconds on Monday night — fastest in the NFL among QBs taking five-plus dropbacks. He’s still the fastest gun in the (AFC) West. He wasn’t brilliant, but he remains great, overcoming the ACL injury, overcoming left tackle issues and overcoming the Broncos’ elite defense. Welcome back to the QB Stock Market. This isn’t your typical QB rankings. I’m focused on monitoring the fluctuations of starters’ performances throughout the season. No one — not even Josh Allen — is safe at the top. No one — not even Deshaun Watson — is stuck at the bottom. There is room for quick ascent — and rapid decline. We only have one week to evaluate, and so these rankings might surprise folks. One question holds most important: What have you done for your team lately? Previous: Offseason | Preseason | Week 1 In Week 1, Drake Maye’s performance against the Seattle Seahawks was reminiscent of how Josh Allen used to play against the New England Patriots. Going back to 2018, Bill Belichick drew up nasty and exotic blitzes to spin Allen’s head. And because Allen couldn’t make sense of those blitzes, game after game, Belichick kept sending them. You could see how much joy Belichick took in the game plan, with disguises and wrinkles and eccentricity, specifically designed to beat up on Allen. Belichick must’ve looked forward to it. And then their fifth matchup rolled around. It was 2020. Belichick thought he could fool Allen, as usual. But Allen passed for 320 yards and four touchdowns. It flipped the paradigm in the AFC East. Allen never looked back. And it was one of the many things that cost Belichick his job. The Seahawks-Patriots rivalry feels like the same dynamic, with coach Mike Macdonald burying Maye with brain-twisting blitzes and disguises. To make matters worse, Maye’s three interceptions in Seattle were not overly complicated reads. They were simply egregious mistakes. The final interception was, easily, the worst decision of Maye’s career — nosediving the team’s chances in the worst way. It’s not just the Seahawks, though. Complicated defenses have a tendency to overwhelm Maye. So this feels like the same dynamic — except that we don’t know if it’ll end like it did for Allen. I expect Maye to jump back into the top 10. But it’ll depend completely upon an “aha” moment. It’ll depend completely upon Maye completing the Allen comparison, with that final developmental leap, not just by winning with talent — but by outsmarting defenses. C.J. Stroud lost it for the Texans. That hurts to say, because he got the Texans in position for a win against the Bills. He kept it close the whole way, with 274 passing yards and two touchdowns. It was a good game until that last drive. Trailing with minutes left, he drove Houston into scoring position — only to take a pair of sacks that ruined everything. For those two plays, he looked like the same deer in headlights that we saw in the playoffs against the Patriots. For those two sacks, he looked like the guy who was not deserving of a contract extension. How do we reconcile those two plays with the rest of his performance? Let’s start with the sack that was most egregious. And it wasn’t the one that ended the game. On first-and-9 with 30 seconds left and goal-to-go, Stroud took a sack from Bills defensive lineman Deone Walker. The Texans’ win probability took the most pronounced hit of the entire game, sinking a full 38.7%, per Next Gen Stats. Stroud held the ball for 3.8 seconds — way, way too long. Because this wasn’t blindside pressure. It came right up the middle. Stroud watched Walker close in, and ducked into the sack, rather than throw the ball away. Stroud didn’t look mentally ready for the play, which flipped the game in a matter of seconds. A few plays later, it was over. Bills edge Gregory Rousseau strip-sacked Stroud to end the game. It was a third-and-18, and the Texans, essentially, sent their receivers for the end zone. Nobody was open. Stroud held the ball for almost four seconds (which is way too long). But you can’t blame him, given that he had just one more down and 25 more seconds to score. Should he have thrown it away? Of course. Hindsight shows that, clearly. But I also understand why he wanted to make something happen — and risk the incoming pressure — by holding the ball a little longer. He wanted to eke out every opportunity to score on this play. I get that. In a weird way, I view this play differently than I did at the end of the game. So did the advanced stats, showing the Texans’ chances slipping 10.7% on the fumble. The rest of the game, Stroud was efficient. He battled with one of the league’s best teams and quarterbacks. The body of work — on the whole — was good. It’s just that Stroud’s errors on the final drive were irreconcilable. And the brutal truth is that those errors are the only plays we’ll remember from this game. Leave it to the Dallas Cowboys to put together the worst defensive series in all of football in Week 1. The Cowboys were worse — on the whole and on the Giants’ final scoring drive — than the Panthers, who allowed 59 points in Week 1. Dallas’ defensive expected points added per play was .363 (32nd). That’s because the Cowboys refused to cover the Giants’ checkdown option. So that’s exactly who Jaxson Dart threw to — three times in a row, including for a touchdown. Yes, seriously. Giants running back Devin Singletary had three catches in the flat on three consecutive plays. And the third was a 9-yard touchdown. It was pretty similar with every target to tight end Isaiah Likely, who had more room than he should have to operate in the middle of the field. Dart was 8 of 8 for 78 yards and two touchdowns when throwing to his new tight end. But after a season where I faulted Dart constantly for doing the wrong thing (constantly), I have to give him his flowers here. He took what the defense gave him. That’s basically the first rule of quarterbacking. His completion percentage over expected was +10.9%, and he attempted a fairly modest 17.2% tight-window throws. His time to throw was just 2.64 seconds, showing he was quick to get the ball out of his hands. It all speaks to a low-difficulty game plan against a low-talent defense. Dart did what he had to do to get the W. And in this case, he didn’t have to do much. It wasn’t totally Jared Goff’s fault that the Saints got back into their opener in Detroit, eating away at a 14-point lead and sending the game to overtime. The Lions defense shoulders plenty of that blame. But when looking at Goff’s fourth quarter, you can see a series of failed third-down conversions where he made mistakes. That let New Orleans back into it. On two third downs in the fourth quarter, Goff threw a pair of targets to Jameson Williams. In both instances, Goff made the catch more difficult than it needed to be. And there was a target for Amon-Ra St. Brown (another fourth-quarter third down) when Goff should’ve looked him off and found the second man in the progression. Williams, in particular, could’ve had a much bigger game if he and Goff had a cleaner connection. He had just four catches on his nine targets, and finished at a catch rate of 44.4% — 13.9% lower than expected, per Next Gen Stats. If Goff and Williams can figure out why, exactly, their connection grew frayed in this game, then this offense will benefit enormously. But Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown are incredible in pressure moments, including in overtime when Goff fired what seemed like a dangerous ball for St. Brown — only for the All-Pro wideout to snatch the ball away from a DB on the way into the end zone. Goff can be as precise as any quarterback in the NFL. But when he slips, even for three different third-downs, it can cost the Lions. Pocket passers — even good ones — have such a small margin for error. I think we’re past the point of thinking that Brock Purdy is simply a product of his supporting cast. I think we’re also seeing that his supporting cast can thrust him into the top 10. This 2026 roster might be better than the one that helped Purdy break out in 2023. While Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle are absolutely superstars, I’m not sure we all view Brandon Aiyuk — or even Deebo Samuel — in that same light as we once did in 2023. Perhaps Purdy didn’t get the respect he deserved for helping those two receivers play at their peak. The crazy thing about this year’s team is that they’re sustaining the insane rate of injuries that’s typical only for San Francisco. For now, the 49ers are deep enough to withstand the rolling absences. Even with rookie receiver De’Zhaun Stribling exiting the opener in the first half, the 49ers stayed afloat with ample targets for Mike Evans and Samuel. And with rookie running back Kaelon Black looking more than capable in a (surprising) timeshare with McCaffrey, the All-Pro veteran will undoubtedly have fresher legs into December and January. This is all great news for Purdy. He’s never going to land in the tier of QBs who defy circumstance: Lamar Jackson, Allen and Mahomes. (The tier that’s in reach for supertalents such as Drake Maye, Caleb Williams and perhaps even Trevor Lawrence.) But Week 1 against the Rams reminded that, even when things are imperfect (a good defense, a bad set of injuries, a brutal travel schedule in Australia), Purdy can be dangerous. He’s often going to exceed expectations. There are a lot of throws that Caleb Williams makes that leave me in disbelief. But there was one throw on Sunday that left me wondering if he’s the only person on the planet who could’ve completed it. Allen and Mahomes could maybe pull this one off. But that uncertainty — that maybe — speaks to just how special it was. “He couldn’t have put it in a better spot,” Bears coach Ben Johnson said of the pass. OK, so let’s take a look. It’s a 22-yard touchdown to Cole Kmet. Williams rolled to the right — increasing the necessary air yards for the throw to 42.3 yards, per Next Gen Stats. And he had a 32% chance of completing the pass. There was even a pass-rusher closing in on the throw. Despite all that, Williams made this look effortless. It’s why so many Bears players and coaches told me there’s “no limit” to the offense when the 2024 No. 1 overall pick is at the helm. It’s why I’m bullish on the Bears having a real shot at making a run at making history and topping the 2013 Broncos’ scoring record. Williams was sensational (and so was the Bears’ run game). He didn’t even have to get Colston Loveland involved. Loveland, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden didn’t have to score a touchdown for Williams and Co. to put up almost 60 points. Williams and Ben Johnson already had the NFL’s attention. Soon, they’ll have the NFL’s respect. And by the season’s end, 31 teams will be studying the Bears to figure out what they can copy.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
NOTN- The Juneau Assembly has indefinitely tabled a proposal that would have required nonprofits to collect sales tax on purchases, after a marathon debate that Mayor Beth Weldon described as increasingly confusing for the public.
Speaking on Monday night’s meeting, Weldon said the measure drew intense public interest, but efforts to carve out protections for smaller nonprofits only muddied the policy.
“We were just creating confusion. Just for instance, what’s intermediate fundraising? How do the raffle tickets fit in there? 14 days isn’t long enough for a raffle ticket period, and so at the end, especially after talking with the finance, Ms. Woll proposed an amendment to table it indefinitely. And what that means is, unless we bring it up at our next meeting, it dies at this time.” Weldon said.
At the meeting, 17 nonprofit leaders testified against the measure, raising concerns about fairness, added financial burdens and more confusion over how the ordinance would work.
“What I have a hard time understanding is the policy rationale for carving out certain types of non-profits as ineligible for the sales tax exemption, though we have an important charitable mission, it sends a message that it’s not important enough. Crafting tax law is tricky. Our Internal Revenue Code is 3000 pages. The regs are another 70,000. I get it. I understand interpretations have to be made and lines drawn, and I also understand-I truly do-the desire to protect basic human services, food, and shelter to those who need it most. But I question whether the city should be in a position of determining where to draw that line and what services and missions are important.” Said Bridget Lujan, Executive Director of Juneau Dance Theater.
The proposal was projected to raise closer to $1–2 million in new revenue, down from earlier estimates of $3 million, according to Weldon. She said the financial benefit no longer justified the level of community angst.
The Assembly also approved funding for Hesco barriers and other work related to glacial outburst flood mitigation.
Alaska candidates for the U.S. House race incumbent Republican Nick Begich III (left) and independent challenger Bill Hill (right) squared off at a fisheries debate in Kodiak on Sep. 12, 2026. (Photo by Brian Venua/Alaska Beacon)
Front-runner candidates for Alaska’s sole U.S. House of Representatives seat expressed strong support for the fishing industry and coastal communities at a debate in Kodiak over the weekend.
Incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III and independent challenger Bill Hill took very similar positions on issues including fisheries bycatch, declining fish stocks and representation in federal fisheries management, but there were some differences.
Begich touted his legislative record in his first two-year term as beneficial to Alaska fisheries, while Hill said his personal history as a lifelong fisherman in Bristol Bay is advantageous for representing Alaska in Congress.
Begich, a technology entrepreneur and business executive, garnered 44.6% of the vote in the primary election, while Hill, a former school superintendent and commercial fisherman, received 32.5% of the vote. Third and fourth place finishers in Alaska’s ranked choice general election include Eric Hafner — a registered Democrat serving a federal prison sentence in New York – with 3.8% of the vote, and Libertarian Jim McDermott of Fairbanks with 1.2%.
The winner of the November election will serve a two-year term as one of the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Begich promoted his legislative record as a freshman in the Republican-controlled U.S. House. This spring, six bills he sponsored passed Congress to become law — a tie with another Arizona lawmaker for most bills passed as a freshman — but none of those bills directly address fisheries issues.
“I have passed more legislation than any freshman on record,” Begich said. “And those are good Alaska bills — they are bills that unlock lands for Alaskans, and they are bills that, in many cases, we’ve been working to achieve for decades.”
Hill repeatedly referenced his experience growing up subsistence and commercial fishing in Bristol Bay. “I raised three of my kids on my fishing boat, and understand the importance that state, national and international politics play in what happens on our back decks with our children, what happens in the income that we can take home, what taxation does to us, what tariffs do to us,” he said. “I’ve lived a life of fish.”
Bycatch
Several debate questions focused on bycatch, the accidental harvest of nontargeted fish. Bycatch has raised public concern around Alaska’s industrial trawl fleet, which has many vessels harbored in Kodiak, where the debate took place.
Both candidates said they support broader representation on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which oversees fishing policy in federal waters, including bycatch regulations.
Begich said he supports increasing representation for subsistence, sport fishers and small commercial operators, as well as large operators, in council decisions. He pointed to a bill he introduced, the Bycatch Reduction Act, which would require the council to implement gear performance standards to reduce bycatch, to make investments in fishing gear and fisheries research and to increase monitoring and reporting from the industry and the council, among others.
“We need transparency — more transparency for folks who may have conflicts of interest that currently serve on the NPFMC,” Begich said. He also expressed support for a chum bycatch limit established by the council this year for the Bering Sea pollock fishery.
Hill said he supports bycatch limits to protect salmon runs, and additional seats representing subsistence and tribal groups.
“Subsistence is sacred, and the very first thing that needs to happen, and I think you hear it from across the state — this is why there’s such a loud outcry — is because some of our subsistence users have not been able to access their resource, which is more than just protein, for quite a few years now,” he said.
In a question about Congress’ role in reducing bycatch, debate moderators noted all fisheries produce some bycatch harvest and said “a goal of zero bycatch isn’t reasonable.”
But both candidates pushed back on that framing and said that zero bycatch should be the ultimate goal.
The industrial trawl fleet, particularly boats that target pollock, has been the focus of public criticism because it contributes substantially to the state’s bycatch numbers for species including juvenile halibut, cod and salmon returning to spawning grounds throughout Alaska.
Begich said he agreed that every fishery produces some level of bycatch and it’s up to the council to manage each complex fishery. But he said the goal should be “aggressive.”
“I do think the goal should be zero. It’s going to be a long road to get there. But we also have to recognize that in every single fishery, whether it be subsistence, sport, small commercial or large commercial, they have a bycatch responsibility as well,” Begich said.
Hill said the goal should be zero bycatch. “We need to work towards that. We need to work towards a very low-threshold for our trawling industry, especially the out-of-state corporate trawlers,” he said.
And Hill expressed confidence that the trawl industry would be able to meet required limits.
“My perspective is when you set something out for industry to accomplish, they always find a way, and we’ve seen over and over again that our trawl fleet has met the standards that are being set for them. So, can we get to 0%? That would be everybody’s desire, but should we be working towards it? Yes, we should be,” Hill said. “But those who are bad actors, you’ve got to leave the fishery.”
When asked about the primary causes of king and chum salmon run declines, Begich responded it was “largely bycatch related.”
“You look at the Yukon, you look at the Kuskokwim — those runs are way down. We’re seeing some recovery in chums. I think that the cap that we put in with NPFMC is sort of that initial shot saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to be managing these more carefully,’” Begich said. “But I think that historical bycatch is the root cause.”
Hill said he agreed, and added that climate change driven factors are affecting Alaska’s salmon runs. “Climate change is a real thing, and we need to start mitigating for that,” he said. “But yes, we need to end bycatch.”
Processing and protecting Alaska’s fisheries
Both candidates said they would support investments in building the workforce in fishing and processing sectors, as well as more visas for hiring international workers in processing.
In a lightning round of questions, the candidates agreed on every issue. They supported science-based fisheries management, more investment in research and engaging with a wide range of fisheries interest groups prior to introducing new legislation or policies. They also agreed that rural and tribal communities should have more say in decisions affecting fish.
When asked how they would ensure the economic value of federally-managed fisheries would not come at the expense of Alaska communities, Begich said he supports labeling rules for farmed vs. wild-caught fish.
“Alaska seafood is competing with penned fish and farmed fish, and the end consumer doesn’t know it,” Begich said. “And so, when you’re buying an Alaska seafood product, we need to make sure that it’s labeled Alaska. That’s transparent because it gives us the best price for our product and it reduces some of the pressure on our fisheries.”
Hill said he would support more investment in in-state seafood processing to diversify processors to which fishing fleets can sell their harvests. “More processing in our state that’s not a consolidated, vertically integrated type of processing,” he said. “And we need to make sure that we’re legislating to make sure that farmed fishing does not come to our seas and that we keep them off for as long as we possibly can.”
Geopolitics
Both candidates expressed support for tariffs on international seafood to protect Alaska markets.
Hill also condemned the U.S. war in Iran for driving high costs of fuel and affecting fisheries.
“The Iran war is a terrible, terrible thing in terms of how it’s impacted our industry,” he said. “The fuel costs I paid this summer were $2 per gallon more than last year, and they were already high. And then we start talking about things like food and groceries, and the things that allow our crews to do good work for us while we’re fishing hard.”
Begich has expressed support for the Trump administration’s military action against Iran, and voted against a war powers resolution that passed Congress in June calling on President Donald Trump to remove armed forces against Iran, unless authorized by Congress or a declaration of war.
